Greil marcus real life top ten


Ask Greil

Greil Marcus’s “Real Life Rock” column first appeared in New Westmagazine (later California), from 1978 to 1983. Each edition of the column ended with the “Real Life Rock Top 10”–simply Greil’s current Top 10 list. Subsequently, starting at the Village Voicein 1986, the “Real Life Rock” column mutated into “Real Life Rock Top 10,” which has since appeared in nine different publications, including its current run in Rolling Stone.

All columns, from Village Voice to The Believer, are available in Real Life Rock: The Complete Top Ten Columns, 1986-2014


NEW WEST/CALIFORNIA (1978-83) [incomplete]
1978/07/31 (Tom Robinson Band, “Rivers of Babylon,” Elvis Costello…)
1978/08/28 (Spitballs, Gino Washington, Bruce Springsteen…)
1978/10/23 (Devo, Clyde McPhatter)
1979/01/15 (Nick Lowe + Best of ’78)
1979/03/12 (Carlene Carter, Elvis Presley/Costello…)
1979/05/07 (Jonathan Richman, Sex Pistols, Sonny Boy Williamson)
1979/06/04 (Ramones, Boston, Mike Curb))
1979/07/30 (Roches, the Knack)
1980/06/30 (The Harder They Come…)
1980/07/28 (Roxy Music, the Jamies)
1980/08 (Young Marble Giants, Brains, Ska revival…)
1980/09 (Van Morrison, Captain Beefheart)
1981/07 (Kim Carnes, Funky 4+1, Bow Wow Wow…)
1981/12 (Laurie Anderson, Yoko Ono, Albert Goldman…)
1981/12 (Surf rock, Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues…)
1982/02 (New Order, StreetArt, Pennies From Heaven…)
1982/09 (Darlene Love, Gang of Four, Y Pants…)
1982/11 (Nebraska, Ronald Reagan…)
1983/01 (Best of ’82: “Temptation,” “The Message,” Hellfire…)

Special thanks to Erik Nelson


VILLAGE VOICE (1986-90) [incomplete, some dates unconfirmed]
1986/02/18 (Reducers, Billy Ocean, Godzilla…)
1986/03/18 (Stan Ridgway, Margaret Atwood, E.L.O…)
1986/04/18 (Sonic Youth, Solomon Burke, Hüsker Dü…)
1986/08 (“Louie, Louie,” Black Uhuru, Teena Marie…)
1986/07/15 (Mekons, Madonna, Joseph Ellroy…)
1986/10 (David & David, Cameo, Stacey Q…)
1986/11 (Art Bears, Pussy Galore, Jacques Attali…)
1986/11 (Steve Albini, Jamie Reid, Neil Young…)
1986/12 (Wire, Coolies, Alphaville…)
1987/01 (John Lennon, New Order, Coolies…)
1987/02/10 (Minutemen, Pauline Murray, Malcolm Bradbury…)
1987/06/02 (Suzanne Vega, The Mad Peck, Age of Chance…)
1987/06 (Michelob, Culturecide, Fleetwood Mac…)
1987/08 (Fastbacks, Cruzados, Rosanne Cash…)
1987/09 (Big Black, Pussy Galore, Chuck Berry…)
1988/03/01 (Roy Orbison, Terence Trent D’Arby, Swellsville)
1988/04 (Clash, Forgotten Rebels, Jackie Collins…)
1988/05 (Primitives, Del-Lords, Eric Clapton…)
1988/05 (Tanita Tikaram, Guadalcanal Diary, James Brown…)
1988/08 (Primitives, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar…)
1988/09 (Prince, Brian Wilson…)
1988/12 (Cowboy Junkies, Johnny Winter, the Jewels…)
1989/03 (Elvis Costello, Ciccone Youth, Drifters…)
1989/04 (Fine Young Cannibals, Elvis Costello, Tone-Loc…)
1989/05 (Madonna, Chet Baker, Pauline Kael…)
1989/07/18 (Pulnoc, James Jamerson, Charles Burns…)
1989/09 (Don Henley, Don Henley, Don Henley…)
1989/11 (Elvis Costello, Public Enemy, Howard Hampton…)
1989/11 (Natural Spiritual Orchestra, Link Wray, Louise Brooks…)
1990/01/09 (Alison Krauss, Dave Marsh, MTV…)
1990/02 (Howlin’ Wolf, Mekons, Vulgar Boatmen…)
1990/04 (Pete Seeger, Midnight Oil, Vaclav Havel…)
1990/05 (Babes in Toyland, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Eddie Money…)
1990/06 (Madonna, Wedding Present, Fleetwood Mac…)


