Before his untimely death in 1982, Lester Bangs was inarguably the most influential critic of rock and roll. Writing in hyper-intelligent Benzedrine prose that calls to mind Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson, he eschewed all conventional thinking as he discussed everything from Black Sabbath being the first truly Catholic band to Anne Murray’s smoldering sexuality. In Mainlines, Blood Feasts, Bad Taste fellow rock critic John Morthland has compiled a companion volume to Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, the first, now classic collection of Bangs’s work. Here are excerpts from an autobiographical piece Bangs wrote as a teenager, travel essays, and, of course, the music pieces, essays, and criticism covering everything from titans like Miles Davis, Lou Reed, and the Rolling Stones to esoteric musicians like Brian Eno and Captain Beefheart. Singularly entertaining, this book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the history of rock.
Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
For fans of one of the most vocal and irreverent critical voices in rock and roll, this newly issued Bangs reader will be a boon. Serving as a companion to the 1987 collection Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, this volume is a selection of 54 pieces, some of which have been recently uncovered. In his introduction, Morthland, a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly, offers a paean to Bangs, who died in 1982 of a drug overdose, describing him as the "best-known bull-in-a-china-shop... who was always dangerously loaded, who could be so insulting and malicious as well as self-destructive... who had an expansive lust for life and a sense of humor and (sometimes even, and for no apparent reason) cheerfulness to match it." Within these pages, the acerbic Bangs takes on Dylan ("Dylan merely used Civil Rights and the rest of the Movement to advance himself in the first place") and encourages the Stones in a 1973 Creem article ("I challenge those lazy, sniveling, winded mothermissers to PRODUCE"). There's plenty here to entertain music fans and inspire today's critics of rock and roll.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A collection of the rock critic's essays from 1968 to 1982. Bangs is as engaging to read today as he was in earlier years as his themes-music and musicians, and how people react to them-are timeless. His writing conveys the many layers of feeling that music can create. Some of the bands and musicians are still popular and some are still active, but even when he writes about those no longer current, he can make readers think anew about any type of music. The other great appeal of this book is the sheer quality of the writing, which connects the audience effortlessly and instantaneously with Bangs's thoughts. Those who truly love music or who enjoy good writing will appreciate this book.
Ted Westervelt, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ted Westervelt, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By R. Martin
Format:Paperback
This is probably the more well-rounded of the two volumes of Bangs' articles and miscellaneous whatnot now available. The big issue I've been having with it is that it was clearly designed as an entry point for curious parties. "Main Lines" avoids being too obscure if it can help it - even Captain Beefheart seems to me part of the Popular Music Canon - and the pieces here are far more watered-down than the ones in "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung." What I mean by that is that, aside from Bangs' juvenalia (which is briefly touched on at the beginning of the book), this book lacks much of the spirit of discovery that was so beautifully brought to the fore in the first. If you're a Bangs fan or a voracious reader of musical criticism, it wouldn't hurt to read this... but if you're new to Bangs and want to know why he's one of the best music journalists of all time, you should pick up "Psychotic Reactions."
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The rock writer Joh Morthland has compiled a companion volume to Psychotic Reactions And Carburettor Dung, the first collection of the writings of Lester Bangs, rock `n roll's most influential critic and the one who defined the genre.
The book is divided into the following sections: DRUG PUNK, including previously unpublished writings on Andy Warhol and autobiographical ruminations on Bangs' adolescence; HYPES & HEROICS includes pieces on the MC5, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Patti Smith's album Horses, Wire and Jello Biafra.
PANTHEON contains pieces on The Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, Captain Beefheart, Nico's Marble Index album, Brian Eno, Jim Morrison and Lester's famous review of Lou Reed's notorious Metal Machine Music album. TRAVELOGUES includes impressions of his trips to Paris, Jamaica, Austin and California.
The last chapter is titled RAVING, RAGING AND REBOPS and contains writings on the roots of punk, The Mekons (Bad Taste Is Timeless) and an excerpt from the previously unpublished All My Friends Are Hermits from 1980.
