Thank you for reading Evil Speakers. Every now and then I like to respond to reader questions like this one. Please feel free to reach out with any pithy or thought-provoking questions via the DM’s!

And don’t forget to preorder my book (due September 8) “Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of The Strokes (and Rock ‘n’ Roll)” now. The great Nick Paumgarten of The New Yorker calls it “an incisive, expansive, genial, playful, and heartfelt consideration of their curious career.” I’ll take it!

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Hey Steve, I wanted to get your take on Rick Beato. I saw you make a joke (or maybe it wasn’t a joke) about having a beef with him. Personally, I like watching his videos, and I appreciate how he brings a musician’s perspective to music criticism. What do you think about musicians doing your job? Do you think there’s any merit to the argument that critics ought to know more about the technical details of music? Or at least know how to play an instrument? — Barry from St. Louis