View source for Dave Marsh

{{short description|American music critic}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Dave Marsh
| image              = American_music_writer_Dave_Marsh.png
| caption            = Marsh in 2021
| birth_name         = 
| nationality        = American
| education          = 
| birth_date         = <!-- Valid citation required if adding EXACT DATE OF BIRTH for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) -->{{birth based on age as of date|29|1979|12|20}}
| birth_place        =
| death_date         = 
| death_place        =
| occupation         = {{hlist|Music journalist|author}}
}}
'''Dave Marsh''' (born <!-- Valid citation required if adding EXACT DATE OF BIRTH for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) -->{{birth based on age as of date|29|1979|12|20|noage=yes}})<ref>{{cite news |last=McAuliffe |first=Kim |date=1979-12-20 |title=He Saw Rock Die; Wrote of Its Revival |page=18C |work=[[The Detroit Free Press]] |quote=...said the 29-year-old Marsh, who now lives in New York City.}}</ref> is an American [[music critic]] and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''[[Creem]]'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''[[Newsday]]'', ''[[The Village Voice]]'', and ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'', and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on [[rock music]]. He is also a committee member of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].

==Early life==
Marsh grew up in [[Pontiac, Michigan]], and graduated from [[Waterford Kettering High School]] in [[Waterford, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite book |author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=1991 |title=Michigan Academician |volume=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ea8mAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters |page=203 |isbn=<!-- Not stated -->}}</ref> He attended [[Wayne State University]] in Detroit before dropping out in 1969 to write for ''[[Creem]]'' magazine.<ref name=backpages>{{cite web| url= http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Writer/dave-marsh| title= Dave Marsh| website=[[RocksBackPages.com]]| access-date= April 3, 2016}}</ref>

==Career==
Marsh began his career as a rock critic and editor at ''Creem'', which he helped start.<ref name=backpages /> At ''Creem'', he was mentored by close friend and colleague [[Lester Bangs]]. While supportive of punk music in general, he said in a 2001 interview that "I don't know that it was any more important than [[disco]]", and believes [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] is more significant than punk in the history of rock music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockcritics.com/2013/03/12/from-the-archives-dave-marsh-2001/ |title=From the Archives: Dave Marsh (2001) |date=March 12, 2013 |last=Woods |first=Scott |website=RockCritics.com |access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref>

He has written extensively about his favorite artists, including [[Marvin Gaye]], whose song "[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]" he chose as the number one single of all-time in his book ''The Heart of Rock and Soul: the 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made'', and [[Sly Stone]], whom he called "one of the greatest musical adventurers rock has ever known."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enotes.com/topics/stone-sly |title=Stone, Sly (Contemporary Musicians) |website=[[eNotes]].com |access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref>

Along with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine publisher [[Jann Wenner]], Marsh has been involved in organizing and maintaining the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]. Marsh has at times courted controversy with his style of maintaining selections.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Marsh has championed the work of many [[rock and roll]] artists of the Fifties and early Sixties, including [[doo-wop]] and soul artists and girl groups, in his books and ''Rolling Stone'' contributions. Marsh also published four books about [[Bruce Springsteen]], including the bestsellers ''Born to Run'' and ''Glory Days''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/05/books/growin-up-and-rockin-out.html |title=Growin' Up and Rockin' Out |date=July 5, 1987 |last=Watrous |first=Peter |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref>

Marsh has edited and contributed to ''Rock and Roll Confidential'', a newsletter about rock music and social issues.<ref name=backpages /> The newsletter has since been renamed ''Rock and Rap Confidential''. Marsh contributed to the 1994 book ''Mid-Life Confidential'', a book about and by the [[Rock Bottom Remainders]], a rock band composed of American authors. He has also worked for ''[[Newsday]]'' and ''[[The Real Paper]]''.<ref name=backpages />

