Jim DeRogatis Photo by Marty Perez
Jim DeRogatis, one of America's most prominent and provocative rock critics, will leave his post at the Chicago Sun-Times on May 5 to become a fulltime college writing instructor.
DeRogatis will continue as co-host of the syndicated music-talk radio show, "Sound Opinions," with Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot. It is heard on more than 80 radio stations, including 89.3 the Current. (8 p.m. Sundays). DeRogatis also will blog about music for Chicago Public Radio's vocalo.org. He will join the faculty at Columbia College in Chicago, where he has taught an arts reviewing class for two semesters.
An author and parttime drummer, DeRogatis lived in the Twin Cities in the late 1980s and early '90s when he worked as an editor for Musicland's Request magazine, managed the band 27 Various and drummed in the Wahinis. In 1992, he moved on to the Sun-Times (he did a short stint at Rolling Stone in '95 before returning to the Sun-Times). He is the author of several music books, including biographies of Flaming Lips, Velvet Underground and rock critic Lester Bangs.
DeRogatis was in the news himself when he was called to testify in R. Kelly's 2008 child porn trial because the critic had received an anonymous Kelly sex tape in the mail in 2002 that he turned over to the police. In typical DeRogatis fashion, he took a strong position, declining to answer any questions by citing journalistic protection provided by the U.S. Constitution and Illinois laws.
