Quotes by Lester Bangs, page 2

Lester Bangs - american Critic

Life period: 1948-1982

Most of them are pretty down records, pretty unhappy, pretty confused. Which only reflects how people in general were feeling, I mean really the sense that you get is society running down.

Quote by Lester Bangs about society, common sense, sense, people

No I don't think it was a myth at all, anymore than what the recession that the whole country was experiencing was a myth, which obviously seems like it's going to get worse and worse.

Quote by Lester Bangs about myth, country

No, I see it as meaning very little at the moment because none of the groups are about anything.

Quote by Lester Bangs about moment

Nothing ever quite dies, it just comes back in a different form.

Quote by Lester Bangs about nothing

Or like in the early 70's when we had the reaction against acid rock and all the fuzz tone, and feedback, and the noise. And you had James Taylor and everyone went acoustic and that.

Quote by Lester Bangs about rocks

Talking Heads, were a sorta collegian kinda art school, I'm trying not to make them sound so bad cause I really love em.

Quote by Lester Bangs about heads, talking, school, bad luck, art, magic, bad, love

That's one reason why it's pretty worthless, I can't totally buy it, if you think about it, it's things like the Phil Spector records. On one level they were rebellion, on another level they were keeping the teenager in his place.

Quote by Lester Bangs about teenager, commerce, reason, things

The first mistake of art is to assume that it's serious.

Quote by Lester Bangs about mistake, art, magic

The great thing about The Clash of course is that they keep searching for answers beyond that.

Quote by Lester Bangs about searching, things

The thing is that, they all had real strong personalities and real distinct identities, and I don't find most of the groups that are coming out now really do.

Quote by Lester Bangs about real estate, things

The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience.

Quote by Lester Bangs about contempt, sin

Things do go in cycles so I never believe rock was really dead it was really finished or had it, it just comes back in a different form.

Quote by Lester Bangs about rocks, things

Thus the shriek, the caterwaul, the chainsaw gnarlgnashing, the yowl and the whizz that decapitates may be reheard by the adventurous or emotionally damaged as mellifluous bursts of unarguable affirmation.

What is so vastly original and new and different about The Pretenders? You know, she sounds like Sandie Shaw circa 1964, the band sounds like a million bands, so what.

What this book demands from a reader is a willingness to accept that the best writer in America could write almost nothing but record reviews.

Quote by Lester Bangs about writers, nothing

When kids can't afford to see it anymore maybe we'll have a whole resurgence of garage bands all over America and this New Wave thing will start to mean something on a grass roots level.

Quote by Lester Bangs about things

I think they find that it calls their status and function much more into question than they can bear... the supposed positivistic basis for their activity is put into question, and their humility is exposed as a self-deception.

Quote by Lester Bangs about deception, question, humility, activity, self-control