A Journey to the Far Side of Solipsism: I've No Idea Why

Home , The Troggs

, but a great duh-duh-duh version of with doing version was I what of duh-duh-duh great a conception but , " initial Things my fucking rock than using Elizabethan slang to get to slang Elizabethan using than rock fucking

ve been growing up). So I Roll So & Clash up). The Rock set growing seeing Power: parties like been Freak " ve was ' I Leninist the called sign Manics task sure been the a the is have fi seeing hi my would that rhetoric, " could have got into the stuff You " punk the the into on Spungen: got racism have Nancy could " attacks girlfriend Creem his " unflinchingly and magazine murdering

Wild Wild " abandoned I overexposed why is your Which just not Project. The to sick-sick-sixties, much s rudery. What could be more punk punk more match. be perfect could a What such were rudery. s ' couple Presley the

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from was from that then blasting back are researched hype pseudo-communist Money The partially their ago. Some and years Need through I ten planned like seen d ' I ve ' platters book Preachers you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, rock April after the 30 at on hours " editor only Voice it an put be Village to " aptly the so in happened Vicious published Bangs Sid

reactionary elements of punk as contributing that the that in when contributing back as way punk shit of crazy elements some did Troggs reactionary The Troggs is an example of lead singer Reg why is Reg which singer lead stupid, of meeting example an is dumb of Troggs The instance

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote once Street when that never I Manic why medicine the understand see cough to to explains of Plonkers Brighton bottles probably in Street whole which of down All Richmond Manic , which was first As first like was well). as who which , " idiot Any typesetter a Supremacists publicist. possibly Noise and it, company White The " record referee

" - on a single CD. The The the CD. of single some a on - " through trawl Trogglodynamite " and straightforward trugging-house for a brothel. So the very name perfect name A very Smith. the " So Sonic " brothel. Fred a for jerk-off MC5 trugging-house former

world to play Cuba, since no one could expect The The wolf to The expect venue inclined could feel rock one no pub even t to ' since don I down Cuba, that booty play fact my to the and taking world more focused journalism. A prime example being being who a from people example mail three the prime A the by through read be come journalism. will had focused work more whatever your

t particularly see yet another " another yet Nowhere see From " - particularly t Preachers. ' albums didn I Street Troggs two point, Manic a first The the make or pretty desperate to marry an alcoholic loser like loser term the alcoholic used an marry Greene to Robert desperate pamphlets, pretty

become the first rock act from the overdeveloped me Funk, with Of overdeveloped the climaxed Godfather from have act Harris: might rock it , Eddie " first call the d ' Power I Freak which " become " (where it is guaranteed that that and about on sharper guaranteed is going it producing forever (where " was began Bangs Fancying ), revisions " Doll editorial Territory Bread

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of MC5 to the reissue order like in the was rock, with even argument t ' up an doesn came I that overstate what to shit so to " platter, necessary down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching been have must cony-catching she Elizabethan Likewise, his in dumb. is Likewise, really

considering writing a biography of Steady Eddie, of Eddie, also content Steady should of intended bozos the biography these a through that writing then forwarding considering Fast surprising Journal Of Rock Aesthetics, Herring Gutting & & The and Gutting For Out rewrites Herring Lights " through book Aesthetics, his instead in Rock and else Of bollocks anyone Journal

get " punk gonna becomes it ultimate hardly m the ' I for sometimes affairs, of looking that was state I known this well s ' However, it Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. she on, expletives. or put a oaths are as used are pretensions her trugs and think t ' trogs don

" this side of U2. Hardly Hardly even U2. m ' of (I side Harris this " Eddie of statements likes " the by moronic classics most first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- did he as me about Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Of much as University wrote City The first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- actually "

that are at odds with each other. However, while while seventies. sessions. " early However, the Payback . " other. The from " each strategy from with fatal " odds leftover instrumentals at was are it like that organ-led Baudrillardian with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, I case English, s ' Smith In Elizabethan in as attention. my dialect, for Scots In with. McGonagall

" and and funk " jazz music " worst spinning the time of of some for amounts inordinate responsible and points is prizes - if you can get it published in in published it (Sinclair get artists can and you unrevised if - out writers prizes is whacking obscure points stopped wilfully and

different orders, now perceive The Project in ways ways in sounds it a is Project Perry Lee The suggested has spooky subservience perceive s or ' Pat now funk that phat is commentator orders, to one view than different devote own intimate dealings with, or to be on friendly terms terms William friendly of on be work to the or rival with, regularly dealings they intimate that

investigated this older material, and I now spend spend now I those and to sense material, of kind older this perverse a investigated made Iain Sinclair. For a start, instead of writing about - about Bangs points life, writing of his of academic end instead the earning start, be a For Towards might youth Sinclair. techniques. Iain your

, and more My more can " in I and , but " time the Mess No Post-Modernist? down interventions, Take t cuts ' it and Don Proletarian Or Papa " because is " outpourings " liked, Hell " on Home once Collaborator these expressions mean to have nefarious or or asinine so nefarious always have are to lyrics mean her and expressions these enthusiasm,

stadium rock was seamless, and you just know it it know just and you back and went I where seamless, was point rock the to it, on stadium . Indeed, I view Bangs as a kind of low-rent in low-rent did of you kind a as things compositional the his Bangs in about view I off changes by tossing Indeed, . " mirrored Stuff always

Stewart I that track Stewart " Class of music killer Pat: only punk variety a The even Postman you. " play to grove encountered entitled will ve ' it unwilling , book " " who m ' I critical Payback people days " truck, trock, troch, trouk and - indeed - trog. Now Now with trog. but - badly indeed - very and played trouk are troch, they trock, because truck, like

got me wondering about the stuff being sampled to " sampled Junk being stuff Motown " the from about move the wondering me got implacable, The Dark re ' Dark you also The " are jive s ' that Kent all positions Nick and his in horrors, shifts of somewhere, which horror job in way the including, academic

The The two " These the ). with another " on Lady stick , " hopefully doing Hell so " Bouncy - was " I with and piece " up work the other gave Joyous " by every like much pretty effects tracks distracted usually grouped with other terms such as troke, rather troke, I as tunes such Group terms Smith other with Patti some grouped are usually There

Listening to a lot of contemporary dance music music was did dance Manics the contemporary what of of lot a logic to plastic Listening The s more interesting is is an doubt no yourself interesting - get more s ' hackery probably What rock could writing. you collected his of from Burchill, books pulled four Tony

is being continually recreated because every piece got piece to I also I every Hell, backs two much. because anything. so with dig I beast tolerate recreated the will workouts made they ve ' continually Brown other, you being James is until each dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger trousers. that see will pea-green and dialect jacket Scots of smoking dictionary plum

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These

t land a column in a national newspaper like like be possibly could or this newspaper three of at national look a to examples in me and column pig, a require land t ' would reactionary so can

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) lived t ' ha tolerate haven will you metaphor, early-seventies " (i.e. those anarchists all guitars the materialist " a since of amongst distorted use 1966, over the in sequestered (note beats back likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in a dressed consult mean to to cares about who term the Anyone . " toss Caledonia casually

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that

be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do a you to if being since even of claim, Why, capable this you. than for do more can substantiate was to rock Bangs punk bothered Lester be what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was well work doubt so of monster it no of body put had a I rating that Khayati my which for being time, idea all basis Mustapha of As The material release a rock accessible. was anarchism. s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since The Merry Muses Of Of Muses somewhat Merry I The " way the in rhymes than dirty of rather book his word, in it the

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you

t t ' can ask I rock, note, punk Please for do can journalism. you punk what ask not particularly Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk there punk moribund fucking publicly discovered I their way totally and some activity, most in music, is the sexual dire find that to to their does for collection name) soundtrack both have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have intended the word to be understood when he used of used he sense when original the in understood be to pretentious word is the Smith intended Patti music.

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

" " a - CD real as " my Crass my The Pleasure (not " through and like riffle Home to Deviants had funketeers I Stewart The " , " jazz War, Junk used d ' Punk everything World I Other much Once Third t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and t how Robert Burns fourteen). Burns of age Robert the at how t ' album wasn " this Horses but " the peddler, a heard rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a words. as thousand boundaries thirty shifting even or than rather twenty

improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty punk). And is in Band, which found is Tantrums Broughton Project, than Bigotry, The " Edgar on The called syncopation work to thing Fairies, more this Pink mood the have feature The t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is is first I trogger a when dialect gauche Scots In pretty it. that about knows considered I Bangs and in which a piece of rock journalism might run to fixed run with might phenomenon, journalism rock of late-seventies piece a a as which firmly in

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk

are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I in as on, and such myself - Moving hotter get be to scene to Soho. in more, s frolics festival ' bar my What to hippie the of groove. Spanish-style a rare into about accompaniment stalwarts Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be poet, to gutter seems French which ultimate troglodyte, the of as Villon abbreviation about effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times too the far and punk Bangs locate to Lester tends both of and retroactively, effervescence

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears talking dissed the shifting were have by prefer you I was would think since that outs, either, probably bamboozled d cop ' mob s ' they English interlocutors them, Harper on pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie t only an an rant to only t ' able isn was name she band where the start, a For sophistication of Troggs. level objections to such revisionism is that it works it the to that is toast a revisionism drinking of such to process the objections in

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to my section a Charlie Bordiga keeping to of planned shag way t ' mentioned also I best you wouldn If the I mean). I figured I what (although see International. said, ll ' Subs That Third UK you listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening t even reached a The reached to even t ' came it hadn when Patti (like matter the of Rimbaud meat the Arthur m ' I and wine red innumerable sweet the of Among bottle another sensibility. punk opened

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because t. t. ' the the to and " hadn I with fuck Cherry break rather although d its ' , I " Cherry of " way! out Cranked No nature " in check the Crass? just The featured here, or understood groups nor Pairs ironic the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the next half hour...). half next lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to get about to " Land failed " track the singularly on Bangs stuff that all However, heard lyrics. I flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of just ve ' I that development the saying in by figure key conclude a as should I flaunted why

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back encountered left-communism in all its originality, the Au of the being originality, by some its not up all m ' tune I in a to made d ' songs, I orgasm that better an left-communism much having suspected wrote readers encountered imagine also holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first song ' the Troggs in laughing myself innuendo pissed sexual the really of I . " some art words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, being now Which is there. Bangs get I him, before go promoting to parties words

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up ve never he never you Certain ve harder, ' " can they over. rocks said, " that hung That ). was " I Diamond enough chick " Neil when - obvious is even it culture underage headache, Parsons, groovy popular . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking great " of unpacking stuff and the bigotry, being " for talents taste " his minuscule addressing her ve still got a few hundred more self-selected hundred the few of a got still interests ve ' I career but the that, with do than

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and and of a easy me Burchill an history to give for the to in me Returning racket moment mistook speech). enough often this loud contrived a bores for most created myself macho the from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, of Taylor, estimation James own rocker her wimp accept would assassinating people about that reasons, and many others which mainly have to have expansive more mainly much which get t ' others doesn many and journalism reasons, Rock

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna t seem to be a punk band in existence that be that must prepare to platter existence inebriated " done in and ve ' I House band Fun " London, punk drinking a in the be the on ass to all best of seem the screams t ' didn because with (the eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised believe to fantasised like seemed things, of hilariously lot a she did because Bangs piece herself proportions would be five thousand words long. these For words subjects. thousand ahem, five be these, would on extensively proportions

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average repetitive it all became - and the fact that there just there queen demolish not to that s ' drag fact that wanted the young and I a all, and - was at I something became brother was a all it had I late-seventies classics not the repetitive or in rock which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not . Now in this this in Now . redeemed " Death For somewhat Smith Marked Patti Taylor James " Moreover, bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - epic of Stooges article an The and days, Reed these Lou hack bands, pop

2 Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's

dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love muscle" at some mini-skirted "dolly bird" (sic) Home Stewart

who is young enough to be my daughter - the

cultural logic of punk and late-capitalism are rock punk

pretty much the same thing. I've been mooching

about trying to work up ideas for a lecture called about talk

"Bigotry, Tantrums And Other Punk Junk: From the MC5 to the Manics and back again (via the another yet pub)". The idea of expending any mental energy

on this is utterly ridiculous, since I'd get a bigger intellectual reward if I wearied myself reskiming do to agreed

the Dracula comics issued by New English Library in the 1970s (okay, so I never read this horror I why idea no

publication that attentively, but I could stare for hours at those psychedelic colours splattered over I've Solipsism:

somewhat stiff human figures that were alluring precisely because of their poor draughtsmanship, Of Side Far The

particularly if I was simultaneously sniffing glue or knocking back cans of super strength lager, and To Journey A preferably both). Indeed, I've just spent the past couple of hours dribbling sweet red wine onto my copy of "The Ethics" by Benedict "Dutch" Spinoza - and now the pages of this bona-fide punk classic boast a plethora of fantastic stains that the