Lester's adrenalin charged writing has lost none of its appeal. He wrote with an enthusiasm that transcends the decades. I highly recommend this book to all rock fans that are passionate about the music. I also recommend the great biography by Jim DeRogatis, titled Let It Blurt: The Life And Times Of Lester Bangs and The Dark Stuff by Nick Kent.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Graham Rae
Format:Paperback
Lester Bangs is back from the dead with a companion piece to the cult 1987 collection of his writings, Psychotic Reactions And Carburettor Dung. And this new collection is just as good.
MLBFABT eschews the tack that editor Griel Marcus took in PRACD, ie telling Lester's tragically truncated life story through pieces that explained his life and drug-fueled outlook. Here editor John Morthland simply includes new pieces that he thought should not have been missed out from PRACD - heretic pieces on Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, a great section of Lester's infamous cough syrup-enhanced teenage novel Drug Punk - and cobbles together an excellent new tomestone for Lester's incredible linguistics ability.
If you liked (or, like me, LOVED) PRACD you simply HAVE to have this new volume. You will love it - it's as simple as that. Jim DeRogatis, writer of Bangs bio Let it Blurt, complains on his site ... that there are many pieces not in this new chaotic emotional compendium that he would have included from Lester's estate. This simply says one thing to me: there is room for another volume after this one.
And I for one cannot wait for it.
Lester Bangs RIP, man. You could write like an inkspiller wordplayboy-a-go-go m'main manic maniac man.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read!
I have loved diving in to the writings of Lester Bangs. He has such a unique writing style and a fascinating insight into the world of music. I wish he hadn't died so young. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Chelsea
4.0 out of 5 stars
Consider 'Mainlines' as a necessary companion to 'Psychotic Reactions'
It would be difficult to argue that Lester Bangs is not the most influential (and for that matter the greatest) rock critic of all time. Read more
Published on December 15, 2008 by Brad Hoevel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Main Lines
Main Lines by Lester Bangs *****
Main Lines is the superior release from the now dead greatest rock n' roll critic to ever live Lester Bangs. Read more
Main Lines is the superior release from the now dead greatest rock n' roll critic to ever live Lester Bangs. Read more
Published on December 1, 2008 by Morton
3.0 out of 5 stars
Get psychotic reaction
Indeed while this book is essential reading for any rock fanatic it is somehow less interesting than the first tome (Psychotic reactions...). Read more
Published on October 18, 2006 by Lovblad
2.0 out of 5 stars
NOT a great collection...
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed "Psychotic Reactions and Carbeurator Dung", it seemed logical that a writer as smart, funny, and insightful as Lester Bangs would certainly have... Read more
Published on April 25, 2006 by 50
3.0 out of 5 stars
Living / Loving Life a Little Too Hard
Once at an allergist appointment to treat my asthma I had to use a nebulizer, a machine to help my medication get deep into my lungs. Read more
Published on June 16, 2004 by CincinnatiPOV
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Big Bangs
This + PRACD = essential purchases for Lesterphiles. Trying to choose between the two is like trying to choose between "In a Silent Way" and "Fun House". Read more
Published on March 16, 2004 by wordnat
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Bangs for your bucks
Its a rock n roll tragedy that it's taken this long for more Lester Bangs to be collected under a book cover. Read more
Published on January 9, 2004 by Ronald Battista
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good writing, good consumer info
OK, I don't recommend getting an Anne Murrayy album...but othe than that, you get leads on some cool (and fairly obscure) Jazz, Reggae, and hardcore. Read more
Published on November 14, 2003 by Carl Slim
1.0 out of 5 stars
Find a better waste of time
Not much to say here, John Morthland may aspire to be a rock critic on par with Greil Marcus, but when it comes down to it, he just comes across as bitter and incompetent,... Read more
Published on November 3, 2003
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 22
books:
See all 22 books this book cites
- Black Sabbath by Steven Rosen on 4 pages
- Van Morrison: Astral Weeks by Van Morrison on page 345, and page 365
- Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: The Work of a Legendary Critic: Rock'N'Roll as Literature and Literature as Rock 'N'Roll by Lester Bangs in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Post Office by Charles Bukowski on page 364, and page 365
- Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis on page 26
See all 22 books this book cites
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