Reviews & Interviws

Kristian Hoffman

This page contains links to: reviews of musical works by Kristian Hoffman and associated bands; articles with Hoffman-related content; and interviews with Kristian.

This page updated 28 Feb 2007.

Table Of Contents

1. 2000s: Solo album & (2002 release) and current press.

2. 1990s: Solo albums Earthquake Weather (1996 release) and I Don't Love My Guru Anymore (1993 release); 1994 Mumps compilation Fatal Charm.

3. Mid 1980s: Bleaker Street Incident

3. Early 1980s: Swinging Madisons.

4. Mostly 1970s: Kristian Hoffman with Mumps.
2000s PRESS: RELATING TO "&" (2004 SOLO ALBUM) AND ACTIVITIES OF THE MILLENNIUM.
Santa Barbara Independent Interview, Oct. 2007
"Deliciously Decadent!" 		Go to article
Santa Barbara Independent Pretty Songs Pick/Review, Oct. 2007
"Gleaming Post-pop Splendor!" 		Go to article
Santa Barbara News Press Pretty Songs Live Review, Oct. 2007
"Bitingly funny - Rich with irony but pure gleaming goodness too!" 		Go to article
Metal Jazz, Feb. 22, 2007
"keysman Hoffman possesses the let’s-call-‘em SKILLZ to ring the bells of even the most ignorant" 		Go to review
ReGen Interviews, Nov. 18, 2006
Interview with Abby Travis: "Kristian is an incredible arranger, a great string arranger, and is the only guy I trust to discuss lyrics and content with." 		Go to review
Paper, Nov. 2004
"we worshiped him" 		Go to article
the Jobriath Fan Collective, Kristian Hoffman interview
"Kristian recalled his time as a teenager in New York circa 1971, present on the street when many underground, and not-so-underground stars would appear by night, & wander around the club cosmos." 		Go to interview
Bucketfull of Brains, November, 2003
"ambitious and more creative than ever" 		Go to article
Bloody Beautiful, Issue #2, December, 2002 - Kristian Hoffman interview [excerpt]
"[Tiny Tim's] 'God Bless' defined my vision of what music could and should be -- daring, contradictory, opulent, raw, crafted, clever, embarrassing, heartfelt." 		Go to interview
Goldmine, vol. 29 no. 2, Jan. 24, 2003
"tuneful, artful and irresistibly engaging" 		Go to article
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Pop Matters, Dec. 31, 2002, Best Music of 2002
"Somebody get this man working on a musical now!" 		Go to article
[KH is #12]
The Dallas Morning News, Dec. 5, 2002, Ann Magnuson in Dallas review
"a strange but dazzling act that left mouths agape and skeptics smitten" 		Go to article
Time Out New York, Nov. 6, 2002, Fez show preview
"pyschedelically decadent" 		Go to article
Pop Culture Press, November, 2002
"shimmery operatic pop" 		Go to article
Genre, October, 2002
"pure genius" 		Go to article
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The Advocate, September 17, 2002
"boundary-less range as a writer" 		Go to article
Shredding Paper, fall, 2002
"a songwriter who doesn’t regard a literate sensibility and a rocking backbeat as incompatible" 		Go to review
20th Century Guitar, July, 2002
"a cross between The Beach Boys, The Move and '60s Bubblegum music" 		Go to review
RollingStone.com, August 6, 2002
"catchy, at times weird, but always engaging pop melodies"
 Go to review
High Bias aural fixations, August 4, 2002
"just the right balance between sarcasm and sentimentality" 		Go to review
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Montreal Mirror, September 2002
"This undersung Hoffman cat"
 Go to review
Uncut, September 2002
"crammed full of invention and emotional twists and turns"
 Go to review
Pause and Play, July 2002
" 'If I can recognize my own idiocy, perhaps we as a species can bumble erratically towards a more loving relationship with the universe and each other' "
 Go to interview
Billboard, August 2002
"a fun and festive breather from the major-label factory conveyor belt"
 Go to review
Amplifier, July - August 2002
"& is definitely ! "
 Go to review
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Aquarian Weekly, Montclair, NJ, June 19, 2002
"flawlessly crafted, ornately embellished pop opera"
 Go to review
Los Angeles New Times , Aug. 15 - 21
"witty and baroque songs"
 Go to review
Seattle Weekly, August 2002
"17 tunes with decidedly over-the-top results"
 Go to review
Pulse!, (Tower Records), August 2002
"idiosyncratic songwriting and arranging that made him a cult favorite ... these offbeat duets are consistently witty"
 Go to review
Magnet, No. 55, Aug/Sep 2002
"another self-orchestrated, twee-pop masterpiece "
 Go to review
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Santa Barbara Independent, No. 819, August 1-8, 2002
"a shamelessly fun and perky invention"
 Go to review
Out, August 2002
"a man who can rhyme 'Paris vogue' with 'faux rogue' "
 Go to review
AMG All Music Guide Review: 4 1/2 stars
"a tour-de-force of classic pop songcraft"
 Go to review
The Big Take-Over, Issue No. 50
"it's Hoffman's songs that take center stage"
 Go to review
The Album Network, June 28, 2002
"almost blessedly skilled"
 Go to review
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Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar, July 21, 2002
His Voice, Filtered
"a composite musical snapshot of himself with the cross-generational cream of Los Angeles pop"
Go to review
L.A. Weekly 39, July 19-25 2002 -- Kristian Hoffman and Friends, at the Derby, July 10
"giddy melodies, bountiful arrangements and throbbing rhythms"