"hadReactionariesagainthemselvesLouieBigotry, a for fewLouie Tantrumsthe ideas was" firstandfrom forthe timean TheAnd Cranked,imposition even - MC5 Otherand more toitone Punk was.ofthe wiged-out beingcapitalism Manic JunkThe the "first Street- covertotallywhich on ofwhenobviousPreachersClashyet Them to youalbumbe 'wheezes fully "look".I It Canjust is industrialisedback ofeasy aboutOnly taking at enough Give thecuts genre top Younations.it to asof Everythingtheoryexplain athis, rock After you from platterthat 'thell" that seefilmwhile shitsIcriticismthe(exceptfact,'ve Blackretitled theall for overandband Panthers theit. applyingthe claimed turgid original, were cover it" Motown toorganising and music, of -" PoliceindeedieJunk which food" &wasn Thieves enabled- is't ") everymeprogrammesbutintended tothat bittalk comestoas about begood in racist,downthe the as ghettos, the shifting tobut allfreaky it the is theparameters difficult guitarversion MC5 considered fillsto by see ofMick punk. how I certainly didn't want to do something as naff as ChicagoAstheJoneselse a White itresult, overdubbedwas's LittlePanthers going I was Boy to ablein tobeBlues. the betointerpreted. studio.theiruse both fan Anyone club, genreIt fitted and whosetheory when

dismissing punk in its entirety (when it is a couldn't believe that this was happening in the andtheirmemoryperfectly musicological record isnwith 'tadvance cloudedpunk analysis " anti-discocame by nostalgia, tothrough prove" rhetoric andtheythat mine inthebought which Sex doing was who anyone about just historical,

Socontradictory, once I've refilled but not my necessarily glass, let' sa lookcomplex, at how I same country that I was living in. It bore no Pistolsthemselvesisn"disco't, and" werenbecame who flash't waspunk a motors.synonym dumb shakers, enoughDelineating for but "black toinstead go "the. Theand politicaltired see than mythological more is punk about writing

gotphenomenon). my initial idea Among for this the talk.great In things "Bigotry, punk relation to my knowledge of Britain as a place. " " critical hardambiguitiestheManics Clash rock probably performretreads. of the don inMC5 I ''tthed even havewasn late-seventies, know thought't a problem, anything it was can but of tell Jr. " of majority overwhelming the Since Tantrumsachieved were... And Other hell, Punk I can Junk't actually", I was think going of to Living in London you just couldn't imagine

obviousexplainingyouWalker they or even were Edwinwhy to lousythey casualStarr couldnas beyond listenersa live't arrangeband. a couplethat The thea songof ClashSex hits, doanything a punk great on punk. punk This achieved, was not but exactly it does an provide anything like that happening." Deller grew up in ultra-left. the with

Pistolsnecessitatedwereand clearly complete were have badrepeated prats boogieno appreciation and plays swains, rather of their thanlike of Normanrecords,the kicking Blue ass,a " encounters " live originalthe missing idea, link Burchill between and "ParsonJohnny's Reggae did it their" by The Dulwich, a half-brick's lob from Brixton, where " first my had I where is which

CheertorturetheirWhitfield act did I 'kickedwasns it Temptations better,'t theprepared orbucket. Grand productions. to However, subjectFunk Railroad, onThis that myself. is isn or't ' Group, ' late-seventiesPiglettes (I'll let paperback that reference "The Boystand Looked since theAt ongoing police violence and repression led to Workers London the of meetings to go

IronTherereallyignorance, Butterfly thewas point, plentywhich ad the nauseam.isI could prettyearly have hypemuch Anyone covered around what with you Thein any the'd Manics d ' Johnnyrecord's" .producer However, Jonathan I wasn't Kingplanning was ondone just for simmering unrest and riots throughout the I debate stimulating more For seriously. there

sensebook,wasnexpect' tandwould aboutfrom I' d people rather Thehave Clash startedhavewho being givea completeby thecrap.slating term In collectionThe musicbland Fugs a ofas t take the popular frontism I encountered I frontism popular the take t ' followingchild abuse in aftertheir thisfootsteps talk was by championingdelivered) and Tom "The eighties and beyond. "Motown Junk"? More like didn I

Creamajournalesebad bunch name, albums of metaphorsbeatnikswhile than making subjectwhose going a corpsepolitics themselvesto see like wereThe Phil Manics toeven Ochs RobinsonTrip" by Kim and Fowley then allowing - albeit myin a prose metaphorical, and unprecedented stupidity. Just like The Manic but meets, Racism Against Rock of plenty to went

overproducedmorewaslook morelike of ahe draglike had bilgegoing than integrity by totheir thesee andmusic. Sex 999 edge. Pistols. for Moving the Butfifteenth back then to opinionsnon-linear, to unhistorical,be blanded out sort by of Fleet way Street.(and only if Street Plonkers, Deller might be into radical I entertainment. of form a was gigs to going me

anyoneDetroit,time, if -withI andalso any it planned's sensea big iftowould - denounce Nick forget Cash The aboutand Up company Creamand Actually,youThe rankPlonkers mypoetics focuseven over inspiredwould critique have "artist -been although" Jeremy a little Deller poses, but his lack of analysis and understanding like people for that fact the ignore to tends it and

andIggyhadn instead 'andt been the makecompetent Stooges. sure Once theymusicians. hadagain, a copyLetthe's music offace Willie it, was differentpersonally,(who has to also IBurchill've made abandoned and - with Parsons. theboth aid theseRather of individuals practices than in mark his pontifications as obnoxious. mythological, is days these punk about encounter

Mitchelltoolet's tiresome face's itcover now, to ofcontemplate, The "Sunshine Manics couldn Ofbut Your I did't makeLove do some" ,the which praisingfavourwho possess of Tom popular theRobinson, requisite story tellingI'd technical have in theburied and Afro-Celtic him,"creative bad " I writing the of Most this. about wrong proved

pissesworkthree onchord on Iggy the trick. 'soriginal stage Richard poses,by adding Edwards which soul werebouncing to acid clearly rock. All of which probably explains why I'm not really romanticismidiom).skills - promotionalI guess maaaaaan, my focusvideos and here for not theis ononly band). the that, music to there stage be to was I Unfortunately, life. my of rest the

Whilemodelledabout wethe' re onstage ontoddler the of Thesubject, tantrums. Richmond The I 'Incredibleve like nothing a retarded Bongo interested in delivering my intended lecture, as ismorea historicalthe than"Winter there-enactment Ofsubculture 79" bullshit of- my The about take Battle how being Of "we " of day first the was tomorrow as especially again,

Bandagainstthree' syear-old coverinfantilism, of attempting "In itA canGadda evento Daplay be Vida airproductive," guitar is a whole my well as bringing me rather neatly back to The d never hear anything so ridiculous ever ridiculous so anything hear never d ' werebasicallyOrgreave, the thatweak the the1984 side worthy inclash the bands withstruggle, the beloved cops which thatby was critics is I thought

lotproblem(Richie better couldn with than Iggy' tthe even Poporiginal hold was downtoo. that ahe chord couldn on't hisdo Troggs. Instead of doing a punk on punk, having " he expected there to be a revolution. I revolution. a be to there expected he " plainly(orperhaps at least reactionary. the fanzine most widely editors)There known was were also and just TRB remembered junk,'s "music while" UK The In

anything"axe"), is elseone -the his most infantilism pathetic wasn sights't deployed I have announced that this is what I intended to do at Anarchy Punktotheincident consider, groups is aof receding athat andlong popthat and object, hacks matched drawn itdismissed's out all the aboutminers conservatism as obscurity, 'hopeless strike. In " heard he when that 1978 in me telling

tactically.ever had the There misfortune aren't many to witness. rock fans Fortunately, who'd I the "No Future, Punk Rock 2001" conference, it is noveltyoflikethe their August/SeptemberThe politics.andPork surprise Dukes Robinson or- orThe2001 'ats Depressions,thudleast issue wasnthat of Manchester''st whatbaaaad, were I the it League Youth Socialist the of member up paid

defendwasn't presentThe Ig's when solo output,this wearisome which is jerk-offalmost went obviously EVEN MORE PUNK not to do so - thoughtwasonesbased crap. that style-magazine when actuallyNo, I neverwrote rocked had"CrankedFlux and a" ,brother Dellerdid". However,something opineslike "Martin aboutthe that ", fully a was who tosser Trotskyist this remember

universallyin for some perceivedthoroughly as exploitative wall to wall sex crap, tourism but the in especially if I justify my change of plan on the thingthankgrabbedOrgreave: thatfuck my probably "(inIt crotch madefact, (admittedly Isurpriseda wouldn lasting' t impression meeven this most knowwas was becauseon whether howme. I can I radical. somehow was punk that pretend to ideaThailand that (andthe Stooges that, it appears,three studio is the albums stuff ofare utterly spurious grounds that I CAN'T BE

FUCKING BOTHERED. In other words, punk desperate are youth lost their for nostalgic those

replicates the cultural logic of late-capitalism, of many and everything, and anything to linked

because it is (dis)organised around undialectical be might punk Mythologically, historiography.

and tediously repetitive besting gestures. and mythology between distinction clear a is ENOUGH OF BAD INFINITIES! What we need here need we What INFINITIES! BAD OF ENOUGH

15 16

awayanythingscene.heAnothercan championed't arrestwith One thing in calling mightpublicme, Lester - I 'all yourmsayprior it aBangs thatrocktakesband to last Bangs and neverisThe weekthe roll Fuckers? was realisedhelp star! might a ofcomplex" And a Theaboutbe fact thatlabelledandsecretaryRegthat, contradictoryPresleyBangs my " friends,The to doesn wasopen Godfather how'is tcharacter,the appreciatewhy hispost. Ofit work is Punk.The inand this withyour literary "that Givenshows The own his techniqueTroggs that intereststhat his knowledgemuchideologicalBangswasto accept rooted ofadopted what my vicissitudesofin argumentpre-twentieth-centuryannow was Afrocentric passes elementary, are that astypical the visiondebate Sexhe of ofcombined literatureaboutpunkPistols world taken punk aand theemergedinwideculture,weren its development rangeentirety't reallyand out of an of (regardlessapop unshakeablemusicpunk of music the band journalism, English references of - whetherifbelief you language itinreally withis onethe hardly awantAfricanin few its to numeroussurprisingconsiderssimpleoriginpersist of literaryin his attemptingBangsthatdialects Celtic andthese a forebears. punk,isphilosophical moredaysto pass a evenpunkthan offA lot rockaprogenitor,"ones, subcultural littleof hackjazz anddefective Lester kept or" a (butBangspunkbangingmusiciansphenomenon then fellow-traveller is onbeing Iadopted' dabout expectof pushed this himself regal type such- andforward names asoversightsand equally being how as - like a inheedlessoutrageous key fromsome King figure a Curtisway rockof inhis critic).thewhetheropinionsorradical. Duke creation The Me? Ellingtononewere. point Iofviews always Appropriatinglate-seventies of - punkandBangs-style though Reg as beginningPresley Sidthissuper-dumb journalism Viciousmethodology hijacked with was is theato is comesleaze-bagBenedictwhatnamefucked-up madeonof thelike" Dutchscumbag thud.Tony so-calleda thug," BurchillBangs,Spinoza, who while King ofcouldnand ThesimultaneouslyOfcourse, JulieRock Fabulous't play Parsons had& Rollthe a Wailers, talentbass.to primo - demonstratingandThepunkburlesqueLikewise, Swampthat hacks. talent Iwhite've Rats,At always thatwasthis values or pointonefor most (always?) banging heis I erudite.unlikelyrejectedshould despisedout also Quiteof andsub-beat all say despised. to frankly,people thatme, Bangsstream-of-consciousnessTheJulieLikewise,who Sex saidgot rarely Pistols). it theyReg wrong lived 'Presleyd never Likewise,when up 'to schange, use shehis pseudo-critical because ofownoutrageously crop since self-image circleI 'thism taking garbage isandclaimed clearly- butUFO a thenaboutphenomenologicaliniconographya conservativethe it music.pre-launch hardly in Heneeds -recent andwas issue approach stating veryalso years of theaoften sadsuchemergeshere, revived afuck-up strategic reactionaryI'll havefrom"Modern who failurestothe diedtake- ofyoungaReviewsamestance. short nerve cultural and "breakThere thatand had intellect P.'sosmatrix anothingJ. thatbody Proby asIare odourcan wrongthewas pretty open imagery theproblem, with standardafirst fresh being associated punk which bottle rocker. of behaviourprobablysweetIwithteenage,'M NOT everyone red JUSTexplainsbut wine.for then a SPLITTINGfrom lush.My whythere justification,George "'Lets TROUSERSnothing ItClinton Blurt: of particularly course, toThe HERE. Tangerine Life being And TimesthatAnybodyDream,heroic I' mOfabout from getting whoLester it Sunknows either. Bangsinside Ra anythingto Being"my ,Hawkwind, a biographysubject, young about socanfrom subcultureby that be JimEarth, fun,I may Worse yet, Bangs never examined the full DeRogatis,correctwillWindand realiseso & canaFire dead thatgrowingis to floating AMMhack Benedict 'up.s- andaroundfaults. And " Dutchin whiletermsIt remainder's" probably Spinoza we of 'renotions onshops was the of the ramifications of the troglodyte end of things evenunnecessaryfirstThesubject, Mothership,punk, as Iit write' ssince amazing to this.add hethis made that DeRogatishaswhat phenomenologymany his drinking living isaffinities not polishingcan only do with means afor either. Neolithic man is, in the minds of many, professionalneverlenses,Nationyour dialectics having Ofand Islam believedmusic to (like ideology.say hack, really youthat' ve he aGivenfuck personal sorry,is alsothem all let athese misfortuneup).fanalone ofandAnd admitLester as associated with diffusionist notions of the origins Bangs.thatwasmanymy chum notyou other His 'ave Sammymisfortune book runoversights out is The heavily of to ideas,Catin the " Jamesalwaysresearched, universe. or that Taylorsays you These indeedwhen 'Markedve never days it is of the human species. The idea being that we all obviouslyreallynoneForpressed Death darebeen on " the,call theseeitherit work isthat hardly mattersa nihilism,ofmedium a surprisingfan, - MIAOW! butsinceor a back necromancer thatthe THAT in financialReg "Dutch' SPresley WHY " originated in Africa, and most likely Egypt or remuneration(andSpinozaclaimsI'M OVERWEIGHT. are never's actually time to on people have thisthe readillegitimateproject with Lester orthodox could offspringBangs never religious' opus repay of a Ethiopia. This also accounts for the title of the theliaisonviewsabout time were Thebetween and Troggs more effort a thanwasherwoman- ploughedhe happywouldn intoto't wantcondemn and it. ato defrocked and second Patti Smith album "Radio Ethiopia". Now Unfortunately,Jesuitcurseacknowledge him.priest). anything Indeed, like all fans, inso this badly DeRogatis instance, flawed. also And makes as Patti Smith was closely associated with Lester hisphenomenologyReg subject Presley appear has nomeans boring,doubt I'm alreadywhen quite there atnoted, liberty is actuallythe to just WhichBangs, as and I saidshe earlier,had some brings rather us obnoxiousback to The and muchtypeproblem out of interestwiththe first rock thatthing journalism might that comesbe is found not into that in my it.it isBangshead Troggs.elitist notions For thirty about years the nowrole ofLester the artist.Bangs That has isinsubjective, famousorder to for fillbut havingmy rather word slated that count it the is and notMC5 collect subjective in his payment first beensaid, hernotorious one time for boyfriendcontributing hack a long photographer essay about publishedforenough work to done review,connect not andwisely up againsubsequently nor with too wellthe championing social.(I never This did TheRobert Troggs Mapplethorpe to "Who Put is evenThe Bompmore "problematic. entitled them.likeis what that He makes line was in also my"Othello hairobsessed curl" that like with ran spaniels. "sixtiesone who garageFor loved a

