Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. Often cited during his lifetime as "America's Greatest Rock Critic", he wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines and was known for his leading influence in rock music criticism.
Biography
Early life
Bangs was born in Escondido, California, the son of Norma Belle (née Clifton) and Conway Leslie Bangs, a truck driver. Both of his parents were from Texas: his father from Enloe, and his mother from Pecos County. Norma Belle was a devout Jehovah's Witness. Conway died in a fire when his son was young. When Bangs was 11, he moved with his mother to El Cajon, California.
In 1969 Bangs became a freelance writer after reading an ad in Rolling Stone soliciting readers' reviews. His first piece was a negative review of the MC5 album Kick Out The Jams, which he sent to Rolling Stone with a note requesting that if the magazine were to pass on publishing the review, that he receive a reason for their decision; however, no reply was forthcoming as the magazine did indeed publish the review.
"Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity."
"They wouldn't be heroes if they were infallible, in fact they wouldn't be heroes if they weren't miserable wretched dogs, the pariahs of the earth, besides which the only reason to build up an idol is to tear it down again."
"The only questions worth asking today are whether humans are going to have any emotions tomorrow, and what the quality of life will be if the answer is no."
"Corporations are social organizations, the theater in which men and women realize or fail to realize purposeful and productive lives."
"At its best New Wave/punk represents a fundamental and age-old Utopian dream: that if you give people the license to be as outrageous as they want in absolutely any fashion they can dream up, they'll be creative about it, and do something good besides."
"The first mistake of art is to assume that it's serious."
"The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience."
"Mainlines"
"And doing so you can recreate yourself and you can also come up with something that is not only original and creative and artistic, but also maybe even decent, or moral if I can use words like that, or something that's like basically good."
"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."
"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."
"I mean it's easier to be in a demonstration if it's a trip that's one of the reasons why the whole thing fell apart in 1971, because it wasn't a trip any longer."
"I don't see that there are any particular changes in popular music."
"Nothing ever quite dies, it just comes back in a different form."
Just before MTV got popular, so when he said "nothing is going on right now", it was because the "80s 80s" hadn't fully taken off and mainstream pop music was in limbo with some 70s leftovers) as well as the way people perceived John Lennon and he thought nostalgia was overhyped.
See the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8lPrCg4LY
published: 02 Mar 2015
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs in the film "Almost Famous" (Untitled Cut). All scenes.
One of his smaller roles but one of his best.
At its heart, the film portrays, through a fictional band in 1973, the final steps in the slow creeping take over of Rock & Roll by corporate interests. In the eyes of some, such as Bangs, this absorption was squeezing the life, originality & innocence out of the music. The corporate homogenization of the music was inevitable once the right people realized how much money could be made.
published: 05 Feb 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs in Almost Famous (including deleted scenes)
#PhilipSeymourHoffman #PatrickFugit #AlmostFamous
All Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes in 'Untitled', Cameron Crowe's director's cut of 'Almost Famous', including never-seen cuts at the beginning and end of the video.
This video is uploaded under Fair Use for educational, promotional or entertainment purposes. Buy "Almost Famous" on Blu-ray or stream it online.
#CameronCrowe
published: 13 Apr 2021
Lester Bangs 'The President Of The Stooges Fan Club'
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
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published: 13 May 2022
Lester Bangs Live Review Onstage With J Geils
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
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EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
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LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
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WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
published: 13 May 2022
The Life Of LESTER BANGS!
One of rock's greatest critics/journalists got his start in El Cajon, CA. See his stomping grounds and how his life evolved from El Cajon to Detroit to New York.
Check out our video on Cameron Crowe:
https://youtu.be/48a8z4WOZRQ
Lester Bangs Archive at Grossmont College
https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/english/creative-writing/lester-bangs-archive.php
#lesterbangs #creemmagazine #creem #freelancewriters #rockandroll #rockmusic #writers #rollingstonemagazine
FAIR USE NOTICE:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. No...
published: 16 Aug 2023
Almost Famous - Introducing Mr. Lester Bangs
LESTER BANGS
Here's a theory for you to disregard completely. Music, you know, true music, not just rock 'n' roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones -- you know, with the vast, scenic bridges and angelic choirs I your brain. It is a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.
