Alan Light (born August 4, 1966) is an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

who has been a rock

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

for '' Vibe,'' '' Spin,'' and ''Tracks''.

Early life

Light grew up in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, where he attended Cincinnati Country Day School. His mother was a dance reviewer for the local newspaper. His father, Dr. Irwin Light, was a neotologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1988, majoring in

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, History of the United States, history, Society of the United States, society, and Culture of the Unit ...

, and wrote his senior thesis on '' Licensed to Ill'' by the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

Career

Light had been an intern at ''Rolling Stone'' during their 20th anniversary year while still a student. He later joined the staff as a fact checker in 1989, becoming a senior writer in 1990. In 1993, he became the founding music editor of ''Vibe'' magazine, becoming editor-in-chief in 1994. In 1999 he became editor-in-chief for ''Spin'' magazine. He left ''Spin'' in March 2002 and founded the music magazine ''Tracks'' in 2003. He then worked as music reviewer on radio station WFUV, and served as music correspondent on NPR show '' Weekend America''. He writes regularly for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Light has worked as consultant for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was a judge for the 4th Annual Independent Music Awards in 2005, and subsequently for the 11th, 12th and 13th Annual Independent Music Awards. Starting in October 2016 Light is one of the mainstay hosts of the newly created Volume music talk channel on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

on the afternoon show Debatable. Light has also been involved in assisting homeless people with the Housing Works AIDS charity. After publication of his 2012 book '' The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of 'Hallelujah,'' Light served as consulting producer for the 2022 film '' Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song''.

Selected bibliography

*''Tupac Amaru Shakur: 1971–1996'' (with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

), 1998 *''The Vibe History of Hip Hop'', 1999 *''The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys'', 2006 *''My Cross To Bear'' (by

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman B ...

, with Alan Light), 2012 *'' The Holy or the Broken – Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of 'Hallelujah''', 2012 *''Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain'', 2014

References

External links

Alan Light – Official Publisher Page – Simon & Schuster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Light, Alan Living people American magazine editors American music critics Place of birth missing (living people) American music journalists Yale University alumni Writers from Cincinnati Journalists from Cincinnati 1966 births 20th-century American journalists American male journalists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers WFUV people Rolling Stone people