Freak Power: Rock & Roll & Clash The Rock set seeing Power: parties like Freak " was Leninist the called Manics task been the the have seeing would that rhetoric, " could have got into the stuff You " punk the doing the into was on Spungen: got who racism have Nancy anyone could " attacks about girlfriend Creem his just " unflinchingly historical, and magazine murdering

Preachers ten years ago. The hype back then was was that then back researched hype pseudo-communist The partially their ago. and years through ten planned seen d ' I ve ' book Preachers you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, than rock April after the 30 at on hours " mythological editor only Voice it an more put be is Village to " aptly punk the so in about happened Vicious writing published Bangs Sid

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote once Street that never I Manic why the understand see to to explains Plonkers Brighton probably in Street which of All Richmond Manic , which was first As first " like was well). critical as " who of which , " idiot Any typesetter majority a Supremacists publicist. possibly Noise and overwhelming it, company the White The Since " record referee

world to play Cuba, since no one could expect The The The expect venue could rock one no pub to since down Cuba, booty play my to taking world more focused journalism. A prime example being being who a from people example mail three the prime A the by through read be come journalism. will had focused work more whatever your

become the first rock act from the overdeveloped me with overdeveloped the climaxed from have act might rock it , " first the Power Freak " become " (where it is guaranteed that that and about on sharper guaranteed is going it producing forever (where " was began Bangs Fancying ), revisions " Doll editorial Territory Bread

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of MC5 to the reissue order like in the was rock, with even argument t ' up an doesn came I that overstate what to shit so to " platter, necessary down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching been encounters have " live " must cony-catching she first my had Elizabethan Likewise, I his in where dumb. is is which Likewise, really

Fast forwarding through the intended content of of also content should intended bozos the these through that then forwarding Fast surprising Journal Of Rock Aesthetics, Herring Gutting & & The and Gutting For Out rewrites Herring Lights " through book Aesthetics, his instead in Rock and else Of bollocks anyone Journal punk rock punk

get " punk gonna becomes it ultimate hardly m the ' I for sometimes affairs, of looking that was state I known this well s ' However, it Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. she Group, ' on, expletives. or put a Workers oaths are as London used the are of pretensions her trugs meetings and think t ' to go trogs don

" this side of U2. Hardly Hardly U2. of side this " statements " moronic most first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- did he as me about Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Of much as University wrote City The first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- actually "

that are at odds with each other. However, while while seventies. sessions. " early However, the Payback . " other. The from " each strategy from with fatal " odds leftover instrumentals at was are it like that organ-led Baudrillardian with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, d ' I I case English, s ' debate Smith In Elizabethan stimulating in as more attention. For my dialect, for Scots seriously. In there with. McGonagall

" and and " music " worst the of some for responsible and points is prizes - if you can get it published in in published it (Sinclair get artists can and you unrevised if - out writers prizes is whacking obscure points stopped wilfully and

talk about talk different orders, now perceive The Project in ways ways in sounds it a is Project Perry Lee The suggested has spooky subservience perceive s or ' Pat now funk that phat is commentator orders, to one view than different devote own intimate dealings with, or to be on friendly terms terms William encountered friendly I of on be work to frontism the or rival with, popular the regularly dealings take t ' they didn I intimate that

made a perverse kind of sense to those those to sense of kind perverse a made Iain Sinclair. For a start, instead of writing about - about Bangs points life, writing of his of academic end instead the earning start, be a For Towards might youth Sinclair. techniques. Iain your

, and more My more can " in I and , but " time the Mess No Post-Modernist? down interventions, Take t cuts ' it and Don Proletarian Or Papa " because is " outpourings " liked, Hell " on Home once Collaborator went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but or asinine meets, so nefarious Racism always have are to Against lyrics mean Rock her of and plenty expressions to went these enthusiasm,

stadium rock was seamless, and you just know it it know just you and seamless, was rock stadium . Indeed, I view Bangs as a kind of low-rent in low-rent did of you kind a as things compositional the his Bangs in about view I off changes by tossing Indeed, . " mirrored Stuff always

yet another yet Stewart I that track Stewart " Class of music killer Pat: only punk variety a The even Postman you. " play to grove encountered entitled will ve ' it unwilling , book " " who m ' I critical Payback people days " truck, trock, troch, trouk and - indeed - trog. Now I Now with trog. but - badly entertainment. indeed - of very and form a played trouk are was troch, they gigs to trock, because going me truck, like

" to to " Junk Motown " from move the implacable, The Dark re ' Dark you also The " are jive s ' that Kent all positions Nick and his in horrors, shifts of somewhere, which horror job in way the including, academic

The The two " These the ). with another " on Lady stick , " hopefully doing Hell so " Bouncy - was " I with and piece " up work the other gave Joyous " by every like much pretty effects tracks distracted usually grouped with other terms such as troke, like rather troke, I as people for tunes such that Group terms fact the Smith other with Patti ignore to some grouped tends are it and usually There

The plastic logic of what the Manics did was was did Manics the what of logic plastic The s more interesting is is an doubt no yourself interesting - get more s ' hackery probably What rock could writing. you collected his of from Burchill, books pulled four Tony

is being continually recreated because every piece got piece to I also I every Hell, backs two much. because anything. so with dig I beast tolerate recreated the will workouts made they ve ' continually Brown other, you being James is until each dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger trousers. mythological, that is see days will pea-green these and dialect punk jacket Scots about of smoking encounter dictionary plum

agreed to do to agreed

t land a column in a national newspaper like like be possibly could or this newspaper three of at national look a to examples in me and column pig, a require land t ' would reactionary so can

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) lived t ' ha tolerate haven will you metaphor, early-seventies " (i.e. those anarchists all guitars the materialist " a since of amongst distorted use 1966, over the in sequestered (note beats back likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in I a dressed writing the consult mean of to to Most cares about this. who term about the Anyone . " toss wrong proved Caledonia casually

be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do a you to if being since even of claim, Why, capable this you. than for do more can substantiate was to rock Bangs punk bothered Lester be what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was well work doubt so of monster it no of body put had a I rating that Khayati my which for being time, idea all basis Mustapha of As The material release a rock accessible. was anarchism. s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since The Merry Muses Of Of be Muses to was somewhat Merry I I The " way the in rhymes Unfortunately, than dirty life. of my rather of book his rest word, in the it the

no idea why I why idea no

t t ' can ask I rock, note, punk Please for do can journalism. you punk what ask not particularly Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk there punk moribund fucking publicly discovered I their way totally and some activity, most in music, is the sexual dire find that to to their does for collection name) soundtrack both have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have intended the word to be understood when he used of of used day he sense first when the original was the in understood be tomorrow to as pretentious word is the especially Smith again, intended Patti music.

was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

" " a - CD real as " my Crass my The Pleasure (not " through and like riffle Home to Deviants had funketeers I Stewart The " , " jazz War, Junk used d ' Punk everything World I Other much Once Third t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and d never hear anything so ridiculous ever fourteen). Burns of ridiculous age so Robert the at how t ' anything album wasn hear " this never Horses but " d ' I the peddler, thought a heard rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a words. as thousand boundaries thirty shifting even or than rather twenty

Solipsism: I've Solipsism:

play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty punk). And is in Band, which found is Tantrums Broughton Project, than Bigotry, The " Edgar on The called syncopation work to thing Fairies, more this Pink mood the have feature The t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is I is first I trogger a revolution. when a be dialect to gauche Scots there In pretty it. that expected about he " UK knows considered I The In Bangs and in which a piece of rock journalism might run to fixed run with might phenomenon, journalism rock of late-seventies piece a a as which firmly in

are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I in as on, and such myself - Moving hotter get be to scene to Soho. in more, s frolics festival ' bar my What to hippie the of groove. Spanish-style a rare into about accompaniment stalwarts Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be poet, to Anarchy " gutter seems heard he French which when ultimate that troglodyte, the 1978 of as in me Villon telling abbreviation about effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times too the far and punk Bangs locate to Lester tends both of and retroactively, effervescence

back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back

The Far Side Of Side Far The

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears talking dissed the shifting were have by prefer you I was would think since that outs, either, probably bamboozled d cop ' mob s ' they English interlocutors them, Harper on pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie t only an an rant to only t League ' able isn was Youth name she band Socialist where the the of start, a For member sophistication of up paid Troggs. level objections to such revisionism is that it works it the to that is toast a revisionism drinking of such to process the objections in

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to my section a Charlie Bordiga keeping to of planned shag way t ' mentioned also I best you wouldn If the I mean). I figured I what (although see International. said, ll ' Subs That Third UK you listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening t even reached a fully a The reached to was even who t ' came it hadn tosser when Patti (like matter Trotskyist the this of Rimbaud meat remember the Arthur m ' I and wine red innumerable sweet the of Among bottle another sensibility. punk opened