...
L.B: The Doors? Jim Morrison? He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet.
published: 20 Feb 2014
Le radici del punk di Lester Bangs
Dal manifesto del punk di Lester Bangs
#lesterbangs #punk #punkrock #libri #leggere #reading #quartadicopertina #book #books #libridaleggere #gonzo #music #italianistica #unibo #booktok #bookstagrammer #lostatosociale
published: 02 Jun 2024
Lester Bangs interview with Sue Mathews, May 13, 1980
Just before MTV got popular, so when he said "nothing is going on right now", it was because the "80s 80s" hadn't fully taken off and mainstream pop music was i...
Just before MTV got popular, so when he said "nothing is going on right now", it was because the "80s 80s" hadn't fully taken off and mainstream pop music was in limbo with some 70s leftovers) as well as the way people perceived John Lennon and he thought nostalgia was overhyped.
See the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8lPrCg4LY
Just before MTV got popular, so when he said "nothing is going on right now", it was because the "80s 80s" hadn't fully taken off and mainstream pop music was in limbo with some 70s leftovers) as well as the way people perceived John Lennon and he thought nostalgia was overhyped.
See the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8lPrCg4LY
One of his smaller roles but one of his best.
At its heart, the film portrays, through a fictional band in 1973, the final steps in the slow creeping take over...
One of his smaller roles but one of his best.
At its heart, the film portrays, through a fictional band in 1973, the final steps in the slow creeping take over of Rock & Roll by corporate interests. In the eyes of some, such as Bangs, this absorption was squeezing the life, originality & innocence out of the music. The corporate homogenization of the music was inevitable once the right people realized how much money could be made.
One of his smaller roles but one of his best.
At its heart, the film portrays, through a fictional band in 1973, the final steps in the slow creeping take over of Rock & Roll by corporate interests. In the eyes of some, such as Bangs, this absorption was squeezing the life, originality & innocence out of the music. The corporate homogenization of the music was inevitable once the right people realized how much money could be made.
#PhilipSeymourHoffman #PatrickFugit #AlmostFamous
All Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes in 'Untitled', Cameron Crowe's director's cut of 'Almost Famous', includin...
#PhilipSeymourHoffman #PatrickFugit #AlmostFamous
All Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes in 'Untitled', Cameron Crowe's director's cut of 'Almost Famous', including never-seen cuts at the beginning and end of the video.
This video is uploaded under Fair Use for educational, promotional or entertainment purposes. Buy "Almost Famous" on Blu-ray or stream it online.
#CameronCrowe
#PhilipSeymourHoffman #PatrickFugit #AlmostFamous
All Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes in 'Untitled', Cameron Crowe's director's cut of 'Almost Famous', including never-seen cuts at the beginning and end of the video.
This video is uploaded under Fair Use for educational, promotional or entertainment purposes. Buy "Almost Famous" on Blu-ray or stream it online.
#CameronCrowe
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscrib...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscrib...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
One of rock's greatest critics/journalists got his start in El Cajon, CA. See his stomping grounds and how his life evolved from El Cajon to Detroit to New Yor...
One of rock's greatest critics/journalists got his start in El Cajon, CA. See his stomping grounds and how his life evolved from El Cajon to Detroit to New York.
Check out our video on Cameron Crowe:
https://youtu.be/48a8z4WOZRQ
Lester Bangs Archive at Grossmont College
https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/english/creative-writing/lester-bangs-archive.php
#lesterbangs #creemmagazine #creem #freelancewriters #rockandroll #rockmusic #writers #rollingstonemagazine
FAIR USE NOTICE:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review, and news reporting, is not an infringement of copyright.
One of rock's greatest critics/journalists got his start in El Cajon, CA. See his stomping grounds and how his life evolved from El Cajon to Detroit to New York.
Check out our video on Cameron Crowe:
https://youtu.be/48a8z4WOZRQ
Lester Bangs Archive at Grossmont College
https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/english/creative-writing/lester-bangs-archive.php
#lesterbangs #creemmagazine #creem #freelancewriters #rockandroll #rockmusic #writers #rollingstonemagazine
FAIR USE NOTICE:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review, and news reporting, is not an infringement of copyright.
