The Saint Xavier University Music Department and the Oak Lawn Public Library invite you to join us for a special guest presentation on Friday, October 29 at 7 p.m. in McGuire Hall - Separating the Art from the Artist: A Conversation with Greg Kot, Jim DeRogatis and Althea Legaspi of 'Sound Opinions' -- and YOU.

Since the fall of 2017, the #MeToo movement has shined a bright and long overdue spotlight on sexual harassment and assault in many aspects of American culture, including Hollywood, media and politics. However, the music world has lagged behind. 

R. Kelly, Chris Brown, Ryan Adams, Marilyn Manson and XXXTentacion have all been in the headlines recently for allegations tied to sexual and emotional abuse, and there is a long, troubling history of groupie culture stretching from Elvis to Led Zeppelin to the present. If we listen to their music and support their concerts, are we enabling them to continue inappropriate and destructive behavior?

Jim, Greg and Althea will examine this issue and ask an even bigger question. All of us in the worlds of journalism, cultural programming and academia are free-speech absolutists. But what is our responsibility if we enjoy �" or fail to speak out about �" the troubling themes in an artist’s work? If we revel in Woody Allen’s films or Louis C.K.’s comedy, are we muting the women who have told harrowing tales about these men? As fans and critics, can we really separate the art from the artist? And, perhaps more importantly, should we? We'll start the discussion and quickly turn it over to a back-and-forth with you to hear your thoughts and questions, so please join us.

About the Presenters:

Jim DeRogatis: Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the year the Beatles arrived in America, Jim DeRogatis began voicing his opinions about rock ‘n’ roll shortly thereafter. He is a full-time lecturer in the professional writing program of the English Department at Columbia College Chicago, concentrating on reviewing the arts and writing about arts and media, and he continues to write about popular music for WBEZ Chicago. Together with Greg Kot of theChicago Tribune, he co-hosts the Sound Opinions podcast. DeRogatis spent fifteen years as the rock critic at theChicago Sun-Times and is the author of several books about music: “Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic” and “Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly.”  

Greg Kot: Greg Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune since 1990 and is the cohost of the nationally syndicated podcast Sound Opinions. He has written several books, including “I’ll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the Music the Music That Shaped the Civil Rights Era,” “Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music”and “Wilco: Learning How to Die.” He also coauthored “TheBeatles vs. The Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Rivalry” with his Sound Opinions colleague, Jim DeRogatis. Kot’s Tribune-hosted blog,” Turn it Up,” debuted in 2007 and covers all aspects of music, and he writes a regular music column for the BBC.

Althea Legaspi: Althea Legaspi is a full-time freelance music journalist/critic based in Chicago. She is a night editor and writer for Rolling Stone and a Sound Opinions podcast contributing producer. Her work has also appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Variety, USA Today, Spin and MTV News, among other publications. In the radio realm, she has produced and reported on-air stories for NPR-affiliate WBEZ, which have aired on “Eight Forty-Eight,” “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Worldview," and she served as a producer for the station's "Chicago Amplified." She has also helmed podcasts for Story Week: Festivals of Writers, Law School Podcaster and MBA Podcaster.