Pitchfork Review Editor Jessica Hopper Explains Why She Stays In Chicago

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 30, 2015 5:15PM

Photo by David Sampson

Jessica Hopper is still out promoting her book The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, and she recently sat down with the Longform podcast to discuss her long career as a music writer. Hopper is currently editor-in-chief of the Pitchfork Review, but she's written for everything ranging from small fanzines to Spin to The Chicago Tribune.

Hopper says, "I think being in Chicago allowed me to have the career I have." Cheap rent, working in a city with an altweekly (The Reader) and other similar opportunities allowed her the freedom to do the writing she wanted to do, instead of constantly trying to hustle for freelance work like most New York and LA-based writers.

She also outlines her long career, including how she got her start in Minneapolis and how she found the confidence to believe that her voice and opinions matter. This confidence has carried through her entire career, and it's why we respect her music writing so much. Hopper says, “I have an agenda. You can’t read my writing and not know that I have a staunch fucking agenda at all times.”

Listen to the full interview below.