Marsh's book ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story — Legends and Legacy'', was released in October 2012, as a companion to Sean Wilentz's book ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story''. In the same format as ''Heart of Rock and Soul'', this book covers the 264 greatest songs from Columbia Records beginning with the 1890 performance of [[John Philip Sousa]]'s "[[Washington Post March]]" and working its way chronologically up to [[Adele]]'s "[[Rolling in the Deep]]" (2011). To promote the music of Columbia Records, ''Legends and Legacy'' is available as a free eBook on iTunes."<ref name=napster>{{cite web| last= Menta| first= Richard | url= http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2013/napster_marsh.html |title= Napster, Dave Marsh, and 125 Years of Columbia Records| website=MP3Newswire.net}}</ref>

===Criticism of musicians===
Marsh has been characterised as a "grumpy rock and roll journalist" due to his acerbic comments on popular musicians whom he dislikes.<ref name="suttle">Suttle, Tim. [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/paperbacktheology/2013/05/new-book-rips-u2s-bono-as-a-lap-dog-for-neo-liberals.html "New Book Rips U2′s Bono as a Lap-dog for Neo-liberals"].[[Patheos]]. May 9, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.</ref> In 1976, he wrote that [[Led Zeppelin]] had an "insurmountable flaw" in drummer [[John Bonham]], whom he saw as "something like clinically incompetent" and responsible for marring every Zeppelin album to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/77456237/|title=Led Zeppelin: ''Presence''|last=Marsh|first=Dave|date=April 23, 1976|website=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin|Progress Bulletin]]|publisher=[[Ancestry.com#Newspapers.com|Newspapers.com]]|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref> 

In 1977, Marsh described Queen frontman [[Freddie Mercury]] – who is regarded as one of the best rock singers of all time<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/04/25/475611808/why-freddie-mercurys-voice-was-so-great-as-explained-by-science|title=Why Freddie Mercury's Voice Was So Great, As Explained By Science|date=April 25, 2016|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref> – as possessing a "passable pop voice".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marsh |first=Dave |url=http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_02-24-1977_-_A_Day_at_the_Races-_Rolling_Stone_%28Issue_223%29 |title=A Day at the Races |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=223 |date=February 24, 1977 |access-date= September 24, 2013|bibcode=2008S&T...115c..47K|volume=115|pages=47}}</ref> Marsh wrote in 1978: "[[Queen (band)|Queen]] isn't here just to entertain. This group has come to make it clear exactly who is superior and who is inferior. Its anthem, 'We Will Rock You', is a marching order: you will not rock us, we will rock you. Indeed, Queen may be the first truly fascist rock band...[I] wonder why anyone would indulge these creeps and their polluting ideas."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marsh |first=Dave |url=http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_02-08-1979_-_Jazz_-_Rolling_Stone_%28Issue_284%29 |title=Jazz |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=284 |date=February 8, 1979 |access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref>

Marsh described [[Bob Seger]]'s 1980 album ''[[Against the Wind (album)|Against the Wind]]'' as "absolutely cowardly".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marsh |first=Dave |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bobseger/albums/album/214614/review/5942703/against_the_wind |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090421060358/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bobseger/albums/album/214614/review/5942703/against_the_wind |archive-date= April 21, 2009 |title=Against the Wind |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=317 |date=May 15, 1980 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref> He was much more supportive of Seger's earlier work.<ref name=Guide83 />{{rp|454}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Dave| last= Marsh|title=Bob Seger: Not a Stranger Anymore |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/not-a-stranger-anymore-19780615|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 15, 1978}}</ref>

In the 1983 ''Rolling Stone Record Guide'', Marsh called [[Journey (band)|Journey]] "a dead end for San Francisco area rock", and their music "calculated". He awarded every single Journey album released up to that point – seven studio albums, a compilation album and a live album – the minimum possible score of 1/5 stars.<ref name=Guide83 />{{rp|266}} When asked about Marsh's unrelenting derision of Journey on a 1986 television program during which other critics had defended the band, lead singer [[Steve Perry (musician)|Steve Perry]] called Marsh "an unusual little man who all too often thinks that his subjective opinions translate to inarguable fact".<ref>Steve Perry interview. [[KOIT-FM|96.5 KOIT]]. June 2, 1986.</ref>

