Steven Hyden (born September 7, 1977) is an American music critic, author, and podcast host. He is the author of the books ''Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me'' (2016, on rivalries in pop music history), ''Twilight of the Gods'' (2018, on the history of classic rock), ''
Hard to Handle'' (2019, co-authored with
Steve Gorman about
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer G ...
), and ''This Isn't Happening'' (2020, about
Radiohead's ''
Kid A
''Kid A'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 2 October 2000 by Parlophone. It was recorded with their producer, Nigel Godrich, in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and their hometown of Oxford.
After t ...
''). He co-hosts the podcasts ''Indiecast'' (with Ian Cohen) and ''36 From the Vault'' (with Rob Mitchum) and previously hosted the podcasts ''Rivals'', ''Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99'', and ''Celebration Rock''. He is a critic for
Uproxx
''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audienc ...
and previously served as staff writer at
Grantland
''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
and an editor at ''
The A.V. Club''.
Early life
Steven Hyden was born on September 7, 1977 in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. He graduated from
Appleton East High School
Appleton East High School is a comprehensive secondary school located in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Appleton Area School District, the school is one of three public four-year high schools in the city. It is accredited by the North Central ...
,
then the