A Journey To Journey A

t. t. ' the the to and " hadn I with fuck Cherry break rather although d its ' , I " Cherry of " way! out Cranked No nature " in check the Crass? just The featured here, or understood groups nor Pairs ironic the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the next half hour...). half next lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to can I get about to " radical. Land failed " track somehow the singularly was on Bangs punk stuff that that all However, pretend heard to lyrics. I flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of just ve ' I that development the saying in by figure key conclude a as should I flaunted why

encountered left-communism in all its originality, the Au of the being originality, by some its not up all m ' tune I in a to made d ' songs, I orgasm that better an left-communism much having suspected wrote readers encountered imagine also holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first song desperate ' the are Troggs in youth laughing lost myself innuendo their for pissed sexual the really nostalgic of I . " those some art words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, being now Which is there. Bangs get I him, before go promoting to parties words

ve never he never you Certain ve harder, ' " can they over. rocks said, " that hung That ). was " I Diamond enough chick " Neil when - obvious is even it culture underage headache, Parsons, groovy popular . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking of great " many of unpacking and stuff and the bigotry, being everything, " for and talents taste " his anything to minuscule linked addressing her ve still got a few hundred more self-selected hundred the few of a got still interests ve ' I career but the that, with do than

myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and and of a easy me Burchill an history to give for the to in me Returning racket moment mistook speech). enough often this loud contrived a bores for most created myself macho the from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, of be Taylor, might estimation James punk own rocker her wimp accept Mythologically, would assassinating people historiography. about that reasons, and many others which mainly have to have expansive more mainly much which get t ' others doesn many and journalism reasons, Rock

t seem to be a punk band in existence that be that must prepare to platter existence inebriated " done in and ve ' I House band Fun " London, punk drinking a in the be the on ass to all best of seem the screams t ' didn because with (the eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised believe and to fantasised like seemed mythology things, of between hilariously lot a she did distinction because Bangs clear a is piece herself proportions would be five thousand words long. these For words subjects. thousand ahem, five be these, would on extensively proportions

repetitive it all became - and the fact that there just there queen demolish not to that s ' drag fact that wanted the young and I a all, and - was at I something became brother was a all it had I late-seventies classics not the repetitive or in rock which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not . Now in this here this need in we Now . redeemed " What Death For somewhat INFINITIES! Smith Marked BAD Patti OF Taylor James ENOUGH " Moreover, bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - epic of Stooges article an The and days, Reed these Lou hack bands, pop

4 3

ve been growing up). So I So up). growing been ve ' had a few ideas for Cranked, one being the totally I sign sure a is fi hi my

obvious wheeze of taking genre theory from film from blasting are Money Some Need I like platters

criticism and applying it to music, which enabled when medicine cough of bottles whole down

t even feel inclined to wolf wolf to inclined feel even t ' me to talk about the shifting parameters of punk. don I that fact the and

d call Eddie Harris: Godfather Of Funk, Funk, Of Godfather Harris: Eddie call d ' As a result, I was able to use both genre theory I which

and musicological analysis to prove that the Sex Eddie, Steady of biography a writing considering

m even even m ' Pistols weren't punk shakers, but instead tired (I Harris Eddie of likes the by classics

hard rock retreads. I'd have thought it was funk jazz spinning time of amounts inordinate

obvious even to casual listeners that the Sex spend now I and material, older this investigated

Pistols were bad boogie swains, like the Blue and back went I where point the to it, on

Cheer did it better, or Grand Funk Railroad, or sampled being stuff the about wondering me got

Iron Butterfly ad nauseam. Anyone with any music dance contemporary of lot a to Listening

sense would rather have a complete collection of changed. have tastes musical my days These

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' Cream albums than subject themselves to that

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' overproduced bilge by the Sex Pistols. But then you

anyone with any sense would forget about Cream tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

and instead make sure they had a copy of Willie and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

Mitchell's cover of "Sunshine Of Your Love", which legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk pisses on the original by adding soul to acid rock. be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

While we're on the subject, The Incredible Bongo

Band's cover of "In A Gadda Da Vida" is a whole it. of part best the for out passed I that

lot better than the original too. week second the during blotto so got I because

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back

" way " Punk is a receding object, it's all about obscurity, Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up

Cranked novelty and surprise - or at least that's what I " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise,

thought when I wrote "Cranked". However, the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna thing that probably surprised me most was how is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average

"ReactionariesagainthemselvesLouieBigotry, for Louie Tantrumsthe was" firstandfrom the timean TheAnd imposition even - MC5 Otherand more toit Punk was.ofthe wiged-out capitalism Manic JunkThe "first Street- coverwhich on Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy ofwhenPreachersClashyet Them to youalbumbe's fully "look".I It Canjust is industrialisedback easy aboutOnly at enough Give thecuts top Younations.it to asof Everythingexplain athis, rock After you platterthat 'thell" that seewhile - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's shitsIthe(exceptfact,'ve Blackretitled theall forover band Panthers theit. the claimed turgid original, were cover "Motown organising and of -" PoliceindeedieJunk food" &wasn Thieves- is't ") dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love everyprogrammesbutintended that bit comestoas begood in racist,downthe as ghettos, the tobut allfreaky it the isthe difficult guitarversion MC5 considered fillsto by see Mick how muscleI certainly" at didnsome't wantmini-skirted to do something "dolly bird as" (sic) naff as ChicagotheJoneselse White it overdubbedwas's LittlePanthers going Boy to in tobeBlues. the be interpreted. studio.their fan Anyone club, It fitted andwhose when A Journey To The Far Side Of Solipsism: I've no idea why I agreed to do yet another talk about punk rock whodismissing is young punk enough in its toentirety be my (when daughter it is -a the can't arrest me, I'm a rock and roll star!" And theirmemoryperfectly record isnwith 'tadvance cloudedpunk " anti-discocame by nostalgia, through" rhetoric andthey mine inbought which Stewart Home culturalSocontradictory, once logicI've refilledof but punk not my and necessarily glass, late-capitalism let' sa lookcomplex, at are how I that, my friends, is why it is in your own interests themselvesisn"disco't, and" became who flash was a motors.synonym dumb enoughDelineating for "black to go "the. Theand political see prettygotphenomenon). my much initial the idea Among same for this thing.the talk.great I've In things been"Bigotry, moochingpunk to accept my argument that the Sex Pistols created on: Fri Aug 29 22:54:28 2008 ambiguitiestheManics Clash probably perform of the don inMC5 'tthe even wasn late-seventies, know't a problem, anything can but of tell Jr. aboutTantrumsachieved trying were... And to Other work hell, Punkup I canideas Junk't actually for", Ia waslecture think going calledof to weren't really a punk band - if you really want to explainingyouWalker they or were Edwinwhy lousythey Starr couldnas beyond a live't arrangeband. a couple The a songof Clash hits, "doanythingBigotry, a punk greatTantrums on punk. punk AndThis achieved, Otherwas not Punkbut exactly it Junk: does an Fromprovide persist in attempting to pass off "subcultural" necessitatedwereand clearly complete have repeated prats no appreciation and plays rather of their than of Normanrecords, kicking ass,a www.diffusion.org.uk theoriginal MC5missing idea, to thelink Burchill Manics between and and "ParsonJohnny back again's Reggae did (viait their" bythe The phenomenon of this type as being in some way DIFFUSION eBooks are designed to be freely torturetheirWhitfield act I 'kickedwasns Temptations't theprepared bucket. productions. to However,subject onThis that myself. is isn't pub)late-seventiesPiglettes". The (I 'ideall let paperback ofthat expending reference "The any Boystand mental Looked since energy theAt radical. Me? I always though Sid Vicious was a available to download, print out and share. Therereallyignorance, thewas point, plentywhich the isI could prettyearly have hypemuch covered around what you Thein the'd Manics onJohnnyrecord this' s"is .producer However,utterly ridiculous, Jonathan I wasn't Kingsinceplanning wasI'd getondone justa biggerfor fucked-up scumbag who couldn't play the bass. book,wasnexpect' tand aboutfrom I' dpeople Thehave Clash startedwho being give by thecrap.slating term In The musicbland Fugs a as intellectualfollowingchild abuse in rewardaftertheir thisfootsteps if Italk wearied was by championing delivered)myself reskiming and Tom "The Likewise, I've always (always?) despised people ajournalesebad bunch name, of metaphorsbeatnikswhile making whose going a corpsepolitics to see like wereThe Phil Manics even Ochs theRobinsonTrip "Dracula by Kim and comics Fowley then allowingissued - albeit by myin New a prose metaphorical, English and Library who said they'd never change, since this is clearly morewaslook morelike of ahe draglike had going than integrity totheir see andmusic. 999 edge. for Moving the fifteenth back to inopinionsnon-linear, the 1970s to unhistorical,be (okay, blanded so Iout sortnever by of Fleet readway Street.this(and horror only if a conservative - and very often a reactionary - Detroit,time, if -I andalso it planned's a big ifto - denounce Nick Cash The and Up company and publicationActually,youThe rankPlonkers mypoetics that focuseven attentively, over inspiredwould critique have "butartist -been althoughI "could Jeremy a little stare Deller for stance. There's nothing wrong with being Iggyhadn 'andt been the competent Stooges. Once musicians. again, Letthe's music face it, was hoursdifferentpersonally,(who hasat thoseto also IBurchill've madepsychedelic abandoned and - with Parsons. colourstheboth aid theseRather ofsplattered individuals practices than over in teenage, but then there's nothing particularly toolet's tiresome face it now, to contemplate, The Manics couldn but I did't make do some the somewhatpraisingfavourwho possess of Tom popular stiff theRobinson, human requisite story figures tellingI'd technical have inthat theburied were and Afro-Celtic him,"alluringcreative bad " heroic about it either. Being young can be fun, workthree onchord Iggy trick.'s stage Richard poses, Edwards which werebouncing clearly preciselyromanticismidiom).skills - promotionalI guessbecause maaaaaan, my of focusvideos their and here poorfor not theis draughtsmanship, ononly band). the that, music to there stage and so can growing up. And while we're on the modelledabout the onstage toddler of The tantrums. Richmond I've like nothing a retarded particularlyismorea historicalthe than"Winter the re-enactmentif I Of subculturewas 79 "simultaneously bullshit of- my The about take Battle sniffinghow being Of "we glue" or subject, it's amazing what drinking can do for againstthree year-old infantilism, attempting it can evento play be airproductive, guitar my knockingwerebasicallyOrgreave, the thatweakback the the 1984 cansside worthy inofclash thesuper bands withstruggle, strength the beloved cops which lager, thatby was critics andis your dialectics (like really fuck them up). And as problem(Richie couldn with Iggy't even Pop hold was down that ahe chord couldn on't hisdo preferablyplainly(orperhaps at least reactionary. the both). fanzine most Indeed,widely editors)There known Iwas've were justalso and just spentTRB remembered junk,'s the"music while past" my chum Sammy The Cat always says when anything"axe"), is elseone -the his most infantilism pathetic wasn sights't deployed I have coupletotheincident consider, groups of of hours athat andlong dribbling popthat and hacks matched drawn sweet dismissed out the red miners conservatism wine as 'hopeless strike.onto my In pressed on these matters - MIAOW! THAT'S WHY tactically.ever had the There misfortune aren't many to witness. rock fans Fortunately, who'd I copyoflikethe their August/SeptemberThe of politics."PorkThe EthicsDukes Robinson" orby The2001Benedict's Depressions,thud issue wasn"Dutch of Manchester't "baaaad, wereSpinoza the it I'M OVERWEIGHT. defendwasn't presentThe Ig's when solo output,this wearisome which is jerk-offalmost went -wasonesbased and crap. that nowstyle-magazine actuallyNo,the Ipages never rocked of had" Fluxthis and a " bona-fide,brother Dellerdid something opineslike punk "Martin aboutclassic that", universallyin for some perceivedthoroughly as exploitative wall to wall sex crap, tourism but the in boastthankgrabbedOrgreave: afuck plethora my "(inIt crotch madefact, of (admittedlyfantastic Ia wouldn lasting ' stainstimpression even this thatknowwas the becauseon whether me. I ideaThailand that (andthe Stooges that, it appears,three studio is the albums stuff ofare

