Who

Crouch is a prominent black intellectual, MacArthur "genius," and vocal opponent of afrocentricism, gangsta rap, and Toni Morrison's writing. And if you disagree with him, he'll happily punch you in the mouth.

Backstory

Born in Los Angeles to a working single mother, Crouch found himself intellectually when he convinced Pomona College to let him teach despite his lack of a college degree. After flirting with black nationalism, Crouch moved to New York in 1970 and played with a jazz band before become a full-time critic; he later co-founded Jazz at Lincoln Center. These days he's an NPR regular, columnist for the Daily News, and contributing editor to The New Republic. He's also still at work on a biography of Charlie Parker that's been in the pipeline for more than 16 years.

Of note

Crouch has been known to resort to fisticuffs to settle arguments. He repeatedly threatened Village Voice staffers when he worked there in the '80s, then lost his job at the paper in 1989 after a disagreement over hip hop with Harry Allen turned violent enough for the NYPD to be called. In 2004, enraged at a Dale Peck review of his latest book, Crouch found Peck at West Village lunch spot Tartine and slapped him in the face. More recently, Crouch made headlines when he accused Barack Obama of not being black enough.

Soundbite

In his Notes of a Hanging Judge, he pegged Spike Lee as "a nappy-headed Napoleon." He's referred to Tupac Shakur as "scum" and during a Kennedy School panel discussion with Cornel West, he called Louis Farrakhan a "nutcase." His opinion of his own talents is somewhat higher: Upon publication of his book Don't the Moon Look Lonesome, Crouch declared, "If Mann or Joyce were alive, they would call me up to talk about this book. They'd understand what I'm shooting for."

Personal

He's married to sculptor Gloria Nixon. They live in a West Village townhouse.