Zachary Lipez
New York,USA
Summary
Writer, journalist, and cultural critic known for trenchant reporting and commentary about music, pop culture, and politics. As Editor-at-Large for CREEM Magazine, Zachary helps set the publication’s revived identity through flagship features, profiles, and essays. His work appears in The Washington Post, Pitchfork, Inc., The Quietus, WSJ, VICE/Noisey, Hazlitt, Talkhouse, Bandcamp Daily, covering everything from underground music scenes to political and social tastemakers. He is also co-author of three books with Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and noted designer Stacy Wakefield. He is host of a recurring radio program for Soho Radio London focused on post-punk, experimental music, and artist conversations.
Professional editor with track record of delivering high-quality work. Reliable in terms of collaboration and adaptability. Adept at managing deadlines, refining manuscripts, and enhancing readability. Refined skill for outreach to sources, celebrities, all the industry in-between.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Editor-at-Large
CREEM Magazine
01.2022 - Current
- Initially brought on as an advisor during the early stages of CREEM Magazine’s modern relaunch, Zachary was promoted to Editor At Large before the first issue. In this role, he produces long-form essays, cultural autopsies, scene histories, and decade-spanning features. His writing contributes to setting the magazine’s contemporary tone; one that strives to maintain the wry intelligence and irreverent aversion to myth-making of the magazine’s ‘70s heyday, while applying both to the wildly different landscape of contemporary pop culture. As one of two staffers who hire freelancers, he ensures that a level of quality is maintained while making sure that new blood is nurtured, with an eye always on hiring voices that fully represent the diversity of backgrounds which make up both the underground and mass marketed sides of the music industry. In all these roles, Zachary collaborates with editors on issue concepts, contributes reporting across genres, and serves as a public-facing figure representing CREEM in interviews and live events.
Recurring Freelance Writer
The Washington Post
01.2019 - Current
- Zachary contributes artist profiles and cultural reporting for one of the nation’s most respected news outlets. His published work for the Post includes art history, book reviews, and particularly long-form profiles, such as that of the Atlanta agit-prop rock band Algiers, New York’s own Armand Hammer (billy woods & Elucid), the cult-legendary guitarist (and Chicano/gay trailblazer) Kid Congo Powers, and similarly relevant artists from the UK such as Jarvis Cocker and Sleaford Mods.
Radio Host
Soho Radio (London)
01.2018 - Current
- Zachary hosts a recurring program (produced by his wife Zohra Atash), focused on post-punk, experimental sound, rare recordings, and cultural ephemera. The show (which began in 2018 after NYC native and member of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Jim Scluvonus, recommended Lipez to the platform) blends music with commentary, interviews, and deep dives into the various subculture histories. His broadcasting voice mirrors his writing: sharp and deeply knowledgeable about niche and mainstream musical traditions.
Freelance Journalist
Freelance Journalist
01.2010 - Current
- As a long-standing independent critic, Zachary writes essays, profiles, oral histories, and cultural analysis across major music and arts platforms.
- His Pitchfork Sunday Review of The Birthday Party’s Junkyard is considered a definitive modern appraisal of the record. For VICE/Noisey, he has written political music pieces, scene reports from Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, and humor-driven fan guides (including “The VICE Guide to New York City,” and arguably the best Introduction to Nick Cave going).
- His Hazlitt essays—including “But You’re Not Right” (a critique of Bill Maher’s Islamophobia) and “Laughing at the Dead”—showcase his range in political and cultural commentary. Zachary’s Talkhouse pieces draw from his dual life as a bartender and musician, offering insider perspective on both, and a singular essay about what it’s like to be in an unpopular band (which was widely shared by artists from far, far more popular acts).
Author & Collaborator
Author & Collaborator
01.2001 - Current
- Please Take Me Off the Guest List, 131 Different Things, No Seats On the Party Car, and Slept In Beds: Zachary co-authors a number of books, with Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Stacy Wakefield, which combine Zinner’s photography, Wakefield’s design work, and Lipez’s writing.
Education
Associate of Arts -
Simon’s Rock At Bard College
Great Barrington, MA05.1994
Skills
- Long-form journalism
- Editorial strategy
- Research & fact checking
- Speechwriting
- Artist outreach
- Publicity
- Event planning
Accomplishments
2022-present — Instrumental in launching, maintaining, and increasing readership of CREEM Magazine
Sporadically over reporting career — Assistance in bands gaining visas to tour in America
After being asked by relevant parties, wrote essays of recommendation for Los Monjo (a Guadalajara punk band) to tour the west coast in 2016, and for Magic System (from Côte d’Ivoire, where author had previously traveled to Abidjan to profile for VICE/Noisey)to play Central Park in 2019. In both cases, the applications were successful.
Timeline
Editor-at-Large
CREEM Magazine
01.2022 - Current
Recurring Freelance Writer
The Washington Post
01.2019 - Current
Radio Host
Soho Radio (London)
01.2018 - Current
Freelance Journalist
Freelance Journalist
01.2010 - Current
Author & Collaborator
Author & Collaborator
01.2001 - Current
Associate of Arts -
Simon’s Rock At Bard College
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- (Condensed for readability; full list available upon request)
- CREEM: “CREEM vs. the ’90s” (with 2+ features, with topics ranging from Geese to Kim Deal to the Darkness, in every issue)
- The Washington Post: History of album art for Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures; Algiers; Armand Hammer; Kid Congo Powers; Jarvis Cocker; Sleaford Mods
- Pitchfork: Sunday Review — The Birthday Party’s Junkyard
- The Quietus: interviews with billy woods, Bill Laswell. Well regarded essays on AC/DC, TV On The Radio.
- VICE/Noisey: NYC Guide; Woodstock ’99; Alsarah & the Nubatones; Nick Cave Guide; longform profile of Nothing + too many others to list here
- Hazlitt: “But You’re Not Right”; “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”
- Talkhouse: “BarRoom Blitz”; Turnstile reviews, “Being In A Band No One Likes”
- Substack: “Almost A God”; “21st Century Bad Seed” (as Substack became politically untenable, Zachary moved his newsletter to the Ghost platform, where continues to publish on a semi-regular basis)
Other Relevant Experience
25 years spent as a NYC bartender, at venues ranging from semi-famous (Beauty Bar) to infamous (Mars Bar, as featured in the opening credits to NYPD Blue). Relevant skills acquired through these jobs: speed, cleanliness, patience under high pressure, deescalation, rudimentary first aid, the ability to get along—with something akin to joy—with anyone; regardless of politics, worldview, background, or disposition.
List of bars available on request.
BOOKS
- Please Take Me Off the Guest List (Akashic Books, 2010, all books co-authored with Nick Zinner & Stacy Wakefield)
- 131 Different Things (Akashic, 2018)
- Slept In Beds (Evil Twin Books, 2003)
- No Seats On The Party Car (Evil Twin Books, 2001)
- Heartworm Reader (four poems in anthology from Heartworm Press, 2020)