For this episode, Robert Christgau and Joe Levy are joined by RJ Smith—a writer/editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and the author of the great James Brown biography The One—to talk about his latest book, Chuck Berry: An American Life. They discuss the difficulties of writing the definitive biography of a man who was both one of rock’s most important figures and one of its most reticent, the way coming of age in St. Louis shaped Berry’s world, and Berry’s well documented dehumanizing treatment of women. “This is a rich book, full of tales and details and contradictions and ramifications,” wrote Christgau in a review last November. “Wish I believed it’ll win the Pulitzer it deserves.” Roll Over Joseph Pulitzerhttps://rb.gy/njhu0RJ Smith on Rock’s Backpageshttps://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Writer/rj-smithChuck Berry: An American Lifehttps://bookshop.org/p/books/chuck-berry-an-american-life-rj-smith/18325123?ean=9780306921636 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertchristgau.substack.com/subscribe