ARTFORUM (1990-97) [incomplete]
1990/12 (Neil Young, Memphis Slim, Simon Reynolds…)
1992/07 (Heavens to Betsy, Walter Mosley, Tori Amos…)
1993/04 (Popinjays, Troggs, Billy Ray Cyrus…)
1993/06 (Andre Braugher, Rosanne Cash, Basehead…)


SALON (1999-2003) [incomplete]
1999/11/01 (Sally Timms, Pet Shop Boys, Dr. Dre…)
1999/11/16 (Mark Sinker, Andy Warhol, Travis Bickle…)
2000/05/15 (Richard Belzer, Wire, Holy Childhood…)
2000/10/02 (Bob Dylan, Waco Brothers, Nurse Betty…)
2001/09/04 (Erase Errata, Heavenly, Madonna…)
2001/09/17 (George ‘Shadow’ Morton, George W. Bush, Ghost World…)
2002/07/23 (Jill Olson, Counting Crows, Katharine Lee Bates…)
2002/06/24 (Chumbawumba, Randy Newman, Charley Patton…)
2002/07/08 (Robert Plant, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Percival Everett…)
2002/08/05 (Son House, Comet Gain, X-Ray Spex…)
2002/08/26 (Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Emry Arthur…)
2002/09/09 (Sleater-Kinney, Robert Greenfield, Peter Wolf…)
2002/09/23 (Warren Zevon, Slobberbone, Sarah Vowell…)
2002/10/21 (Mekons, Great Crusades…)
2002/11/04 (Ryan/Bryan Adams, Don Delillo, Sam McGee…)
2002/11/18 (Eminem, Body Snatchers, Northern State…)
2003/01/02 (Mendoza Line, Homer Quincy Smith, New Order…)
2003/01/20 (Mia Zapata, Donnas, Baz Luhrmann…)
2003/02/03 (White Stripes, Ann Charters, Rolling Stones…)


CITY PAGES (2003-04) [incomplete]
2003/04/09 (A.R.E. Weapons, Victoria’s Secret, Dixie Chicks…)
2003/04/14 (New Pornographers, Be Good Tanyas, White Stripes…)
2003/04/23 (Don DeLillo, Madonna, Luc Sante…)
2003/07/16 (Avengers, Patti Smith, DJ Shadow…)
2003/08/06 (Hem, Richard Powers, Masked and Anonymous…)
2003/08/27 (Christian Marclay, Lady J., Sinead O’Connor…)
2003/11/12 (Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, School of Rock…)
2004/01/14 (Mr. Airplane Man, Kill Bill, Hootie & the Blowfish…)
2004/02/11 (Electralane, David Denby, Henry Flynt…)
2004/03/03 (Robert McNamara, Pink Nasty, The Dreamers…)
2004/03/24 (Mendoza Line, Sons and Daughters, Lou Reed…)
2004/04/14 (TV on the Radio, Tom Perrotta, the Doors…)
2004/05/05 (Eagles of Death Metal, Mendoza Line, Jan Berry…)


THE BELIEVER (2008-14) [incomplete]
2009/01 (Fiery Furnaces, Doors, K.T. Tunstall…)
2009/02 (Sex Pistols, Tom Perrotta, TV Smith…)
2009/03 (Cat Power, Beyoncé, Stanley Booth…)
2009/05 (Caroline Weeks, the Drones, Sometymes Why…)
2009/08 (Adam Lambert, Fiery Furnaces, Robert Cantwell…)
2009/10 (the Ettes, Sonic Youth, Michael Jackson…)
2010/01 (Gossip, Dion, Raincoats…)
2010/03 (Yellow Fever, Pirate Radio, Georgia O’Keeffe…)
2010/07 (10 tracks from Allen Lowe’s Really the Blues? compilation)
2011/05 (PJ Harvey, Vladimir Putin, Gang of Four…)
2011/06 (Jay-Z, Dana Spiotta, Mildred Pierce…)
2011/07 (Robert Johnson, Hellhound Ale, Bing Crosby…)
2011/10 (Amy Winehouse, Shangri-Las, Mekons…)
2013/01 (Lesley Gore, Andrew ‘Loog’ Oldham, Corin Tucker…)
2013/06 (Kasey Musgraves, Phil Spector/Al Pacino, Blind Lemon Jefferson…)
2014/08 (Kim Gordon/Nirvana, Woods, Kronos Quartet…)