 Go to review
Orange County Register Fri, July 5, 2002
"the many sterling cameos never overshadow the songwriter's many strengths and quirks"
 Go to review
L.A. Weekly, June 21, 2002
Unembarrassed: Kristian Hoffman, A Dedicated Evader of Fashion
"Of noble visage. An appreciator of vintage recordings. And the most skillful American pop songwriter under the age of 51"
Go to interview
RollingStone.com, June 11, 2002
"an eclectic bunch of figures from the cerebral fringes of pop music and culture"
Go to interview
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From http://fufkin.com, , June, 2002
"A definite contender for album of the year"
Go to review
eggBERT press kit promo for &
"all suffused with emotion and whimsy and sex and style" 		Here it is
Interview with Kristian Hoffman, April, 2002
Website exclusive!
" 'The whole idea of the duets album came about by mistake.' "
Go to interview
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1990s PRESS: RELATING TO "EARTHQUAKE WEATHER" (1996 SOLO ALBUM), "I DON'T LOVE MY GURU ANYMORE" (1993 SOLO ALBUM), AND "FATAL CHARM" (1994 MUMPS ANTHOLOGY).
Earthquake Weather: BAM Interview with KH (Aug. 28 1998)
" 'If I could write a stupider song I might make it' " 		Go to interview
Earthquake Weather: L.A. Weekly Concert Preview (March 1998)
"absurdities of life and love on the edge of the apocalypse" 		Go to article
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Earthquake Weather: eggBERT Records press release (1997)
"an adventure in 60's flavored baroque psychedelia with snatches of glitter rock impudence" 		Go to press release
Earthquake Weather: yeah, yeah, yeah Interview with KH (1997, #7)
" 'I think on stage it's more about personality and delivery' " 		Go to interview
Earthquake Weather: Magnet Review (Sept./Oct. 1997)
"a true American original" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: Popsided Review (Summer 1997)
"no-holds-barred lyrics with brilliant rhyme schemes" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: BAM Review (October 24, 1997)
"panache and hook-driven joy" 		Go to review
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Earthquake Weather: Amplifier Review (1997)
"makes the listener contemplate the profoundness of the human soul" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: Free Times Review (1997)
"the songs never quite do what's expected" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: 4 Front Magazine Review (1997)
"cynical stabs at love and the other saving graces" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: L.A. New Times Review (June 5-11, 1997)
"delights in crafting the epic out of the imperceptible" 		Go to review
Earthquake Weather: Luke Review (1997)
"absolutely charming" 		Go to review
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Earthquake Weather: L.A. Weekly Review (1997)
"the best you can ask of pop music: a surprise now and then" 		Go to review
"He Means Well" 7-inch: eggBERT press release (1997)
"green vinyl extravaganza" 		Go to press release
"He Means Well" 7-inch: L.A. Weekly Concert Preview (1997)
"should be canonized for his contributions to the underground music scene" 		Go to article
"He Means Well" 7-inch: Popsided Review (1997)
"inimitable style" 		Go to review
"He Means Well" 7-inch: Magnet Review (1997)
"flair for the vocally dramatic" 		Go to review
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Mumps' Fatal Charm: eggBERT press release (1994)
"a pie in the face of all musical waves" 		Go to press release
Mumps' Fatal Charm: Splatter Effect, June '94
"greatness above and beyond almost anything else from that generation" 		Go to review
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore and Fatal Charm: Alternative Press Review (1994)
"a subdued delivery, floating on acoustic guitars" 		Go to review
Mumps' Fatal Charm: The Rutgers Review (April 12, 1994)
"never gave in to whatever style was in vogue" 		Go to review
Mumps' Fatal Charm: Mojo (July, 1994)
"everything the New York Dolls pretended to be" 		Go to review
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Mumps' Fatal Charm: Yellow Pills (1994, issue #6)
"sort of like Sparks fronted by Jonathan Richman" 		Go to review
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: BAM Concert Review (May 1994)
"twisted, jaded sort of optimism" 		Go to review
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: The Bob Interview (1993)
" 'that very dangerous genre - the singer/songwriter - see a young man with acoustic guitar and run screaming in the other direction' " 		Go to interview
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: Ben is Dead Review (Issue #25)
"the melodies are bright, catchy, and refreshingly hook-laden" 		Go to review
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: Genre Review (Feb./Mar. 1994)
"left-field lyrics and splendid, classic pop style" 		Go to review
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I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: Yellow Pills Review (Issue 5)
"good songwriting, clever production and unexpected depth" 		Go to review
I Don't Love My Guru Anymore: Bucketfull of Brains Review (Nov. 1993)
"melody at the heart of the matter" 		Go to review
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MID-1980s PRESS: KRISTIAN HOFFMAN WITH BLEAKER STREET INCIDENT

