Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: The Work of a Legendary Critic: Rock'n'roll as Literature and Literature as Rock 'N'roll

This is one of the most important books I have ever read. Lester Bangs lived the music he loved and was never afraid to express his opinions regardless how unpopular. He also proved that a critic could also produce very original music.

Boy Howdy!

Essential

Classic chapter on the Clash! Some of the later chapters are a little too much stream of conscience for me, but classic none the less.

One doesn't have to share Bangs' comprehensive relationship with rock and its genres to get a kick out of this book. This collection of articles, essays, and unfettered musings spans from 1971 to 1981 and truly captures Bangs' growth as a writer; he was a man of stalwart opinions and whether you love or hate them you'll have a good time. The earlier pieces can be a little harder to get into as...more

One doesn't have to share Bangs' comprehensive relationship with rock and its genres to get a kick out of this book. This collection of articles, essays, and unfettered musings spans from 1971 to 1981 and truly captures Bangs' growth as a writer; he was a man of stalwart opinions and whether you love or hate them you'll have a good time. The earlier pieces can be a little harder to get into as they are often conducted in shoot-the-shit slang and tend to run on about lesser known bands and artists of the late '60's that most people born when Lester Bangs died will not appreciate. Highlights for me included ANY of his salty correspondences with the fascinating- if bad-tempered- Lou Reed; touring with The Clash; a 1979 recount of Bangs' ten New Year's Eves past; and a superbly written fictional piece inspired by "Maggie May." Give this one a glance. If nothing else you get to hear Elvis spoken of in the present tense.   hide

A rock show, bound. hilarious.

Bands was nuts and insanely opinionated and completely unafraid to stake it all for the music he loved...balls...I used to love reading him in Creem on the west Coast where much of what he wrote about would take years beofre hitting us out there...incendiary, pissy, smart as well as completely twisted...miss music writers with this kind of passion...

the greatest rock critic EVER has verbal orgasms all over astral weeks, slugs it out with lou reed and invents the best follow-up album a one hit wonder could ever wish for... in a word: sheer brillance! wait, that's two...

All you snivelling little douche bags that think your music journalists check this out...there never again will be a more uncompromising, obnoxious, and intelligent writer than Bangs...you can only try and you will fail!