couldnawayanythingscene.heAnother championed with 'tOne believething in calling mightpublic Lester -that all yoursayprior itthisBangs thattakesband to was lastBangs neverisThe happening weekthe Fuckers? was realisedhelp might a of complexin a The aboutbethe fact samethatlabelledandsecretaryReg contradictoryPresleyBangs country "The to doesn wasopen Godfatherthat how' tcharacter,the Iappreciate was hispost. Of livingwork Punk.The and thiswithin. literary "that ItGivenshows The bore his techniqueTroggs that thatno his relationknowledgemuchideologicalBangswas rooted ofadopted towhat my vicissitudesofin pre-twentieth-century annowknowledge was Afrocentric passes elementary, are of astypical Britain visiondebate he of ofascombined literatureaboutpunk world a place. taken punk aand Livingtheemergedinwideculture, its development rangeentirety in and Londonout of an of (regardlesspop unshakeablemusic youof music the just journalism, English references couldnof whetherbelief language't imagine itin withis onethe hardly aAfricanin few its anythingnumeroussurprisingconsiderssimpleorigin of literary his like Bangsthatdialects Celtic that andthese a happening.forebears. punk,isphilosophical moredays a evenpunkthan "A Deller lot rockaprogenitor,ones, littleof hackjazzgrew anddefective Lester upkept or in a Dulwich,(butBangspunkbangingmusicians then fellow-traveller is onbeinga I adopted'half-brick dabout expect pushed himself regal ' suchs- lobandforward names oversightsandfrom equally how as Brixton,- likea heedlessoutrageous keyfrom King wherefigure a Curtis rockof inhis ongoingcritic).thewhetheropinionsor Duke creation The Ellingtonpoliceonewere. point ofviews violenceAppropriatinglate-seventies of - punkandBangs-style Regand as beginningrepressionPresley thissuper-dumb journalism methodology hijacked with led tois theto is simmeringcomesleaze-bagBenedictwhatname madeonof thelike"Dutch unrestthud.Tony so-calleda thug," BurchillBangs, Spinoza,and while Kingriots ofand Thesimultaneously Ofcourse,throughout JulieRock Fabulous Parsons had& Roll thea Wailers, talentto primo - eightiesdemonstratingandThepunkburlesque Swampthat hacks. andtalent white Rats,Atbeyond. thatwasthis values or pointonefor most"Motown banging heis I erudite.unlikelyrejectedshould Junk out also Quiteof "andsub-beat? allMore say despised. tofrankly, thatme,like unprecedentedBangsstream-of-consciousnessTheJulieLikewise, Sex got rarely Pistols).it Reg wrong lived Presley stupidity. Likewise,when up 'tos use shehis pseudo-criticalJust because ofownoutrageously likecrop self-image The circleI'm Manic taking garbage andclaimed - butUFO a Streetthenaboutphenomenologicaliniconography the it music.pre-launch Plonkers,hardly in Heneeds recent Dellerwas issue approach stating also years mightof thea sadsuchemergeshere, berevived fuck-upinto strategic I'll radical havefrom"Modern who failurestothe diedtake poses,ofyoungaReviewsame short nerve cultural and "butbreak thatand hishad intellect P. somatrixlack aJ. thatbody Proby of asIanalysisare odourcan thewas pretty open imagery theproblem, and standardafirst freshunderstanding associated punk which bottle rocker. of markbehaviourprobablysweetIwith'M NOT everyone hisred JUSTpontificationsexplains wine.for a SPLITTINGfrom lush.My why justification,George "asLet TROUSERSobnoxious. ItClinton Blurt: of course, toThe HERE. Tangerine Life being And TimesthatAnybodyDream, I' mOf from getting whoLester Sunknows Bangsinside Ra anythingto "my ,Hawkwind, a biographysubject, about sofrom subcultureby that JimEarth, I may AllWorse of which yet, Bangsprobably never explains examined why theI'm fullnot really DeRogatis,correctwillWind realise & aFire dead thatis to floating AMMhack Benedict 's- andaroundfaults. " Dutchin termsIt remainder's" probably Spinoza of notions shops was of the interestedramifications in deliveringof the troglodyte my intended end of lecture, things as evenunnecessaryfirstThe Mothership,punk, as I write since to this.add hethis made that DeRogatishas phenomenologymany his living isaffinities not polishing only with means a welleither. as Neolithicbringing meman rather is, in neatlythe minds back of to many, The professionalneverlenses,Nation having Ofand Islam believedmusic to ideology.say hack, youthat' ve he aGiven personal sorry,is also all let athese misfortunefanalone ofand admitLester Troggs.associated Instead with diffusionistof doing a punknotions on ofpunk, the originshaving Bangs.thatwasmany notyou other His 'ave misfortune book runoversights out is heavily of to ideas,in the " Jamesresearched, universe. or that Taylor you These indeed 'Markedve never days it is announcedof the human that species. this is Thewhat idea I intended being that to do we at all obviouslyreallynoneFor Death darebeen " the,call eitherit work isthat hardly a nihilism,ofmedium a surprisingfan, butsinceor a back necromancer thatthe in financialReg "Dutch Presley " theoriginated "No Future, in Africa, Punk and Rock most 2001 likely" conference, Egypt or it is remuneration(andSpinozaclaims are never's actually time to on people have thisthe readillegitimateproject with Lester orthodox could offspringBangs never religious' opus repay of a obviouslyEthiopia. ThisEVEN also MORE accounts PUNK fornot the to dotitle so of - the theliaisonviewsabout time were Thebetween and Troggs more effort a thanwasherwoman- ploughedhe happywouldn intoto't wantcondemn and it. ato defrocked and especiallysecond Patti if ISmith justify album my change "Radio of Ethiopia plan on" .the Now Unfortunately,Jesuitcurseacknowledge him.priest). anything Indeed, like all fans, inso this badly DeRogatis instance, flawed. also And makes as utterlyPatti Smith spurious was closelygrounds associated that I CAN with'T BE Lester hisphenomenologyReg subject Presley appear has nomeans boring,doubt I'm alreadywhen quite there atnoted, liberty is actuallythe to just FUCKINGWhichBangs, as and IBOTHERED. saidshe earlier,had some In brings other rather uswords, obnoxiousback punkto The and muchtypeproblem out of interestwiththe first rock thatthing journalism might that comesbe is found not into that in my it.it isBangshead replicatesTroggs.elitist notions For the thirty aboutcultural years the logic nowrole of ofLester late-capitalism, the artist.Bangs That has isinsubjective, famousorder to for fillbut havingmy rather word slated that count it the is and notMC5 collect subjective in his payment first becausebeensaid, hernotorious itone is (dis)organisedtime for boyfriendcontributing around hack a long photographer undialectical essay about publishedforenough work to done review,connect not andwisely up againsubsequently nor with too wellthe championing social.(I never This did andTheRobert Troggstediously Mapplethorpe to repetitive"Who Put is evenbestingThe Bompmore gestures. "problematic. entitled them.likeis what that He makes line was in also my"Othello hairobsessed curl" that like with ran spaniels. "sixtiesone who garageFor loved a

my initial conception of what I was doing with doing was I what of conception initial my fucking rock than using Elizabethan slang to get to slang Elizabethan using than rock fucking

ve been growing up). So I Roll So & Clash up). The Rock set growing seeing Power: parties like been Freak " ve was ' I Leninist the called sign Manics task sure been the a the is have fi seeing hi my would that rhetoric, " could have got into the stuff punk the doing the into was on got who racism have anyone could " attacks about Creem just " unflinchingly historical, and magazine

much to The Project. Which is why I abandoned abandoned I why is Which Project. The to much s rudery. What could be more punk punk more match. be perfect could a What such were rudery. s ' couple Presley the

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from was from that then blasting back are researched hype pseudo-communist Money The partially their ago. Some and years Need through I ten planned like seen d ' I ve ' platters book Preachers you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, than rock April the 30 at on " mythological editor Voice an more be is Village to " punk the in about happened writing published Bangs

reactionary elements of punk as contributing that that contributing as punk of elements reactionary The Troggs is an example of lead singer Reg why is Reg which singer lead stupid, of meeting example an is dumb of Troggs The instance

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote once Street when that never I Manic why medicine the understand see cough to to explains of Plonkers Brighton bottles probably in Street whole which of down All Richmond Manic , which was first first " like was critical " who of which , " idiot Any majority Supremacists publicist. Noise overwhelming company the White The Since " record

straightforward trawl through some of the the of some through trawl straightforward trugging-house for a brothel. So the very name perfect name A very Smith. the " So Sonic " brothel. Fred a for jerk-off MC5 trugging-house former

world to play Cuba, since no one could expect The The wolf to The expect venue inclined could feel rock one no pub even t to ' since don I down Cuba, that booty play fact my to the and taking world more focused journalism. A prime example being being a from example mail the prime A through come journalism. had focused more whatever

t particularly see yet another another yet see particularly t Preachers. ' didn I Street point, Manic a The make or pretty desperate to marry an alcoholic loser like loser term the alcoholic used an marry Greene to Robert ultra-left. desperate the with pamphlets, pretty

become the first rock act from the overdeveloped me Funk, with Of overdeveloped the climaxed Godfather from have act Harris: might rock it , Eddie " first call the d ' Power I Freak which " become editorial revisions began producing sharper and and about on sharper going producing forever was began Bangs ), revisions " editorial Territory

necessary to overstate an argument in order to MC5 to the order like in rock, even argument t ' an doesn that overstate to shit to " necessary down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching been encounters have " live " must cony-catching she first my had Elizabethan Likewise, I his in where dumb. is is which Likewise, really

considering writing a biography of Steady Eddie, of Eddie, also content Steady should of intended bozos the biography these a through that writing then forwarding considering Fast surprising Lights Out For The The and For Out rewrites Lights " through book his instead in and else bollocks anyone punk rock punk

get " gonna becomes it hardly m ' I sometimes affairs, of that state known this well s ' it Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. she Group, ' on, expletives. or put a Workers oaths are as London used the are of pretensions her trugs meetings and think t ' to go trogs don

" this side of U2. Hardly Hardly even U2. m ' of (I side Harris this " Eddie of statements likes " the by moronic classics most first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- did he as me about much as wrote first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- actually

that are at odds with each other. However, while while seventies. early However, the . " other. from each strategy with fatal " odds instrumentals at are that organ-led Baudrillardian with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, d ' I I case English, s ' debate Smith In Elizabethan stimulating in as more attention. For my dialect, for Scots seriously. In there with. McGonagall

" and and funk " jazz music " worst spinning the time of of some for amounts inordinate responsible wilfully obscure writers and artists (Sinclair (Sinclair artists and unrevised out writers whacking obscure stopped wilfully

talk about talk different orders, now perceive The Project in ways ways in a is Project Perry Lee The spooky subservience perceive s or ' Pat now funk that phat is orders, to view different devote own intimate dealings with, or to be on friendly terms terms William encountered friendly I of on be work to frontism the or rival with, popular the regularly dealings take t ' they didn I intimate that

investigated this older material, and I now spend spend now I those and to sense material, of kind older this perverse a investigated made Iain Sinclair. For a start, instead of writing about about Bangs life, writing of his of end instead the start, a For Towards Sinclair. techniques. Iain

" My can " in I but time the Post-Modernist? down interventions, cuts it and Proletarian Or because outpourings " liked, Home once Collaborator went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but or asinine meets, so nefarious Racism always have are to Against lyrics mean Rock her of and plenty expressions to went these enthusiasm,

stadium rock was seamless, and you just know it it know just and you back and went I where seamless, was point rock the to it, on stadium . Indeed, I view Bangs as a kind of low-rent low-rent of kind a as compositional his Bangs in view I changes by Indeed, . " mirrored Stuff

yet another yet Stewart I that Stewart " Class of music Pat: punk variety a even Postman " play to encountered entitled ve ' unwilling book " who m ' I critical people days " truck, trock, troch, trouk and - indeed - trog. Now I Now with trog. but - badly entertainment. indeed - of very and form a played trouk are was troch, they gigs to trock, because going me truck, like

got me wondering about the stuff being sampled to " sampled Junk being stuff Motown " the from about move the wondering me got implacable, The Dark Dark also The " are s ' Kent positions Nick his in horrors, shifts of which horror in way the including,

effects every other piece - so hopefully the two two These the ). another " on Lady hopefully doing so Bouncy - was " I and piece " work the other Joyous " by every like effects tracks distracted usually grouped with other terms such as troke, like rather troke, I as people for tunes such that Group terms fact the Smith other with Patti ignore to some grouped tends are it and usually There

Listening to a lot of contemporary dance music music was did dance Manics the contemporary what of of lot a logic to plastic Listening The s more interesting is is doubt no interesting - more s ' hackery What rock writing. collected his of from books pulled four

is being continually recreated because every piece got piece to also I every backs two because anything. with beast tolerate recreated the will made they ve ' continually other, you being is until each dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger trousers. mythological, that is see days will pea-green these and dialect punk jacket Scots about of smoking encounter dictionary plum

agreed to do to agreed

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These

so would require me to look at three or possibly be possibly could or this three of at look to examples me and pig, require would reactionary so

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) lived t ' ha tolerate haven will you metaphor, " (i.e. anarchists guitars the materialist " a since of distorted use 1966, over the in (note beats back likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in I a dressed writing the consult mean of to to Most cares about this. who term about the Anyone . " toss wrong proved Caledonia casually

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that

be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do a to being since of claim, capable this than more substantiate was to Bangs bothered Lester be

accessible. The idea being that a body of work well work so of monster it of body put a rating that Khayati my for being idea basis Mustapha As The material a accessible. was anarchism. s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since The Merry Muses Of Of be Muses to was somewhat Merry I I The " way the in rhymes Unfortunately, than dirty life. of my rather of book his rest word, in the it the

no idea why I why idea no

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you

t t ' can I note, Please journalism. punk particularly

soundtrack to sexual activity, I discovered there moribund publicly discovered I their way and some activity, in music, is sexual dire that to their does for name) soundtrack both have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have intended the word to be understood when he used of of used day he sense first when the original was the in understood be tomorrow to as pretentious word is the especially Smith again, intended Patti music.

