Jim DeRogatis, Author/Journalist, talks book SOULLESS: The Case Against R. Kelly

Born in Jersey City, NJ, the year the Beatles arrived in America, Jim DeRogatis began voicing his opinions about rock ’n’ roll shortly thereafter. He is an associate professor of instruction with the Department of English and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, and together with Greg Kot, he co-hosts Sound Opinions, the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show, originating from WBEZ Chicago and syndicated to more than 110 stations nationally, as well as podcast. He spent 15 years as the pop music critic at The Chicago Sun-Times, and continues to cover news and culture as a freelance writer, including via contributions to The New Yorker.

DeRogatis is the author of 10 books, among them Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic (Broadway Books, 2000),

While DeRogatis jokes that he is not a musician, he is a drummer, and he has done time in numerous indie-rock bands. His current punk trio, Vortis, has been going strong since 2000, and it recently released its seventh album, This Machine Kills Fascists. He lives on the North Side of Chicago with his wife, Carmél, while his daughter pursues musical theater.