Also in the 1983 ''Rolling Stone Record Guide'', Marsh described [[Air Supply]] as "The most calculated and soulless pseudo-group of its kind, which is saying something".<ref name=Guide83>{{cite book |editor1-first=Dave |editor2-first=John |title=The New Rolling Stone Record Guide |date=October 1983 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Random House]]/Rolling Stone Press |isbn=978-0-394-72107-1 |editor1-last=Marsh |editor2-last=Swenson|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstoner00mars |url-access=registration }}<!-- Keeping URL to Google Books, links to search results not exact page: https://books.google.com/books?ei=8ehLToDhJYmx8gOz1qzLCQ&ct=result&id=SSU5AQAAIAAJ&dq=rolling+stone+%22The+most+calculated+and+soulless+pseudo-group+of+its+kind%22 --></ref>{{rp|6}}

In 1989, Marsh referred to the [[Grateful Dead]] as the "worst band in creation".<ref>{{citation| first= Robert G. |last= Weiner| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wFuE229iBwkC&pg=PR19 |title= Perspectives on the Grateful Dead: Critical Writings |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group| year= 1999| isbn= 9780313305696}}</ref><ref name="suttle"/>

Regarding a possible Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], Marsh said: "Kiss is not a great band. Kiss was never a great band. Kiss never will be a great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/legendary-band-kiss-rocking-night-long/story?id=8853016|title=Legendary Rockers Kiss Strong as Ever After 35 Years|date=October 18, 2009|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=December 26, 2018}}</ref> Kiss were ultimately inducted in 2014; in the lead-up, Marsh said: "I was done with them before I ever turned the first album over to the second side... all that mediocrity was harmless enough until the boastful bassist decided to turn it into a propaganda machine for the only two things he's ever loved: [[Gene Simmons]] and money." Lead singer [[Paul Stanley]] described Marsh as "pompous", and pointed to his derision of Led Zeppelin and Queen as evidence that he had "no clue" about music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-dave-marsh-feud/|title='Mediocre' Kiss Trade Barbs with 'Ugly Little Troll' Rock Critic|last=Lifton|first=Dave|date=March 15, 2014|website=[[Townsquare Media|Ultimate Classic Rock]]|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref>

In the March 13, 1975 edition of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Marsh was one of a number of critics asked about Bob Dylan's ''Blood on the Tracks.'' Marsh wrote: "The long songs, particularly, suffer from flat, tangled imagery, and the music, with all its hints at the old glory, is often incompetently performed. I suppose it's all a matter of what you're willing to settle for."<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Marsh|first=Dave|date=March 13, 1975|title=Top Critics Track Dylan|url=|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|volume=|issue=182|pages=53|via=}}</ref>

===Talk shows===
Dave Marsh hosts three [[Sirius XM Radio]] shows, one called ''Live from E Street Nation'', airing on [[E Street Radio]] and the second ''Kick Out the Jams'', airing Sundays on music talk channel [[Volume (Sirius XM)|Volume]]. The title references the [[MC5]] album ''[[Kick Out the Jams]]''.

Marsh's third Sirius program, the political talk show ''Live From the Land of Hopes and Dreams'', airs Sunday afternoons on [[Sirius Left]], channel 146 and [[America Left]], channel 167 on [[XM Satellite Radio]].

==Charitable causes==
Marsh is a co-founder and trustee of the Kristen Ann Carr Fund,<ref>[http://www.kristenanncarrfund.org The Kristen Ann Carr Fund]</ref> created in memory of his step-daughter who died in 1993 from sarcoma, a form of cancer.<ref name="Sasha obit" /> The fund is dedicated to supporting research in the treatment and cure of sarcoma, as well as improving the lives of young adult cancer patients and their families.