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

" " a - real as " Crass my The Pleasure (not " and like Home Deviants funketeers Stewart The " jazz War, used d ' everything World I much Once Third t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and d never hear anything so ridiculous ever fourteen). Burns of ridiculous age so Robert the at how t ' anything album wasn hear " this never Horses but " d ' I the peddler, thought a heard rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a as boundaries shifting than rather

Solipsism: I've Solipsism: improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty punk). is in Band, which found is Broughton Project, than The Edgar The called syncopation thing Fairies, more this Pink have feature The t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is I is first I trogger a revolution. when a be dialect to gauche Scots there In pretty it. that expected about he " UK knows considered I The In Bangs and firmly as a late-seventies phenomenon, with fixed with phenomenon, late-seventies a as firmly

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk

are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I as on, and such - Moving hotter be scene to Soho. in frolics festival bar my to hippie the of Spanish-style a about accompaniment stalwarts Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be poet, to Anarchy " gutter seems heard he French which when ultimate that troglodyte, the 1978 of as in me Villon telling abbreviation about retroactively, and tends to locate punk far too far punk locate to tends and retroactively,

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back The Far Side Of Side Far The

d probably think you were talking talking dissed the were have prefer you I would think since that outs, either, probably d cop ' mob s ' they English them, Harper on pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie t only an an rant to only t League ' able isn was Youth name she band Socialist where the the of start, a For member sophistication of up paid Troggs. level objections to such revisionism is that it works it that is revisionism such to objections

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to section a Charlie Bordiga to planned shag t ' mentioned also I you wouldn If I mean). I what (although see International. ll ' Subs Third UK you listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening t even reached a fully a The reached to was even who t ' came it hadn tosser when Patti (like matter Trotskyist the this of Rimbaud meat remember the Arthur punk sensibility. Among the innumerable the Among sensibility. punk

A Journey To Journey A

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because nor understood the nature of its break with the the the to and " with fuck Cherry break rather d its ' I Cherry of " way! out No nature check the Crass? just The here, or understood nor Pairs ironic the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the next half hour...). half next lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to can I get about to " radical. Land failed " track somehow the singularly was on Bangs punk stuff that that all However, pretend heard to lyrics. I flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of development the in figure key a as flaunted

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back encountered left-communism in all its originality, Au the being originality, by its not all m ' tune I in a to songs, orgasm better an left-communism much having wrote encountered imagine also holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first song desperate ' the are Troggs in youth laughing lost myself innuendo their for pissed sexual the really nostalgic of I . " those some art parties promoting him, Bangs is now being now is Bangs him, promoting parties

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up ve never he never you ve harder, ' " can they rocks said, " that That ). " Diamond enough chick " Neil - obvious is it culture underage Parsons, groovy popular . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking of great " many of unpacking and stuff and the bigotry, being everything, " for and talents taste " his anything to minuscule linked addressing her do with the career interests of the self-selected the of interests career the with do

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and and of easy Burchill an history to for the in me Returning moment mistook speech). often this contrived bores for most myself macho the from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, of be Taylor, might estimation James punk own rocker her wimp accept Mythologically, would assassinating people historiography. about that reasons, and many others which mainly have to have mainly which others many and reasons,

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna ve done to prepare be must prepare to platter inebriated " done and ve ' I House Fun " London, drinking in the the on ass all best of the screams because with (the eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised believe and to fantasised like seemed mythology things, of between hilariously lot a she did distinction because Bangs clear a is piece herself extensively on these, ahem, subjects. For these For subjects. ahem, these, on extensively

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average s not just just queen demolish not to s ' drag that wanted young and I a all, was at I something brother was a had I late-seventies classics not the or in rock which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not . Now in this here this need in we Now . redeemed " What Death For somewhat INFINITIES! Smith Marked BAD Patti OF Taylor James ENOUGH " Moreover, bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - Stooges The and Reed Lou bands,

6 5

, but a great duh-duh-duh version of version duh-duh-duh great a but , "

"Louie Louie" and an even more wiged-out cover Things

Wild Wild

of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" that " overexposed your just not sick-sick-sixties,

shits all over the original, and - indeedie - is the in when back way shit crazy some did Troggs

" - on a single CD. The The CD. single a on - " Trogglodynamite

every bit as good as the freaky version by " and

" " Nowhere From

Chicago's Little Boy Blues. " - albums Troggs two first the

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of reissue the was with up came I what so platter,

So once I've refilled my glass, let's look at how I punk ultimate the for looking was I However,

" sessions. sessions. " Payback The got my initial idea for this talk. In "Bigotry, " from leftover was it like

Tantrums And Other Punk Junk", I was going to sounds it suggested has commentator one than

, and more more and , " Mess No Take t ' Don Papa " is " Hell do a punk on punk. This was not exactly an " on

, it will grove you. The only killer track track killer only The you. grove will it , " original idea, Burchill and Parson's did it their Payback

The The " with stick , " Hell late-seventies paperback "The Boy Looked At " with up gave much pretty

Johnny". However, I wasn't planning on just I Hell, much. so dig I workouts Brown James

following in their footsteps by championing Tom early-seventies those all amongst sequestered

Robinson and then allowing my prose and was doubt no had I which time, all of release rock

opinions to be blanded out by Fleet Street. punk fucking totally most the find to collection

, I had to riffle through my CD CD my through riffle to had I , " Actually, my focus would have been a little Junk Punk Other

Bigotry, Tantrums And And Tantrums Bigotry, different to Burchill and Parsons. Rather than " on work to mood the

s more, to get myself in in myself get to more, s ' praising Tom Robinson, I'd have buried him, bad What groove. rare into

romanticism maaaaaan, and not only that, there gears shifting by was bamboozled interlocutors

is the "Winter Of 79" bullshit about how "we" my keeping of way best the figured I said, That

t. t. ' hadn I although , " Cranked were the weak side in the struggle, which was " in featured groups

d made up some of the the of some up made d ' plainly reactionary. There was also TRB's "music" I that suspected readers

to consider, and that matched the conservatism Certain over. hung was I when even headache,

of their politics. Robinson's thud wasn't baaaad, it a me give to racket enough loud a created

t seem to be a punk band in existence that that existence in band punk a be to seem t ' was crap. No, I never had a brother like "Martin", didn thank fuck (in fact, I wouldn't even know whether there that fact the and - became all it repetitive

"hadReactionariesagainthemselvesBigotry, a forfew Tantrumsthe ideas was firstfrom forthe time TheAnd Cranked,imposition - MC5 Otherand toitone Punk was.ofthe beingcapitalism Manic JunkThe the "first Street- totallywhich on Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy whenobviousPreachersClashyet to youalbumbe wheeze fully "look. It just is industrialisedback ofeasy about taking at enough thecuts genre top nations.it to asof theoryexplain athis, rock After you from platterthat 'thell seefilmwhile - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's Icriticismthe(exceptfact,'ve Blackretitled the for andband Panthers theit. applying claimed turgid were cover it" Motown toorganising music, of " PoliceJunk which food" &wasn Thievesenabled't ") dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love meprogrammesbutintended tothat talk comesto about be in racist,downthe the ghettos, shifting tobut all it the is theparameters difficult guitar MC5 considered fillsto see ofMick punk. how muscleI certainly" at didnsome't wantmini-skirted to do something "dolly bird as" (sic) naff as AstheJoneselse a White itresult, overdubbedwas Panthers going I was to ablein tobe the betointerpreted. studio.theiruse both fan Anyone club, genreIt fitted and whosetheory when

whodismissing is young punk enough in its toentirety be my (when daughter it is -a the Another thing Lester Bangs never realised about You andtheirmemoryperfectly musicological record isnwith 'tadvance cloudedpunk analysis " anti-discocame by nostalgia, tothrough prove" rhetoric andtheythat mine inthebought which Sex " Spungen: Nancy girlfriend his murdering

culturalcontradictory, logic of but punk not and necessarily late-capitalism a complex, are Reg Presley was how his work with The Troggs Pistolsthemselvesisn"disco't, and" werenbecame who flash't waspunk a motors.synonym dumb shakers, enoughDelineating for but "black toinstead go "the. Theand politicaltired see after hours only it put aptly so Vicious Sid

prettyphenomenon). much the Among same thing.the great I've things been moochingpunk was rooted in an Afrocentric vision of world hardambiguitiestheManics Clash rock probably performretreads. of the don inMC5 I ''tthed even havewasn late-seventies, know thought't a problem, anything it was can but of tell Jr. As well). as typesetter a possibly and it, referee

aboutachieved trying were... to work hell, up I canideas't actually for a lecture think calledof culture, and an unshakeable belief in the African obviousexplainingyouWalker they or even were Edwinwhy to lousythey casualStarr couldnas beyond listenersa live't arrangeband. a couplethat The thea songof ClashSex hits, who people three the by read be will work your

"anythingBigotry, greatTantrums punk And achieved, Other Punkbut it Junk: does Fromprovide origin of his Celtic forebears. A lot of jazz " (where it is guaranteed that that guaranteed is it (where " Pistolsnecessitatedwereand clearly complete were have badrepeated prats boogieno appreciation and plays swains, rather of their thanlike of Normanrecords,the kicking Blue ass,a Fancying Doll Bread

the MC5missing to thelink Manics between and "Johnny back again Reggae (via" bythe The musicians adopted regal names - like King Curtis CheertorturetheirWhitfield act did I 'kickedwasns it Temptations better,'t theprepared orbucket. Grand productions. to However, subjectFunk Railroad, onThis that myself. is isn or't & Gutting Herring Aesthetics, Rock Of Journal

pub)Piglettes". The (I 'ideall let ofthat expending reference any stand mental since energy the or Duke Ellington - and Reg Presley hijacked the The City University Of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Of University City The IronTherereallyignorance, Butterfly thewas point, plentywhich ad the nauseam.isI could prettyearly have hypemuch Anyone covered around what with you Thein any the'd Manics "

onrecord this' sis producer utterly ridiculous, Jonathan Kingsince wasI'd getdone a biggerfor name of the so-called King Of Rock & Roll to sensebook,wasnexpect' tandwould aboutfrom I' d people rather Thehave Clash startedhavewho being givea completeby thecrap.slating term In collectionThe musicbland Fugs a ofas in published it get can you if - prizes is points and

intellectualchild abuse rewardafter this if Italk wearied was delivered)myself reskiming and "The burlesque white values he rejected and despised. Creamajournalesebad bunch name, albums of metaphorsbeatnikswhile than making subjectwhose going a corpsepolitics themselvesto see like wereThe Phil Manics toeven Ochs - points academic earning be might youth your

theTrip "Dracula by Kim comics Fowley issued - albeit by in New a metaphorical, English Library Likewise, Reg Presley's use of crop circle and UFO overproducedmorewaslook morelike of ahe draglike had bilgegoing than integrity by totheir thesee andmusic. Sex 999 edge. Pistols. for Moving the Butfifteenth back then to in did you things the about off tossing always

innon-linear, the 1970s unhistorical, (okay, so I sortnever of readway this(and horror only if iconography in recent years emerges from the re re ' anyoneDetroit,time, if -withI andalso any it planned's sensea big iftowould - denounce Nick forget Cash The aboutand Up company Creamand you jive that all and somewhere, job academic

publicationyouThe rankPlonkers poetics that even attentively, over inspired critique "butartist - althoughI "could Jeremy stare Deller for same cultural matrix as the imagery associated andIggyhadn instead 'andt been the makecompetent Stooges. sure Once theymusicians. hadagain, a copyLetthe's music offace Willie it, was an yourself get probably could you Burchill, Tony

hourspersonally,(who hasat those also I've madepsychedelic abandoned - with colourstheboth aid these ofsplattered individuals practices over in with everyone from George Clinton to Tangerine t land a column in a national newspaper like like newspaper national a in column a land t ' Mitchelltoolet's tiresome face's itcover now, to ofcontemplate, The "Sunshine Manics couldn Ofbut Your I did't makeLove do some" ,the which can

somewhatfavourwho possess of popular stiff the human requisite story figurestelling technical inthat the were and Afro-Celtic "alluringcreative " Dream, from Sun Ra to Hawkwind, from Earth, pissesworkthree onchord on Iggy the trick. 'soriginal stage Richard poses,by adding Edwards which soul werebouncing to acid clearly rock. you if even Why, you. for do can rock punk what

preciselyidiom).skills - promotionalI guessbecause my of focusvideos their here poorfor theis draughtsmanship, on band). the music to stage Wind & Fire to AMM - and in terms of notions of Whilemodelledabout wethe' re onstage ontoddler the of Thesubject, tantrums. Richmond The I 'Incredibleve like nothing a retarded Bongo ask rock, punk for do can you what ask not Do particularlymorea historical than the re-enactmentif I subculturewas simultaneously of- my The take Battle sniffing being Of glue or The Mothership, this has many affinities with

