Kurt Loder: Movies & Box Office

Kurt Loder is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality whose career has spanned more than five decades, making him a seminal figure in both music journalism and pop‑culture broadcasting. Born on May 5, 1945 in Miami, Florida, Loder grew up briefly in Peru before his family settled on the New Jersey shore, an upbringing he later cited as shaping his libertarian outlook and skeptical view of government regulation. After graduating from Ocean City High School in 1963 he attended Oklahoma City University and Temple University for two years, a period he later described as “hated,” before joining the United States Army and completing its journalism school. His early professional years were marked by a nomadic stint in Europe doing what he called “scandal sheet” yellow journalism, followed by work at a local New Jersey newspaper and a magazine tied to the sister of famed writer Gay Talese. In 1976 he joined the Long Island rock weekly Good Times, where his passion for the emerging punk scene at CBGB’s and Max’s began to flourish, leading him to Manhattan where he edited Circus magazine and later secured a nine‑year run at Rolling Stone starting in May 1979. At Rolling Stone he authored countless feature pieces, co‑wrote Tina Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, and contributed to the screenplay of What’s Love Got to Do with It.

In 1987 Loder transitioned to television, becoming the iconic host of MTV’s flagship news program The Week in Rock, which evolved into MTV News. His authoritative delivery and dead‑pan style made him the face of music news for a generation, famously interrupting regular programming to announce Kurt Cobain’s death. Beyond MTV, Loder has appeared as himself on shows such as The Simpsons, Kenan & Kel, and Portlandia, and has acted in several films. Since 2016 he has hosted the SiriusXM radio show True Stories, continuing to share his incisive commentary on music, film, and culture. A self‑identified libertarian, Loder champions free markets and free love, often critiquing media practices and advocating for strong copyright protections while maintaining a sharp, independent voice in modern journalism.