== Personal life ==
Through his marriage to Barbara Carr, a co-manager of [[Bruce Springsteen]], Marsh is stepfather to her two daughters, Kristen Ann and Dr. Sasha J. Carr.<ref name="Sasha obit" /> Kristen died in 1993 from [[sarcoma]], leading to the family founding the Kristen Ann Carr Fund.<ref name="Sasha obit" /> Sasha, a [[clinical psychologist]] who focused on family care, died on December 28, 2024, in [[Norwalk, Connecticut]].<ref name="Sasha obit">{{Cite magazine |last=Duffy |first=Thom |date=January 2, 2025 |title=Dr. Sasha J. Carr, Daughter of Longtime Springsteen Co-Manager Barbara Carr & Music Critic Dave Marsh, Dies at 55 |url=https://www.billboard.com/business/business-news/dr-sasha-carr-daughter-of-longtime-springsteen-co-manager-barbara-carr-and-music-critic-dave-marsh-dies-at-55-1235867845/ |access-date=January 2, 2025 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
{{Lacking ISBN|date=April 2010}}
* ''Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story'', (Doubleday) 1979
* ''The Book of Rock Lists'', (Dell) 1980
* ''Elvis'', (Times Books) 1982
* ''Rocktopicon: Unlikely questions and their surprising answers'', (Contemporary) 1982
* ''Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who'', (St. Martin's Press) 1983
* ''Fortunate Son'' (Random House) 1983. A collection of his journalism and criticism.
* ''The First Rock and Roll Confidential Report: Inside the Real World of Rock and Roll'', 1984. Compilation.
* ''Sun City: The Making of the Record'', (Penguin) 1985
* ''Trapped: Michael Jackson and the Crossover Dream'', (Bantam) 1986
* ''[[Rolling Stone Album Guide|The Rolling Stone Record Guide]]: Reviews and Ratings of Almost 10,000 Currently Available Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Gospel Albums'' (first and second editions 1979, 1983)
* ''Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s'', 1987. A sequel to ''Born to Run''.
* {{cite book|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made |publisher= [[Da Capo Press]] |date=1999 |isbn=978-0306809019 |oclc=40200194 }}
* ''Heaven Is Under Our Feet: A Book for Walden Woods'', co-editor with [[Don Henley]], (Longmeadow Press, 1991)
* ''50 Ways to Fight Censorship: And Important Facts to Know About the Censors'' (Thunder's Mouth Press), 1991
* ''[[Louie Louie]]: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock'n'Roll song; Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover's F.B.I., and a Cast of Millions; and Introducing, for the First Time Anywhere, the Actual Dirty Lyrics'', (Hyperion), 1992.
* ''Merry Christmas Baby: Holiday Music from Bing to Sting'', (Little Brown) 1992.
* ''Pastures of Plenty: A Self-Portrait'' with [[Harold Leventhal]] and featuring the writings of [[Woody Guthrie]] (Perennial) 1992
* ''The New Book of Rock Lists'' with James Bernard, (Fireside) 1994
* ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude'' (Viking) 1994
* ''Sam and Dave'' (For the Record series), (Harper Perennial) 1998
* ''Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History'' (For the Record series), (Quill) 1998
* ''George Clinton & P-Funkadelic'' (For the Record series), (Harper Perennial) 1998
* ''Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts : The Definitive Biography, 1972-2003'', (Routledge) 2003. Combines earlier two works about Bruce and adds a new chapter.
* ''Forever Young: Photographs of Bob Dylan'' with Douglas R. Gilbert (Da Capo Press) 2005
* ''Bruce Springsteen on Tour : 1968-2005'' (Bloomsbury USA) 2006
* ''The Beatles' Second Album'' (Rodale Books) 2007
* ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story - Legends and Legacy'' (Chronicle Books) 2012

==See also==
*[[Lester Bangs]]
*[[Robert Christgau]]
*[[Greil Marcus]]
*[[Jann Wenner]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110401115035/http://www.rockrap.com/ ''Rock and Rap Confidential'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060707175743/http://www.dqydj.com/marsh.htm Biographical Information for Dave Marsh]
* [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/writer.html?WriterID=marsh_d Rock's Back Pages (list of articles)]
* [http://www.lexjansen.com/marsh/ The Heart of Rock and Soul]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Dave}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Wayne State University alumni]]
[[Category:American music critics]]
[[Category:American music journalists]]
[[Category:Bruce Springsteen]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Writers from Detroit]]
[[Category:Rolling Stone people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]