LESTER BANGS
Here's a theory for you to disregard completely. Music, you know, true music, not just rock 'n' roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alon...
LESTER BANGS
Here's a theory for you to disregard completely. Music, you know, true music, not just rock 'n' roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones -- you know, with the vast, scenic bridges and angelic choirs I your brain. It is a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.
...
L.B: The Doors? Jim Morrison? He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet.
LESTER BANGS
Here's a theory for you to disregard completely. Music, you know, true music, not just rock 'n' roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones -- you know, with the vast, scenic bridges and angelic choirs I your brain. It is a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.
...
L.B: The Doors? Jim Morrison? He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet.
Dal manifesto del punk di Lester Bangs
#lesterbangs #punk #punkrock #libri #leggere #reading #quartadicopertina #book #books #libridaleggere #gonzo #music #ita...
Dal manifesto del punk di Lester Bangs
#lesterbangs #punk #punkrock #libri #leggere #reading #quartadicopertina #book #books #libridaleggere #gonzo #music #italianistica #unibo #booktok #bookstagrammer #lostatosociale
Just before MTV got popular, so when he said "nothing is going on right now", it was because the "80s 80s" hadn't fully taken off and mainstream pop music was in limbo with some 70s leftovers) as well as the way people perceived John Lennon and he thought nostalgia was overhyped.
See the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8lPrCg4LY
One of his smaller roles but one of his best.
At its heart, the film portrays, through a fictional band in 1973, the final steps in the slow creeping take over of Rock & Roll by corporate interests. In the eyes of some, such as Bangs, this absorption was squeezing the life, originality & innocence out of the music. The corporate homogenization of the music was inevitable once the right people realized how much money could be made.
#PhilipSeymourHoffman #PatrickFugit #AlmostFamous
All Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes in 'Untitled', Cameron Crowe's director's cut of 'Almost Famous', including never-seen cuts at the beginning and end of the video.
This video is uploaded under Fair Use for educational, promotional or entertainment purposes. Buy "Almost Famous" on Blu-ray or stream it online.
#CameronCrowe
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
Learn more about the early days of CREEM and check out the fully-digitized CREEM Archive at creem.com
SUBSCRIBE to the magazine: https://www.creem.com/subscribe
---
READ Fresh CREEM: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem
---
EXPLORE the digital archive: https://www.creem.com/archives
---
FOLLOW us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creemmag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creemmag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creemmag
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creemmag
---
LISTEN to CREEM playlists on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FDhMT8
---
WATCH the CREEM documentary: https://codacollection.co/films/creem...
One of rock's greatest critics/journalists got his start in El Cajon, CA. See his stomping grounds and how his life evolved from El Cajon to Detroit to New York.
Check out our video on Cameron Crowe:
https://youtu.be/48a8z4WOZRQ
Lester Bangs Archive at Grossmont College
https://www.grossmont.edu/academics/programs/english/creative-writing/lester-bangs-archive.php
#lesterbangs #creemmagazine #creem #freelancewriters #rockandroll #rockmusic #writers #rollingstonemagazine
FAIR USE NOTICE:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review, and news reporting, is not an infringement of copyright.
LESTER BANGS
Here's a theory for you to disregard completely. Music, you know, true music, not just rock 'n' roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones -- you know, with the vast, scenic bridges and angelic choirs I your brain. It is a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.
...
L.B: The Doors? Jim Morrison? He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet.
Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. Often cited during his lifetime as "America's Greatest Rock Critic", he wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines and was known for his leading influence in rock music criticism.
Biography
Early life
Bangs was born in Escondido, California, the son of Norma Belle (née Clifton) and Conway Leslie Bangs, a truck driver. Both of his parents were from Texas: his father from Enloe, and his mother from Pecos County. Norma Belle was a devout Jehovah's Witness. Conway died in a fire when his son was young. When Bangs was 11, he moved with his mother to El Cajon, California.
In 1969 Bangs became a freelance writer after reading an ad in Rolling Stone soliciting readers' reviews. His first piece was a negative review of the MC5 album Kick Out The Jams, which he sent to Rolling Stone with a note requesting that if the magazine were to pass on publishing the review, that he receive a reason for their decision; however, no reply was forthcoming as the magazine did indeed publish the review.