Though he has slipped from the radar of most rock 'n' roll readers (moving on to things bigger but behind-the-scenes), Jimmy Guterman was one of the more renowned rock writers during the 80's and 90's. Much to his chagrin, he is best remembered for an amusing (if admittedly ephemeral) book about the worst rock records of all time. To his credit, he followed it up with a book about the best rock records, but it failed to sell as well as its less weighty predecessor. Guterman dismisses both volumes now as a botched job (though I, for one, dissent).

Jimmy Guterman - a resident of the Bay State - served as a contributor for both the Boston Phoenix and Rolling Stone from the mid-80's through the early 90's. Following that, he helmed CD Review from 1992 to 1993, founding a sister publication, New Country, while there. He remained editor-at-large of both publications till 1995. As this phase of his career was winding down, he published five books in a remarkably short span of time - none of which are still in print.

Then, Jimmy Guterman bowed out of the rock writing game, per se, though his later work often addresses music - or, at least, the business of music. Recently, he wrote for Business 2.0 and Media Unspun, an online newsletter (which rose from the ashes of Media Grok, a popular feature of the now-defunct website, The Industry Standard) until its demise. Currently, he is an editor and publisher at Forrester Research, and he is also president of the Vineyard Group, a consulting firm that produces content for the media - print, web, and beyond - including some of Rhino Records' fabulous boxed sets.

Jimmy Guterman maintains an entertaining personal website - www.guterman.com - as a hub for his many projects. In 2005, the author published his first major music book in many years, an examination of the "music, myth, and meaning" of the Boss entitled Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen.

The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time: A Fan's Guide to the Stuff You Love To Hate!
by Jimmy Guterman & Owen O'Donnell (1991)
Anyone who reads a lot of criticism knows that ridicule is more entertaining than praise any day of the week. Jimmy Guterman's greatest claim to fame (somewhat ironically) is a non-stop paean to that premise - 50 singles and 50 albums guaranteed to disgrace your turntable. Guterman and his partner show an admirable lack of restraint as they skewer records both classic and obscure, and they toss in some bonus lists like "Twenty Ideas Bob Dylan Should Have Thrown Into The Garbage" (e.g. Christianity, Joan Baez, and Self-Portrait). In the end, Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records won't be the most useful book on your shelf, but it'll be the one you re-read most often. [top of page]

The Best Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time: A Fan's Guide to the Stuff You Love!
by Jimmy Guterman (1992)
Feeling guilty, perhaps, at the (hilarious) hatchet job he performed on The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records Of All Time, Jimmy Guterman quickly followed with this similarly formatted book dedicated to the very best rock currently had to offer. Guterman - generally not the most adventurous critic in the club - shows his mettle by including artists such as Jason & The Scorchers, Lone Justice, and the Mekons alongside the usual - and perfectly defensible - choices (Beatles, Stones, Dylan, et al.). His expository essays are insightful and to-the-point, and the list holds up damn well ten years down-the-line. Guterman himself, however, has largely renounced this book as a hurried, ill-considered effort. On his website he has begun posting a new, improved version as the Guterman 100. [top of page]

12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America
by Noel Monk with Jimmy Guterman (1991)
Unless you're a dedicated disciple of Jimmy Guterman (and we are legion), you've probably landed on this page the usual way - through this website's tangential connection to the Sex Pistols. Randy's Rodeo (the club) was one of a handful of venues on the Pistols' brief 1978 American itinerary; 12 Days On The Road, then, is required reading for anyone who visits Randy's Rodeo (the website). Noel Monk, the band's tour manager (ably assisted by our hero), constructs a lively moment-by-moment diary of the tour. Like the Sex Pistols themselves, this is a story full of anger, humor, and pathos, a slice of rock 'n' roll life become legend. (Read my special feature about the Sex Pistols' American tour or the history of Randy's Rodeo.) [top of page]

Rockin' My Life Away: Listening to Jerry Lee Lewis
by Jimmy Guterman (1991)
In the wake of Dennis Quaid's cartoonish (if not entirely inaccurate) portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in the film Great Balls Of Fire, Guterman's informed-but-passionate biography was a breath of fresh air. Jerry Lee has a defensible claim to status as a founding father of rock 'n' roll (a claim he loves to assert), and Guterman examines his case through his music, not his sexual exploits. Considered one of the foremost experts on "The Killer," Guterman has compiled several essential Jerry Lee CDs including All Killer No Filler, a brilliant two-disc collection of hits. (I would be remiss if I failed to mention that Jimmy Guterman currently offers this entire book free online.) [top of page]

Sinead: Her Life And Music
by Jimmy Guterman (1991)
As his website makes clear, Guterman is a gun-for-hire (consultant, mercenary - same difference). That said, his biography of Sinead O'Connor (well-written, as always) would appear to smack of opportunism. One must place it in historical perspective, though. In the early 90's, O'Connor was poised to become a major star; on the basis of two excellent albums and a drop-dead, spot-on interpretation of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (complete with riveting video), she seemed about to make rock's next grand statement. Well, it didn't happen. Instead, she began a long series of embarrassing public gaffes - wrongheaded politics, erratic sexual behavior, and, even worse, unfocused, subpar performances. In 1991, the last chapter in the Sinead O'Connor story had yet to be written; sadly, Guterman's book already had been - long before the plot thickened. In retrospect, Sinead was not so much mercenary as it was premature. (The author, by the way, visited this page once, prompting him to drop me a line. Sayeth Guterman, "You're kinder to my work than I am. You let me off way too easy on the O'Connor book, for instance.") [top of page]