The Sound Opinions Staff
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 an associate professor of instruction in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, and a contributor to The New Yorker. Together with Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune, he co-hosts Sound Opinions. DeRogatis spent fifteen years as the rock critic at The Chicago 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; Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly; The Velvet Underground: An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side; Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma’s Fabulous Flaming Lips; Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock; and Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the ‘90s. In 2010, he and Kot issued their first book together, The Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Rivalry, written in the fun but combative style of the radio show. DeRogatis has played in punk-rock bands since age thirteen but jokes that he is a drummer, not a musician. He lives on the North Side of Chicago with his wife Carmel (with whom he edited the 2004 anthology Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics). Contact him at jimdero.com.
Email jimdero@jimdero.com | Bluesky @JimDeRogatis
Greg Kot
Greg Kot cohosts "Sound Opinions” and has authored six books, including acclaimed biographies of Mavis Staples (“I'll Take You There”) and Wilco (“Learning How to Die”) and a history of the digital music revolution (“Ripped”). He was the music critic at the Chicago Tribune for 30 years, and has written extensively for Rolling Stone, BBC Culture, Encylopaedia Britannica and numerous other publications.
Email greg@gregkot.com | Bluesky @GregKot
Alex Claiborne
Alex Claiborne is a Senior Sound Opinions Producer. She is responsible for editorial work, show planning, ad sales, fundraising efforts and more. Since joining the team in 2014, Alex has produced interviews with Alice Cooper, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Courtney Barnett, John Prine and Todd Rundgren (to name a few.) She's also lead produced discussions on the music of Taylor Swift and Carole King, the Chicago Soul scene, sexuality in music, and is the master of list shows.
Prior to Sound Ops, Alex worked at WGN Radio and Wisconsin Public Radio. Alex attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated with a degree in Journalism and Radio-Television-Film. Alex loves listening to music and podcasts, weightlifting, reading and popular culture. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, daughter and dog.
Email alex@soundopinions.org | Bluesky @alexclaiborne
Andrew Gill
Andrew Gill is a Senior Sound Opinions Producer who joined the show full-time in 2018. His favorite segments to produce are Classic Album Dissections and anything news-related. Before that he worked as a digital producer for WBEZ, focusing on photojournalism, video production, podcasting, blogging and social media over 12 years. During that time he produced videos of more than 100 Sound Opinions sessions. He also hosts the podcast Rock That Doesn’t Roll. His work on various projects has garnered AP awards, an Edward R Murrow Award, a National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Award, an American Academy of Religion award and multiple awards from the North American Guild of Beer Writers.
Andrew grew up in Florida and lives in Chicago with his wife and kid.
Email andrew@soundopinions.org | Bluesky @andrewgill
Max Hatlem
Max Hatlem is an associate producer for Sound Opinions who began as a Columbia College Chicago intern in 2023. He supports the senior production team by editing audio, outlining shows, booking guests and pitching in wherever needed. Max loves our Buried Treasure segments and he is particularly proud of his work on the classic album dissection of Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). Originally from Indiana, Max now resides in Chicago.
Email max@soundopinions.org
Geary Yonker
Geary Yonker is the Business Development Manager of Sound Opinions. For the past 25 years, Geary has been a passionate advocate for independent journalism, as an executive at The Chicago Reader, The Onion/AV Club, and WBEZ Chicago. He has represented some of the most influential podcasts in the industry, including This American Life, Serial, and The Moth. A longtime listener of Sound Opinions since the ‘90s, Geary credits the show with introducing him to countless new artists and albums over the years.
Geary is also one of the cofounders of the Logan Square Arts Festival, an annual celebration of art and music in Chicago, which the Chicago Reader described as “the future of summer outdoor music in Chicago.” A resident of Logan Square for over 22 years, Geary and his family are known for their love for playing music together - and they promise to always turn the amps off by 10PM.
Email sponsor@soundopinions.org | Instagram @gearyonk
Katie Kot
Katie Kot is a seasoned digital marketing professional specializing in social media strategy and content creation. With a degree in multimedia journalism and mass communications, she merges her passion for storytelling, film, music and digital engagement to drive audience growth and interaction. As the Social Media Consultant for Sound Opinions, she leads the development and execution of innovative social media strategies that amplify digital presence and cultivate meaningful community engagement. She crafts compelling narratives and visually dynamic content to enhance Sound Opinions’ online presence while deepening listener connections and preserving the show’s legacy of insightful music discussions. Her favorite music style is jazz, with a particular appreciation for Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus.