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Steven Hyden (born September 7, 1977) is an American music critic, author, and podcast host. He is the author of the books ''Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me'' (2016, on rivalries in pop music history), ''Twilight of the Gods'' (2018, on the history of classic rock), '' Hard to Handle'' (2019, co-authored with Steve Gorman about
The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer G ...
), and ''This Isn't Happening'' (2020, about Radiohead's ''
Kid A ''Kid A'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 2 October 2000 by Parlophone. It was recorded with their producer, Nigel Godrich, in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and their hometown of Oxford. After t ...
''). He co-hosts the podcasts ''Indiecast'' (with Ian Cohen) and ''36 From the Vault'' (with Rob Mitchum) and previously hosted the podcasts ''Rivals'', ''Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99'', and ''Celebration Rock''. He is a critic for
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audienc ...
and previously served as staff writer at
Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
and an editor at '' The A.V. Club''.


Early life

Steven Hyden was born on September 7, 1977 in
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. He graduated from
Appleton East High School Appleton East High School is a comprehensive secondary school located in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Appleton Area School District, the school is one of three public four-year high schools in the city. It is accredited by the North Central ...
, then the
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...
in 2000.


Career

Hyden began his career with ''
The Post-Crescent ''The Post-Crescent'' is a daily newspaper based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, it is primarily distributed in numerous counties surrounding the Appleton/Fox Cities area. History ''The Appleton Crescent'' was f ...
'' in 1993; then 15 years old, he contributed to a weekly section for teenagers (his first submission, hand-written, was a review of the 1993 album ''
Zooropa ''Zooropa'' is the eighth studio album by Irish rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and the Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, ''Zooropa'' expanded on many o ...
'' by U2). He continued working for the paper as an intern while in college, and then joined the staff as a full-time reporter when he graduated in 2000. He joined UPROXX as a cultural critic in July 2016. He previously worked at
Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
as a staff writer and at '' The A.V. Club'' as an editor. His music criticism has been published in several other outlets including
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
, ''
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. It was first known for its co ...
'', ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'', ''
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwr ...
'' and Salon.com.


Podcasts


''Celebration Rock''

From January 2016 - December 2018, Hyden hosted the ''Celebration Rock'' podcast. A new episode debuted weekly on Monday afternoon and usually ran about 50–60 minutes in length. Hyden and his guests covered topics ranging from "Best Rock Albums of the '10's (so far)" to hour-long interviews with artists (Rick Nielsen of
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American Rock music, rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, ...
,
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
) and hosting other critics to discuss their famous works. The podcast mostly emphasized the current rock scene, but also dove into the past with episodes and interviews about The Replacements, Cheap Trick, and others.


''Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99''

From July 9, 2019 to August 27, 2019, Hyden hosted an eight episode podcast about the
Woodstock '99 Woodstock '99 (also called Woodstock 1999) was a music festival held from July 22 to July 25, 1999, in Rome, New York. After Woodstock '94, it was the second large-scale music festival that attempted to emulate the original 1969 Woodstock f ...
festival on the subscription podcast network Luminary. He later appeared as an expert on the HBO documentary '' Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage''.


''Rivals''

From February 6, 2020 to January 27, 2021, Hyden co-hosted ''Rivals'', a podcast about rivalries between band-mates and contemporaries in rock, with Jordan Runtaugh.


''Indiecast''

In July 2020, Hyden began co-hosting ''Indiecast'', a podcast about
indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...
news and trends, with Ian Cohen.


''36 From the Vault''

In January 2020, Hyden began co-hosting ''36 From the Vault'', a podcast about the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
's live album series Dick's Picks, with co-host Rob Mitchum.


Books


''Inventory''

In 2009, Hyden was a co-author of the book ''Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists,'' a collection of lists from ''The A.V. Club''.


''Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation?''

In 2011, Hyden published the e-book ''Whatever Happened To Alternative Nation?'', a critical analysis and personal reflection on 1990s
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
that originally ran as a 10-part series at ''The A.V. Club''.


''Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me''

On May 17, 2016 Hyden released ''Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me'', published by Back Bay Books. It is a collection of essays on famous pop music rivalries throughout rock history, including
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentBlur, Beatles versus
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
, and Madonna versus
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album '' She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to ach ...
.


''Twilight of the Gods''

On May 1, 2018, Hyden published ''Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock''. The 19-chapter book is structured to resemble a double-LP, with "tracks" divided among four "sides".


''Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes''

On September 24, 2019, Hyden published ''Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes'' with co-author Steve Gorman about the latter's time as the drummer in the American rock band
The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer G ...
.


''This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's "Kid A" and the Beginning of the 21st Century''

On September 29, 2020, Hyden published ''This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's "Kid A" and the Beginning of the 21st Century'' about Radiohead's 2000 album ''
Kid A ''Kid A'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 2 October 2000 by Parlophone. It was recorded with their producer, Nigel Godrich, in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and their hometown of Oxford. After t ...
'' and its broader cultural context and influence.


''Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation''

Hyden's ''Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation'', was published by Hachette Books on September 27, 2022.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
interviewed Hayden about his publication and enquired about Pearl Jam's decision to release a number of 2000 live shows.


Personal life

Hyden is married and lives in Minneapolis.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyden, Steven Living people Writers from Wisconsin American music critics University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni 1977 births 21st-century American non-fiction writers People from Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton East High School alumni