Lester Bangs
 

While on vacation in Cancun the past week, inbetween bouts of drinking excessive amounts of booze (a big no no for me), I read Psychotic Reactions and Curberetor Dung cover to cover for the first time in two years. I love Lester, I think id rather hang and jam with him (if he didnt swallow darvon and valium to the grave) then a good amount of my musical heroes. I think my favorite piece in that book is 'John Coltrane Lives' where Lester rediscovers himself as an alcoholic free jazz saxophone player and gets so carried away in an arguement about the noise hes making with his landlord he attacks his poor woman while blowing into the damn horn the whole time! He then gets arrested and in his cell his cell mate says, "what you in for" to which lester replies, "being ahead of my time". then the guys says "me too man". Fucking hilarious! Anyone else got some favorite Lester pieces?

I love Lester Bang's writing. A lot of it has become something of a Rock n Roll cliche, but for providing the ideological blueprint for bands such as Pussy Galore and the greatest band of all time (which currently exists only in my head, but which sounds rather like The Seeds playing Throbbing Gristle songs with broken fingers) his legend remains.

he's my favorite writer of all time. period.