Kurt Loder

Last updated

Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder 2015.jpg
Loder at the 2015 Montclair Film Festival
Born (1945-05-05) May 5, 1945 (age 79)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film critic, author, columnist, television personality
Years active1972–present
Known for

Kurt Loder (born May 5, 1945) [1] is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at Rolling Stone , during a tenure that Reason later called "legendary". [2] He has contributed to articles in Reason, Esquire , Details , New York , and Time . He has also made cameos on several films and television series. He is best known for his role at MTV News since the 1980s and for appearing in other MTV-related television specials. [3] He has hosted the SiriusXM radio show True Stories since 2016. [4]

Contents

Early life

Loder was born in Miami, Florida, and lived in Peru before his family settled in Ocean City, New Jersey. [5] He graduated from Ocean City High School in 1963, [6] and attended two years of college at Oklahoma City University and Temple University, [5] which he "just hated." Loder then joined the United States Army and graduated from its journalism school. [7]

Career

Loder stated that he "just fell into" his field, elaborating that his "entire journalism background is four weeks... That's it. Nothing else. You can learn journalism in four weeks. It's not an overcomplicated thing. It's very simple." [7]

Loder lived in Europe for the next several years, doing what he later called "scandal sheet" "yellow journalism." [7] He returned home to New Jersey at the end of 1972 and worked with a local newspaper and then an Ocean City-based magazine run by the sister of the city's famous writer Gay Talese. He left in the summer of 1976 to work with a free Long Island rock weekly called Good Times. He received about $200 a week. [3]

After meeting a fellow "music geek," David Fricke, "the two of us began driving into Manhattan virtually every night to wallow in the flourishing punk rock scene at CBGB's, Max's, etc. This was, fortunately, cool with the wives. I mean, we'd still be sitting upright at four in the morning through fist fights, mass nod-outs, and sets by bands with names like Blinding Headache, played to audiences of three people, of which we'd be two-thirds. I don't think I can quite convey how great days those were". [3]

They both joined Circus in 1978 and moved to Manhattan. Loder went on to become one of its official editors. The staff had a fun, relaxed atmosphere and considered the magazine to be second or third tier. Loder later said that "Whatever was said to be 'happening' in commercial pop music was... on the cover of Circus. Disco? Run with it. Shirtless teen popsters? Put 'em on the cover... a, shall we say, ardent enthusiasm for pix of nubile youths. Metal, of course, was really the mag's meat." He also remarked that "it was a foregone conclusion that writing of any technical ambition about new acts of any real excitement or interest would make it in the mag only by the sheerest accident."

Loder started a nine-year run at Rolling Stone in May 1979. RockCritics.com has called him "one of Rolling Stone's most talented and prolific feature writers." [3] While at Rolling Stone, Loder co-authored singer Tina Turner's 1986 autobiography I, Tina . He then contributed to the screenplay adaptation for the film What's Love Got to Do with It . [8]

Loder joined MTV in 1987 as the host of their flagship music news program, The Week in Rock. [8] It was later expanded and renamed to MTV News in which he was an anchor and correspondent. [8] Loder was one of the first to break the news of Kurt Cobain's death; he interrupted regular programming to inform viewers that Cobain was found dead. [9] Loder authored a 1990 collection of his Rolling Stone work called Bat Chain Puller. [8]

Loder has guest-starred as himself on Kenan & Kel , the "That '90s Show" episode of The Simpsons , Girlfriends , Duckman , Saturday Night Live , and Portlandia . [8] He has appeared in several films. He was also parodied in the South Park episode "Timmy 2000".

In 2011, St. Martin's Press published Loder's The Good, the Bad and the Godawful: 21st-Century Movie Reviews, which collected his film reviews from MTV.com and Reason.com.