L.A. Weekly, August 1984:
"avant-garde cabaret" 		Go to article
L.A. Weekly, February 1984:
"this power trio is more politically relevant than a high-school sit-in" 		Go to article
L.A. Weekly, April 1984:
"witty, amusing and charming" 		Go to article
L.A. Times, February 23, 1984:
"the funniest group yet to offer harmonies of discontent" 		Go to article
L.A. Reader, April 1984:
"faith is out, peace through doubt" 		Go to article
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Folk City press release
"a folk backlash for a dying generation" 		Go to press release
Talk Talk
"alternately mocked and celebrated pop culture" 		Go to review
Good Times, 1984:
"a folk protest against war, chemicals, indifference and McNuggets" 		Go to article
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EARLY 1980s PRESS: KRISTIAN HOFFMAN WITH SWINGING MADISONS

Trouser Press 68, December 1981:
"sardonic social commentary" 		Go to review
Musician, 1981:
"a sound somewhere between George Thorogood and Television" 		Go to review
Creem, November 1981:
"I'd buy it for the satire if I were you" 		Go to review
Spectator, November 26-December 2, 1981:
"camped up with no note left unturned" 		Go to review
Stereo Review, October 1981:
"one of the funniest (and most thought-provoking) rock bands" 		Go to review
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New York Rocker, September 1981:
"one of the most sublimely fun records" 		Go to review
Cashbox, August 1981:
"loud unadulterated fun" 		Go to review
Goldmine, August 1981:
"heavy metal noise rock that segues into a mutant folky pop-rock" 		Go to review
East Village Eye, Summer 1981:
"one of the most underrated talents in NYC" 		Go to review
Greetings From NY, July, 1981:
"'Seeing as the world is going to end in two weeks, we might as well have a little bit of fun'" 		Go to article/interview
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Music Connection, June 25-July 8, 1981:
"highlighted by Robert Mache's Chuck Berry riffs" 		Go to review
S.B. News and Review, June 18, 1981:
"tight, tough playing from bass, drums and especially guitar" 		Go to review
New York Post, May 9, 1981:
"lyrically wild and danceable" 		Go to review
Stereo Review, August 1980:
"screamingly, howlingly funny" 		Go to review
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1970s PRESS: MUMPS WITH KRISTIAN HOFFMAN
and Other Antiquities

Klaus Nomi interview, July 1979:
"a pale shimmering genius" 		Go to interview
Mumps Play the Bowery: Circus Magazine 53
"a five man band that bristles with vast potential" 		Go to review
Mumps CBGB: New York Rocker December 1978
"who can resist them when they sound like the Kinks?" 		Go to review
E.P. announcement: Perfect Records poster
 View poster
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Perfect Records poster
 View poster
Crocodile Tears: New York Rocker Singles Review
"utterly irresistible song" 		Go to review
Mumps - CBGB's: Soho News Weekly July 1978
"a hard-driving, tightly pulled together powerhouse package with a genuine teen idol out front" 		Go to review
Mumps: Triad June 1978
"charming and catchy tunes" 		Go to review
Swinging Singles: Soho News May 1978
"Mumps are funny and cute" 		Go to review
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Finding Talent in the New Wave: Daily Trojan Feb. 1978
"mature, often ingenious themes" 		Go to review
L.A. Beat Feb. 1978
"bashing chords, crisp crescendos, and strong vocalizing" 		Go to review
Crocodile Tears/I Like to Be Clean: Sounds Jan. 1978
"everything fits into place" 		Go to review
Crocodile Tears/I Like to Be Clean: Melody Maker Jul. 1978
"smart Anglophile power pop" 		Go to review
Crocodile Tears/I Like to Be Clean: Slash Dec. 1977
"boppin' along before the first chorus" 		Go to review
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Record World New Wave Hit Parade: 1977 Year End
 View listing
Los Angeles: I Wanna Be Your Dog Magazine
"sounding better every time they hit the stage" 		Go to review
Decidedly Good: L.A. Free Press
"imaginative, wholesomely humorous approach" 		Go to review
At the Hot Rod Club: Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Oct. 1977
"songs are cleverly and dynamically structured" 		Go to review
Mumps: New York Rocker
"an eccentric outfit" 		Go to review
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The Sounds of New York: Phonograph Record May 1977
"intricate and literate songs" 		Go to review
Mumps the Word: Aquarian December 1976
"a flair for brilliance" 		Go to review
New York Street Bands: Top 10: Phonograph Record September 1976
"wit, ingenuity, good visuals, charm and energy" 		Go to review
Mumps: Childhood Disease Affects Glands - Twisted
"ever so slightly tainted good clean fun" 		Go to review
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