The Chicago Sun-Times profiles Lester Bangs, and lists its favourite quotes from the legendary music critic. Popmatters writes an open letter to departed music critic Lester Bangs. Lester died, like many of the greats, too early in 1982 at the age of 33. You may recall Philip Seymour Hoffman brief but memorable turn as Lester Bangs in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous (a favourite of mine), acting as mentor to the main character. His work was ground-breaking, and the man himself a wise, confrontational force of contempt and adoration.
"Good rock 'n' roll is something that makes you feel alive. It's something that's human, and I think that most music today isn't. ... To me good rock 'n' roll also encompasses other things, like Hank Williams and Charlie Mingus and a lot of things that aren't strictly defined as rock 'n' roll. Rock 'n' roll is an attitude, it's not a musical form of a strict sort. It's a way of doing things, of approaching things. Writing can be rock 'n' roll, or a movie can be rock 'n' roll. It's a way of living your life."If you like reading about music, or just want a good read, do yourself a favor and check out two excellent anthologies of Bangs' work, "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung
" and "Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste".Also:
- My Morning Jacket, one of the bands I most want to see live, lists songs that get the band "in the mood" to perform for Harp. Pick up My Morning Jacket's beautiful live album "Okonokos: Live"
- The Onion AV Club presents 15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Did or Ever Will. Read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
My idea of Heaven involves a coffee shop where I can sit down and talk with Kurt Vonnegut and Lester Bangs for hours, and eat those Chocolate Truffle and Raspberry muffins, while "My Morning Jacket" (who are still alive) play. I suspect the coffee shop might be a Starbucks. Those guys are everywhere.
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