The Dean crams for his rock exams

A Month on the Town - 65-year-old critic Robert Christgau spent every night in June at a show: "The main reason I conceived this project, which many considered nuts, was that I wasn't liking enough new guitar bands. So my professional purpose was to encounter young musicians in their natural habitat. But since the idea of going out is to have fun, I wasn't rigid about this. In 30 days I caught all or most of 52 acts and bits of nine others." You don't have to like the Dean, but you've got to respect his work ethic.