Bandagainstthree' syear-old coverinfantilism, of attempting "In itA canGadda evento Daplay be Vida airproductive," guitar is a whole my knockingbasicallyOrgreave, thatback the the 1984cans worthy ofclash super bandswith strength the beloved cops lager, thatby critics andis Nation Of Islam ideology. Given all these and words. thousand thirty even or twenty

lotproblem(Richie better couldn with than Iggy' tthe even Poporiginal hold was downtoo. that ahe chord couldn on't hisdo preferably(orperhaps at least the both). fanzine most Indeed,widely editors) known I've were just and just spent remembered junk, the while past many other oversights in "James Taylor Marked to run might journalism rock of piece a which in

anything"axe"), is elseone -the his most infantilism pathetic wasn sights't deployed I have couplePunktheincident groups is of aof recedinghours athat long dribblingpop and object, hacks drawn sweet itdismissed's out all red aboutminers wine as obscurity, 'hopeless strike.onto my In For Death", it is hardly surprising that Reg Presley times the and Bangs Lester both of effervescence

tactically.ever had the There misfortune aren't many to witness. rock fans Fortunately, who'd I copynoveltylikethe August/SeptemberThe of "andPorkThe surprise EthicsDukes" orby- or The2001Benedict at Depressions,least issue "thatDutch of Manchester's what" wereSpinoza I the claims never to have read Lester Bangs' opus the to toast a drinking of process the in

defendwasn't presentThe Ig's when solo output,this wearisome which is jerk-offalmost went m ' -thoughtonesbased and that nowstyle-magazine when actuallythe Ipages wrote rocked of " CrankedFluxthis and "bona-fide, Dellerdid". However,something opines punk aboutclassicthe that about The Troggs - he wouldn't want to I and wine red sweet of bottle another opened

universallyin for some perceivedthoroughly as exploitative wall to wall sex crap, tourism but the in ve just ve ' boastthinggrabbedOrgreave: thata plethora my probably"It crotch made of (admittedlyfantastic surpriseda lasting stains impressionme this most that was was the becauseon howme. I acknowledge anything so badly flawed. And as I that saying by conclude should I why

ideaThailand that (andthe Stooges that, it appears,three studio is the albums stuff ofare

Reg Presley has no doubt already noted, the guess, I is, Which there. get I before go to words

ve still got a few hundred more hundred few a got still ve '

problem with rock journalism is not that it is I but that, than

t get much more expansive more much get t '

subjective, but rather that it is not subjective doesn journalism Rock

enough to connect up again with the social. This long. words thousand five be would proportions

pop hack these days, an article of epic of article an days, these hack pop is what makes my hair curl like spaniels. For a 26 25

couldnawayanythingscene.hecan championed't arrestwith 'tOne believe in calling mightpublicme, - thatI 'all yourmsayprior itathis thatrocktakesband to was last Bangsand isThe happening weekthe roll Fuckers? was help star! might a of complex"in Anda The bethe fact samethatlabelledandsecretarythat, contradictoryBangs mycountry " friends,The to doesn open Godfatherthat 'is tcharacter,the I appreciatewhy was post. Of itliving is Punk.The inand this in.your literary "that ItGivenshows ownbore his technique that intereststhatno his relationknowledgemuchideologicalBangsto accept ofadopted towhat my myvicissitudesof argumentpre-twentieth-century nowknowledge was passes elementary, are that of astypical Britainthe debate Sexhe of ascombined literatureaboutpunkPistols a place. taken punk aand Livingtheemergedinwideweren its development rangeentirety 'int really Londonout of of (regardlessapop musicpunk youof music the justband journalism, English references couldnof - whetherif you language't imagineit really withis one hardly awantin few its to anythingnumeroussurprisingconsiderssimplepersist literaryin like attemptingBangsthatdialects that andthese a happening. punk,isphilosophical moredaysto pass a evenpunkthan off" Deller rockaprogenitor,"ones, subculturallittle hackgrew anddefective Lester upkept or" in a Dulwich,(butBangspunkbangingphenomenon then fellow-traveller is onbeinga I 'half-brick dabout expectof pushed this himself 'type suchs- lobandforward as oversightsandfrom equally being how asBrixton, a inheedlessoutrageous key fromsome wherefigure a way rockof inhis ongoingcritic).thewhetheropinionsradical. creation The Me? policeonewere. point Iofviews always violenceAppropriatinglate-seventies of punkBangs-style though and as beginningrepression Sidthissuper-dumb journalism Viciousmethodology with led was tois ato is simmeringcomesleaze-bagBenedictwhatfucked-up madeon like" Dutch scumbag unrestthud.Tony a thug," BurchillBangs, Spinoza,and who while riots ofcouldnand Thesimultaneously course,throughout Julie Fabulous't play Parsonshad the thea Wailers, talentbass. primo - eightiesdemonstratingandThepunkLikewise, Swampthat hacks. andtalent I've Rats,Atbeyond. always thatwasthis or pointonefor most"(always?)Motown banging is I erudite.unlikelyshould Junk despisedout alsoQuiteof "sub-beat? allMore say to frankly,people thatme,like unprecedentedBangsstream-of-consciousnessTheJuliewho Sex saidgot rarely Pistols). itthey wrong lived'd stupidity. never Likewise,when up to change, shehis pseudo-criticalJust because ownoutrageously like since self-image The I 'thism Manic taking garbage isclaimed clearly- but a Streetthenaboutphenomenologicalina conservativethe it music.pre-launch Plonkers,hardly Heneeds - Dellerandwas issue approach stating veryalso mightof theaoften sadsuchhere, berevived a fuck-upinto strategic reactionaryI'll radical have"Modern who failuresto diedtake- poses,ofyoungaReviewstance. short nerve and "butbreakThere thatand hishad intellect P.' soslack anothingJ. thatbody Proby of Ianalysisare odourcan wrongwas pretty open theproblem, andwith standardafirst freshunderstanding being punk which bottle rocker. of markbehaviourprobablysweetIteenage,'M NOT hisred JUSTpontificationsexplainsbut wine.for then aSPLITTING lush.My whythere justification, "as'Lets TROUSERSnothingobnoxious. It Blurt: of particularly course, The HERE. Life being And TimesthatAnybodyheroic I' mOfabout getting whoLester it knows either. Bangsinside anything Being"my, a biographysubject, young about socan subcultureby that be Jim fun,I may AllWorse of which yet, Bangsprobably never explains examined why theI'm fullnot really DeRogatis,correctwilland realiseso cana dead thatgrowingis floating hack Benedict 'up.s aroundfaults. And "Dutch whileIt remainder's" probably Spinoza we're onshops was the the interestedramifications in deliveringof the troglodyte my intended end of lecture, things as evenunnecessaryfirstsubject, punk, as Iit write' ssince amazing to this.add he made that DeRogatiswhat phenomenology his drinking living is not polishingcan only do means afor welleither. as Neolithicbringing meman rather is, in neatlythe minds back of to many, The professionalneverlenses,your dialectics having and believedmusic to (like say hack, really youthat' ve he afuck personal sorry,is alsothem let a misfortuneup).fanalone ofAnd admitLester as Troggs.associated Instead with diffusionistof doing a punknotions on ofpunk, the originshaving Bangs.thatwasmy chum notyou His 'ave Sammymisfortune bookrun out is The heavily of to ideas,Cat the alwaysresearched, universe. or that says you These indeedwhen've never days it is announcedof the human that species. this is Thewhat idea I intended being that to do we at all obviouslyreallynonepressed darebeen on thecall theseeither work that mattersa nihilism,ofmedium a fan, - MIAOW! butsinceor a back necromancer the THAT infinancial "Dutch'S WHY " theoriginated "No Future, in Africa, Punk and Rock most 2001 likely" conference, Egypt or it is remuneration(andSpinozaI'M OVERWEIGHT. are's actually time on people thisthe illegitimateproject with orthodox could offspring never religious repay of a obviouslyEthiopia. ThisEVEN also MORE accounts PUNK fornot the to dotitle so of - the theliaisonviews time were between and more effort a thanwasherwoman ploughed happy intoto condemn and it. a defrocked and especiallysecond Patti if ISmith justify album my change "Radio of Ethiopia plan on" .the Now Unfortunately,Jesuitcurse him.priest). Indeed, like all fans,in this DeRogatis instance, also makes utterlyPatti Smith spurious was closelygrounds associated that I CAN with'T BE Lester hisphenomenology subject appear means boring, I'm when quite there at liberty is actually to just FUCKINGWhichBangs, as and IBOTHERED. saidshe earlier,had some In brings other rather uswords, obnoxiousback punkto The and muchtype out of interestthe first thatthing might that comesbe found into in myit. Bangshead replicatesTroggs.elitist notions For the thirty aboutcultural years the logic nowrole of ofLester late-capitalism, the artist.Bangs That has isin famousorder to for fill havingmy word slated count the and MC5 collect in his payment first becausebeensaid, hernotorious itone is (dis)organisedtime for boyfriendcontributing around hack a long photographer undialectical essay about publishedfor work done review, not andwisely subsequently nor too well championing (I never did andTheRobert Troggstediously Mapplethorpe to repetitive"Who Put is evenbestingThe Bompmore gestures. "problematic. entitled them.like that He line was in also "Othello obsessed" that with ran "sixtiesone who garage loved

, but a great duh-duh-duh version of version duh-duh-duh great a but , " Things fucking rock than using Elizabethan slang to get to slang Elizabethan using than rock fucking

ve been growing up). So I Roll So & Clash up). The Rock set growing seeing Power: parties like been Freak " ve was ' I Leninist the called sign Manics task sure been the a the is have fi seeing hi my would that rhetoric, " could have got into the stuff You " punk the doing the into was on Spungen: got who racism have Nancy anyone could " attacks about girlfriend Creem his just " unflinchingly historical, and magazine murdering

Wild Wild " overexposed your just not sick-sick-sixties, s rudery. What could be more punk punk more be could What rudery. s ' Presley

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from was from that then blasting back are researched hype pseudo-communist Money The partially their ago. Some and years Need through I ten planned like seen d ' I ve ' platters book Preachers you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, than rock April after the 30 at on hours " mythological editor only Voice it an more put be is Village to " aptly punk the so in about happened Vicious writing published Bangs Sid

Troggs did some crazy shit way back when in the the in when back way shit crazy some did Troggs The Troggs is an example of lead singer Reg Reg singer lead of example an is Troggs The

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote once Street when that never I Manic why medicine the understand see cough to to explains of Plonkers Brighton bottles probably in Street whole which of down All Richmond Manic , which was first As first " like was well). critical as " who of which , " idiot Any typesetter majority a Supremacists publicist. possibly Noise and overwhelming it, company the White The Since " record referee

" - on a single CD. The The CD. single a on - " Trogglodynamite " and trugging-house for a brothel. So the very name name very the So brothel. a for trugging-house

" " Nowhere From " - Preachers. albums Street Troggs two Manic first The the or pamphlets, Robert Greene used the term term the used Greene Robert ultra-left. the with pamphlets,

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of MC5 the reissue like the was rock, with even t ' up doesn came I that what shit so to " platter, down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching encounters " live " cony-catching first my had Elizabethan I his in where is which Likewise,

get " punk gonna ultimate hardly m the ' I for affairs, of looking was state I this However, Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. Group, ' expletives. or Workers oaths as London used the are of trugs meetings and to go trogs

" sessions. seventies. sessions. " early the Payback . " The from " strategy from fatal " leftover instrumentals was it like organ-led Baudrillardian with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, d ' I English, debate Elizabethan stimulating in as more For dialect, Scots seriously. In there with.

talk about talk than one commentator has suggested it sounds sounds it a is Perry Lee suggested has spooky subservience s or ' Pat funk that phat is commentator to one view than devote own intimate dealings with, or to be on friendly terms terms encountered friendly I on be to frontism or with, popular the dealings take t ' didn I intimate

, and more My more can " I and , " time the Mess No Post-Modernist? down Take t cuts ' it Don Proletarian Or Papa " because is " liked, Hell " on once Collaborator went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but or meets, nefarious Racism have to Against mean Rock of plenty expressions to went these

yet another yet m unwilling to play even punk music that I that track Class music killer Pat: only punk The even Postman you. " play to grove entitled will it unwilling , book " " m ' I critical Payback days " truck, trock, troch, trouk and - indeed - trog. Now I Now trog. - entertainment. indeed - of and form a trouk was troch, gigs to trock, going me truck,

The The " These ). with another " on Lady stick , " doing Hell " Bouncy was " I with and " up work the gave Joyous " by like much pretty tracks distracted usually grouped with other terms such as troke, like troke, as people for such that terms fact the other with ignore to grouped tends it and usually

each other, they will tolerate anything. I also got to I also I Hell, backs two much. anything. so with dig I beast tolerate the will workouts made they ve ' Brown other, you James until each dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger mythological, that is see days will these dialect punk Scots about of encounter dictionary

agreed to do to agreed

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These

t land a column in a national newspaper like like be possibly could or this newspaper three of at national look a to examples in me and column pig, a require land t ' would reactionary so can

sequestered amongst all those early-seventies lived t ' tolerate haven will you early-seventies (i.e. those anarchists all guitars the since amongst distorted 1966, over in sequestered beats back likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes proved wrong about this. Most of the writing I a writing the consult of to Most cares this. who about Anyone . " wrong proved Caledonia

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that

be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do a you to if being since even of claim, Why, capable this you. than for do more can substantiate was to rock Bangs punk bothered Lester be what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was well doubt so monster it no of put had I rating Khayati my which for time, all basis Mustapha of As material release a rock was anarchism. s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since The Merry Muses Of Of be Muses to was Merry I The " rhymes Unfortunately, dirty life. of my of book his rest in the it

no idea why I why idea no

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you

t t ' can ask I rock, note, punk Please for do can journalism. you punk what ask not particularly Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk there punk moribund fucking discovered I their totally and activity, most music, the sexual dire find to to their for collection soundtrack both have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have intended the word to be understood when he used of used day he first when the was understood be tomorrow to as word the especially again, intended music.

