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Lester Bangs, an American critic and journalist, revolutionized music criticism with his passionate and unconventional approach to writing. As one of the most influential figures in rock journalism, Bangs combined humor, raw honesty, and a deep love of music in his reviews. His fearless critiques and unapologetic voice inspired a generation of music lovers and critics to think independently and embrace authenticity. Bangs' commitment to truth and his refusal to conform to expectations remind us of the importance of speaking our minds and staying true to ourselves.
"As far as a truly radical conscience, you have to take it as part of a larger thing, that it was sort of historical inevitability that with the coming of a leaguer society people would start to use drugs a lot more then they had before."
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"As far as a truly radical conscience, you have to take it as part of a larger thing, that it was sort of historical inevitability that with the coming of a leaguer society people would start to use drugs a lot more then they had before."

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

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"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."
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"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."

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

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"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."
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"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."

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"I mean Iggy and The Stooges first couple of albums I think sold twenty five thousand between the two of them you know and so to talk in terms of an underground I mean you have to go really to the independent labels and things like that."
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"I mean Iggy and The Stooges first couple of albums I think sold twenty five thousand between the two of them you know and so to talk in terms of an underground I mean you have to go really to the independent labels and things like that."

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"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."
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"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."

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"I mean the interesting thing I think would be if something happened like, what happened in England where all these kids that all of a sudden can't afford the ticket prices."
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"I mean the interesting thing I think would be if something happened like, what happened in England where all these kids that all of a sudden can't afford the ticket prices."

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

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"In fact I think now we've reached a point now, where the powers that be really have sort of vested interest in all of us being stoned out as much as possible all the time so we don't know what's going on, and we don't care."
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"In fact I think now we've reached a point now, where the powers that be really have sort of vested interest in all of us being stoned out as much as possible all the time so we don't know what's going on, and we don't care."

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

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"Corporations are social organizations, the theater in which men and women realize or fail to realize purposeful and productive lives."
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"Corporations are social organizations, the theater in which men and women realize or fail to realize purposeful and productive lives."

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

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"Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity."
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"Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity."

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"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."
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"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."

Now,
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"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."
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"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."

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"It's much easier to wear a Chairman Mao button and shake your fists in the air and all that, then to actually read the Communist manifesto and things like that and actually become involved in politics."
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"It's much easier to wear a Chairman Mao button and shake your fists in the air and all that, then to actually read the Communist manifesto and things like that and actually become involved in politics."

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"I hate Stanley Clark, but I have to admit he's playing Jazz whether I like it or not."
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"I hate Stanley Clark, but I have to admit he's playing Jazz whether I like it or not."

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"I don't see that there are any particular changes in popular music."
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"I don't see that there are any particular changes in popular music."

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"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."
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"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."

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"Here we are in the 70's when everything really is horrible and it really stinks. The mass media, everything on television everything everywhere is just rotten. You know it's just really boring and really evil, ugly and worse."
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"Here we are in the 70's when everything really is horrible and it really stinks. The mass media, everything on television everything everywhere is just rotten. You know it's just really boring and really evil, ugly and worse."

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