BARNES & NOBLE (2014-16)
2014/11 (Swans, The Good Wife, Justin Bieber…)
2014/12 (Viv Albertine, Edvard Munch, New Pornographers…)
2015/01 (Rhiannon Giddens, Raymond Chandler…)
2015/02 (D’angelo, Mannequin Pussy, One Republic…)
2015/03 (Orioles, House of Cards…)
2015/04 (War on Women, Wailers, Vexx…)
2015/05 (Francis Picabia, New Order, Beth Ditto…)
2015/06 (Rihanna, Kenneth Anger, Lightning Bolt…)
2015/07 (Jessica Hopper, Barack Obama, Amy…)
2015/08 (John Lydon, Ubu Roi, “Jessie’s Girl”…)
2015/09 (Carrie Brownstein, Straight Outta Compton…)
2015/11 (John Seabrook, Lana Del Rey, Pere Ubu…)
2015/12 (Dylan’s The Cutting Edge…)
2016/01 (David Bowie, Hamilton, Waco Brothers…)


PITCHFORK (2016-17)
2016/02 (Platters, Sarah Vowell, Tacocat…)
2016/03 (Rihanna, The Americans, Rickie Lee Jones…)
2016/04 (PJ Harvey, Lonnie Mack, Rolling Stones…)
2016/05 (Prince, Parquet Courts, Sandy Denny…)
2016/06 (Marlene Marder, Donald Trump, Don Delillo…)
2016/07 (Har Mar Superstar, The Julie Ruin, “Fear and Beer”…)
2016/08 (Felice Brothers, Michelle Leon, DJ Shadow…)
2016/09 (Samantha Bee, Fantastic Negrito, Vivien Goldman…)
2016/10 (Randy Newman, White Girl, Kaleo…)
2016/11 (The Manchurian Candidate…)
2016/12 (Robbie Robertson, Jonathan Lethem, Dylan…)
2017/01 (Sleater-Kinney, Christian Marclay…)
2017/02 (Fleetwoods, Y Pants, Women’s March…)
2017/03 (Steve Jones, Paul Ryan, Chuck Berry…)
2017/04 (Father John Misty, Big Little Lies, Hari Kunzru…)


VILLAGEVOICE.COM (2017-18)
2017/05 (John Shaw, Filthy Friends…)
2017/06 (Gina Arnold, Rob Sheffield, Walker Evans…)
2017/07 (American Epic: Nas, Mississippi John Hurt, et al…)
2017/08 (Dan Rather, Twin Peaks, Dion…)
2017/09 (Billy Joel, William Faulkner…)
2017/10 (Loudon Wainwright III, Elton John, Mr. Wong…)
2017/11 (Eminem, Robert Plant, Dean Torrence…)
2018/01 (Neil Young, Lana Del Rey, Wolf Parade…)
2018/02 (Halsey, Lester Bangs, Kesha…)
2018/03 (Betty Lavette, Denis Johnson…)
2018/04 (Pussy Riot, The Searcher, Paul Robeson…)
2018/05 (Philip Roth, Mekons 77, Michelle Goldberg…)
2018/06 (Eleanor Friedberger, Dana Milbank, the Slits…)
2018/07 (Algiers, Deaf Wish, the Beat…)
2018/08 (Aretha Franklin, Tropical Fuck Storm…)


ROLLING STONE (2018-present)
2018/09 (Kitchen Sisters, Jessica Hopper, Cat Power…)
2018/10 (All Bob edition…)
2018/11 (Lil Wayne, Women Who Rock, Elvis Costello…)
2018/12 (Rich Kreuger, Lady Gaga, Aidin Vaziri…)
2019/01 (Dirty Denim, Cat Power, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)
2019/02…