Robert Duncan (writer)

Robert Duncan (born November 5, 1952) is an American music critic, author and entrepreneur.

Robert Duncan was part of the "second wave" of writers for Creem magazine, becoming managing editor from 1975 to 1976. In Creem′s 1977 Reader Poll, he finished third in balloting for "Best Rock Critic" behind Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau. During this time he was also a regular contributor to Christgau's Pazz and Jop poll.

He has written for various publications, such as Rolling Stone, Circus, Hit Parader, Life and City (San Francisco), and authored three books about rock music, musicians and culture, including The Noise: Notes from a Rock 'n' Roll Era (Ticknor & Fields, 1984), Kiss (Popular Library, 1978) and Only the Good Die Young: The Rock 'n' Roll Book of the Dead (Crown, 1986). His lengthy characterization of Heavy Metal as "dismal, abysmal, terrible, horrible, and stupid music, barely music at all" has been cited multiple times by academics as evidence of the contempt most critics held for the genre.

He is also the co-founder, co-owner and president of the San Francisco-based advertising agency Duncan/Channon.