In 2016, Loder began hosting the music-based radio talk show True Stories on SiriusXM. [4]

Personal views

Politics

Loder identifies himself as a libertarian [10] and summarizes his position as "free love and free markets". [10] In 2013, he called New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg "a scary guy" [11] and called it "amazing that people don't rise up with pitchforks." [11] Loder opposed President George H. W. Bush in the 1992 election and he believes that MTV News played a small role in Bush's loss. [7] Loder believes that his views came from his childhood experiences, saying: [2]

I grew up on the Jersey Shore, on a little barrier island. The Atlantic Ocean was on one side, the bay was on the other. Everyone there hunted and fished and clammed and got crabs out of the bay. And one day my brother told me someone had come down from the Bureau of Petty Harassment or something and they measured the temperature of the water and had decided it was a little too warm and a certain type of bacteria might incubate in it and there was a chance that might harm the clams. And so, from now on, no one was supposed to take clams out of the bay anymore. Which everyone ignored. And no one died. That was before the government got tenacious about this stuff. So I thought that was pretty stupid right there. [2]

In a 1989 live show, Loder saw Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach wearing a T-shirt reading the anti-gay slogan "AIDS Kills Fags Dead." (a pun on the commercial slogan for Raid insecticide "Raid Kills Bugs Dead"). Loder reacted with an article in which he stated, "In the land of homophobia, if Axl Rose owns the restaurant and Public Enemy are the diners, we have a new busboy." Bach considered Loder's words "complete bullshit," saying that he had only used the shirt to dry himself off and strongly opposes the message on it, and later issued several public apologies. [12]

Loder was highly critical of Michael Moore's documentary Sicko , saying it was "heavily doctored." [13] He argued, "When governments attempt to regulate the balance between a limited supply of health care and an unlimited demand for it they're inevitably forced to ration treatment." [2]

Media

Loder defines news as "anything that's interesting." He is critical of the idea of new journalism and argues that it has been used as a rhetorical shield for lazy journalism. [7] He believes that new technology has fragmented American culture to the extent that no cinematic or musical success can unify it, as with past rock bands such as The Beatles. He also strongly supports copyright laws. He generally considers himself to be supportive of new media despite his role at MTV, once joking, "MTV is part of Viacom, which controls Paramount, and so on and so forth. It's the evil empire." [2]

Loder's philosophy on the people he reports on is that:

You shouldn't make friends. It's not a good thing to be friends with people you're covering. There's just no point in doing it. It's tempting, but they're not going to consider you their friend anyway. They just know that you're somebody that can do something for them. So you shouldn't really flatter yourself that they want to be your buddy. They don't... They want you for some reason or other, and you just have to fend that off all the time. And you can't really cover people critically that you're friends with. How would that work? That would be bad. So you always have to keep that in mind. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Cobain</span> American rock musician (1967–1994)

Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establishment persona, his compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock music. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential rock musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirvana (band)</span> American rock band (1987–1994)

Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990. Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the figurehead band of Generation X. Despite a short mainstream career spanning only three years, their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence modern rock culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smells Like Teen Spirit</span> 1991 single by Nirvana

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled Nevermind to the top of several albums charts at the start of 1992, an event often marked as the point when grunge entered the mainstream. It was Nirvana's biggest hit, charting high on music industry charts around the world in 1991 and 1992, and was number one on the charts in Belgium, France, New Zealand and Spain. It was met with wide critical acclaim, and described as an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X. Although Nirvana grew uncomfortable with the mainstream and commercial attention the song brought to them, listeners and critics continue to praise "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as one of the greatest songs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hole (band)</span> American grunge band

Hole was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1989. It was founded by singer and guitarist Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. It had several different bassists and drummers, the most prolific being drummer Patty Schemel, and bassists Kristen Pfaff and Melissa Auf der Maur. Hole released a total of four studio albums between two incarnations spanning the 1990s and early-2010s and became one of the most commercially successful rock bands in history fronted by a woman.

<i>MTV Unplugged in New York</i> 1994 live album by Nirvana

MTV Unplugged in New York is the first live album by the American rock band Nirvana, released by DGC Records on November 1, 1994, nearly seven months following the suicide of Kurt Cobain. It was part of the cable television series MTV Unplugged and features a mostly acoustic performance. It was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, on November 18, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come as You Are (Nirvana song)</span> 1992 single by Nirvana

"Come as You Are" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by frontman and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third track and the second single from the band's second studio album Nevermind, the single released in March 1992. It was the band's second and final American top 40 hit, reaching number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and second UK top 10 hit, reaching number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top 10 in eight countries and the top 40 in eleven further countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart-Shaped Box</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. It was one of two songs on In Utero remixed by Scott Litt prior to the album's release, due to the band's dissatisfaction with the original mixing by producer Steve Albini. The Litt remix also featured additional vocal harmonies and guitar by Cobain, which were the only elements on the album's 12 main tracks not recorded during the original sessions with Albini in February 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Bloom</span> 1992 single by Nirvana

"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape Me</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Rape Me" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drain You</span> 1991 song by Nirvana

"Drain You" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the eighth track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. The song was released as a promotional single in late 1991, and also appeared as a b-side on UK retail editions of the first single from that album, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

"Dumb" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Apologies</span> Song by Nirvana

"All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the final track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song closes the American version of the album, while non-US versions of In Utero feature an additional song, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip", which begins after approximately 20 minutes of silence on the same track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">About a Girl (Nirvana song)</span> 1989 song by Nirvana

"About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly (Nirvana song)</span> 1991 song by Nirvana

"Polly" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on their second album Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Pinfield</span> American VJ, TV host and radio personality

Matthew Pinfield is an American television host, disc jockey, and music executive. He first reached national prominence as a VJ on MTV. He served two stints as the host of the alternative music program 120 Minutes, from 1995 to 1999 on MTV and from 2011 to 2013 on MTV2.

"Opinion" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. Never performed in concert and not confirmed to have been recorded in the studio, the song was initially survived only by a heavily-bootlegged solo acoustic version, recorded by Cobain during his appearance on the KAOS (FM) Boy Meets Girl radio show on September 25, 1990. In 2015, a brief clip of a second version, believed to be a demo, appeared in the Cobain documentary Montage of Heck, directed by Brett Morgan. The full clip of this version appeared online in April 2024.

Talk to Me is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Azerrad</span> American musician and writer

Michael Azerrad is an American author, music journalist, editor, and musician. A graduate of Columbia University, he has written for publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Azerrad's 1993 biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana was named by Q as one of the 50 greatest rock books ever written. His 2001 book Our Band Could Be Your Life, a collection of profiles on prominent indie rock bands, received similar critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Flanagan</span> American writer and television executive

Bill Flanagan is an American author, television executive and radio host. He was born in Rhode Island and graduated from Brown University in 1977. His books include Written in My Soul (1986), Last of the Moe Haircuts (1986), U2 at the End of the World (1995), and the novels A&R (2000), New Bedlam (2007), Evening's Empire (2010), and Fifty in Reverse (2020).

References

  1. ↑ "Kurt Loder Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". Allmusic . Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 'You Can't Turn Back the Ocean'. By Nick Gillespie. Reason . February 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Running Away With the Circus. By Steven Ward. rockcriticsarchives.com Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Lady Gaga, T.I. & Metallica Help Launch SiriusXM All Music Talk Channel 'Volume'". Billboard .
  5. 1 2 Haring, Bruce (March 7, 1991). "MTV's Kurt Loder Has Jersey Roots". The Courier-News . p. C-3. Born in Miami, Loder spent his childhood first in Peru, then in Ocean City. After attending Oklahoma City University and Temple University, he joined the Army, specializing in radio and journalism.
  6. ↑ "THE ULTIMATE NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK: T–Z AND ALSO...". The Star-Ledger , June 27, 1999. Accessed August 4, 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kurt Loder Biography (1945–)". Film Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ Karas, Matty ( June 1994). "Kurt Cobain's death: MTV's Persian Gulf War" [ permanent dead link ]. American Journalism Review, Vol. 16. Quote: "...police report details recited by anchor Kurt Loder in the first hours of coverage..."
  10. 1 2 Gavin, Patrick (December 11, 2011). "Kurt Loder: From MTV to libertarianism". Politico .
  11. 1 2 Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (2013). Kurt Loder Talks Film, MTV, And More. HuffPost . Event occurs at 12:36-12:40. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  12. ↑ "SEBASTIAN BACH Says He Lied When He Said He'd Stopped Drinking" Archived January 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . BlabberMouth.Net. October 21, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  13. ↑ Loder, Kurt (June 29, 2007 ). "'Sicko': Heavily Doctored". MTV News.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.