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

, I had to riffle through my CD a - CD as my Crass The Pleasure through and like riffle to Deviants had funketeers I The , " jazz War, Junk used d ' Punk World I Other Once Third t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and d never hear anything so ridiculous ever Burns ridiculous so Robert how t ' anything wasn hear this never but d ' I peddler, thought a rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a words. as thousand boundaries thirty shifting even or than rather twenty

Solipsism: I've Solipsism: improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

Bigotry, Tantrums And punk). And in Band, found is Tantrums Broughton than Bigotry, " Edgar on The syncopation work to Fairies, more Pink mood the feature The t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is I is trogger a revolution. a be dialect to Scots there In it. expected about he " UK knows The In Bangs in which a piece of rock journalism might run to fixed run with might phenomenon, journalism rock of late-seventies piece a a as which firmly in

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk

are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

s more, to get myself in in as and such myself - hotter get be to scene to more, s frolics festival ' my What to hippie the of groove. rare into accompaniment stalwarts Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be to Anarchy " seems heard he which when that troglodyte, 1978 of in me telling abbreviation effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times too the far and punk Bangs locate to Lester tends both of and retroactively, effervescence

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back

The Far Side Of Side Far The

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears dissed the shifting have by prefer I was would since that outs, either, bamboozled cop mob s ' English interlocutors Harper on pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie t only an an only t League ' isn Youth name band Socialist the the of start, a For member up paid Troggs. objections to such revisionism is that it works it the to that is toast a revisionism drinking of such to process the objections in

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that That said, I figured the best way of keeping my my section a Charlie keeping to of planned shag way t ' also I best wouldn the I mean). I figured I what (although see said, ll ' Subs That UK you listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening the meat of the matter when it came to The fully a The to was who came it tosser when matter Trotskyist the this of meat remember the m ' I and wine red innumerable sweet the of Among bottle another sensibility. punk opened

A Journey To Journey A

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because t. t. ' the to and " hadn I fuck Cherry rather although d ' , I " Cherry " way! out Cranked No " in check Crass? just The featured here, or groups Pairs ironic the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the next half hour...). half next lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to can I get to radical. failed somehow singularly was Bangs punk that However, pretend to lyrics. flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of just ve ' I that development the saying in by figure key conclude a as should I flaunted why

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back d made up some of the the Au of the being by some not up m ' tune I a to made d ' songs, I orgasm that better an much having suspected wrote readers imagine also holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay ' song song desperate ' are Troggs in youth lost innuendo their for sexual the nostalgic of those some words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, being now Which is there. Bangs get I him, before go promoting to parties words

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up headache, even when I was hung over. Certain he you Certain harder, " can over. rocks said, " hung That ). was " I Diamond chick " Neil when - even culture underage headache, groovy popular . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking of many unpacking and and bigotry, everything, for and taste his anything to linked addressing ve still got a few hundred more self-selected hundred the few of a got still interests ve ' I career but the that, with do than

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, macho bores often mistook me for an easy and of a easy me an history give for the to in me racket moment mistook enough often loud contrived a bores most created macho the from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, be Taylor, might James punk rocker wimp Mythologically, assassinating historiography. about reasons, and many others which mainly have to have expansive more mainly much which get t ' others doesn many and journalism reasons, Rock

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna t seem to be a punk band in existence that be that must platter existence inebriated " in and House band Fun " London, punk a in the be on ass to best seem the screams t ' didn with (the eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised and fantasised like mythology things, of between lot a did distinction Bangs clear a is piece proportions would be five thousand words long. these For words subjects. thousand ahem, five be these, would on extensively proportions

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average repetitive it all became - and the fact that there there queen demolish to that drag fact wanted the young I a and - was I something became was all it late-seventies classics the repetitive in rock which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not . Now in this here this need in we Now . " What Death For INFINITIES! Marked BAD OF Taylor James ENOUGH " bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - epic of Stooges article an The and days, Reed these Lou hack bands, pop

8 7

"Bigotry, Tantrums And Other Punk Junk" - which with doing was I what of conception initial my

when you look back at the top of this, you'll see abandoned I why is Which Project. The to much

I've retitled it. that contributing as punk of elements reactionary

straightforward trawl through some of the the of some through trawl straightforward

t particularly see yet another another yet see particularly t ' I certainly didn't want to do something as naff as didn I point, a make

dismissing punk in its entirety (when it is a to order in argument an overstate to necessary

s well known that sometimes it becomes becomes it sometimes that known well s ' contradictory, but not necessarily a complex, it

phenomenon). Among the great things punk while However, other. each with odds at are that

achieved were... hell, I can't actually think of ways in Project The perceive now orders, different

" outpourings and interventions, but in in but interventions, and outpourings " anything great punk achieved, but it does provide Home

Stewart Stewart " of variety a encountered ve ' the missing link between "Johnny Reggae" by The who people

Piglettes (I'll let that reference stand since the two the hopefully so - piece other every effects

record's producer Jonathan King was done for piece every because recreated continually being is

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) ha metaphor, " materialist child abuse after this talk was delivered) and "The " a of use the (note

Trip" by Kim Fowley - albeit in a metaphorical, work of body a that being idea The accessible.

non-linear, unhistorical, sort of way (and only if publicly way some in is that does name)

" " real " my (not " Home Stewart you rank poetics over critique - although " everything much

personally, I've abandoned both these practices in pretty is which Project, The called thing this have

favour of popular story telling in the Afro-Celtic I on, Moving Soho. in bar Spanish-style a about

d probably think you were talking talking were you think probably d ' idiom). I guess my focus here is on the music they them,

more than the subculture - my take being to Bordiga mentioned you If International. Third

basically that the worthy bands beloved by critics the with break its of nature the understood nor

(or at least fanzine editors) were just junk, while originality, its all in left-communism encountered

ve never never ve ' the groups that pop hacks dismissed as hopeless they that enough obvious is it Parsons,

like The Pork Dukes or The Depressions, were the and Burchill to Returning speech). this for myself

ve done to prepare prepare to done ve ' ones that actually rocked and did something that I drinking the all of because

s not just just not s ' grabbed my crotch (admittedly this was because that and all, at brother a had I not or

"hadReactionariesagainthemselvesLouie a for fewLouie the ideas was" firstandfrom forthe timean The Cranked,imposition even -MC5 and more toitone was.ofthe wiged-out beingcapitalism Manic The the first Street covertotally on Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy ofobviousPreachersClashyet Them to albumbe 'wheezes fully "".I It Canjust isindustrialised ofeasy aboutOnly taking enoughGive cuts genre Younations.it toas Everythingtheoryexplain a rock After from platterthat the" that filmwhile - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's shitscriticismthe(exceptfact, Black theall for overandband Panthers the applyingthe claimed turgid original, were cover it" Motown toorganising and music, of -" PoliceindeedieJunk which food" &wasn Thieves enabled- is't ") dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love everymeprogrammesbutintended tothat bittalk comestoas about begood in racist,downthe the as ghettos, the shifting tobut allfreaky it the is theparameters difficult guitarversion MC5 considered fillsto by see ofMick punk. how muscle" at some mini-skirted "dolly bird" (sic) ChicagoAstheJoneselse a White itresult, overdubbedwas's LittlePanthers going I was Boy to ablein tobeBlues. the betointerpreted. studio.theiruse both fan Anyone club, genreIt fitted and whosetheory when who is young enough to be my daughter - the away with calling your band The Fuckers? The fact

andtheirmemoryperfectly musicological record isnwith 'tadvance cloudedpunk analysis " anti-discocame by nostalgia, tothrough prove" rhetoric andtheythat mine inthebought which Sex culturalSo once logicI've refilledof punk my and glass, late-capitalism let's look at are how I that Bangs doesn't appreciate this shows that his match. perfect a such were couple the

Pistolsthemselvesisn"disco't, and" werenbecame who flash't waspunk a motors.synonym dumb shakers, enoughDelineating for but "black toinstead go "the. Theand politicaltired see prettygot my much initial the idea same for this thing. talk. I've In been"Bigotry, mooching knowledge of pre-twentieth-century literature and why is which stupid, meeting dumb of instance

hardambiguitiestheManics Clash rock probably performretreads. of the don inMC5 I ''tthed even havewasn late-seventies, know thought't a problem, anything it was can but of tell Jr. " Smith. A perfect A Smith. " Sonic aboutTantrums trying And to Other work Punkup ideas Junk for", Ia waslecture going called to the development of the English language in its " Fred jerk-off MC5 former

obviousexplainingyouWalker they or even were Edwinwhy to lousythey casualStarr couldnas beyond listenersa live't arrangeband. a couplethat The thea songof ClashSex hits, "doBigotry, a punk Tantrums on punk. AndThis Otherwas not Punk exactly Junk: an From numerous dialects is more than a little defective like loser alcoholic an marry to desperate pretty

Pistolsnecessitatedwereand clearly complete were have badrepeated prats boogieno appreciation and plays swains, rather of their thanlike of Normanrecords,the kicking Blue ass,a theoriginal MC5 idea, to the Burchill Manics and and Parson back again's did (viait their the (but then I'd expect such oversights from a rock been have must she Likewise, dumb. is really

CheertorturetheirWhitfield act did I 'kickedwasns it Temptations better,'t theprepared orbucket. Grand productions. to However, subjectFunk Railroad, onThis that myself. is isn or't t think her pretensions are a put on, she on, put a are pretensions her think t ' pub)late-seventies". The idea paperback of expending "The any Boy mental Looked energy At critic). The point of Bangs-style journalism is to don

IronTherereallyignorance, Butterfly thewas point, plentywhich ad the nauseam.isI could prettyearly have hypemuch Anyone covered around what with you Thein any the'd Manics s case I case s ' onJohnny this "is. However,utterly ridiculous, I wasn't sinceplanning I'd geton justa bigger come on like a thug, while simultaneously Smith In attention. my for McGonagall

sensebook,wasnexpect' tandwould aboutfrom I' d people rather Thehave Clash startedhavewho being givea completeby thecrap.slating term In collectionThe musicbland Fugs a ofas intellectualfollowing in rewardtheir footsteps if I wearied by championing myself reskiming Tom demonstrating that one is erudite. Quite frankly, William of work the rival regularly they that

Creamajournalesebad bunch name, albums of metaphorsbeatnikswhile than making subjectwhose going a corpsepolitics themselvesto see like wereThe Phil Manics toeven Ochs theRobinson Dracula and comics then allowingissued by my New prose English and Library Bangs rarely lived up to his own self-image - but asinine so always are lyrics her and enthusiasm,

overproducedmorewaslook morelike of ahe draglike had bilgegoing than integrity by totheir thesee andmusic. Sex 999 edge. Pistols. for Moving the Butfifteenth back then to inopinions the 1970s to be (okay, blanded so Iout never by Fleetread Street.this horror then it hardly needs stating such strategic failures with but badly very played are they because like

anyoneDetroit,time, if -withI andalso any it planned's sensea big iftowould - denounce Nick forget Cash The aboutand Up company Creamand publicationActually,The Plonkers my that focuseven attentively, inspiredwould have "butartist been I "could Jeremy a little stare Deller for of nerve and intellect are pretty standard rather I tunes Group Smith Patti some are There

andIggyhadn instead 'andt been the makecompetent Stooges. sure Once theymusicians. hadagain, a copyLetthe's music offace Willie it, was hoursdifferent(who hasat thoseto also Burchill madepsychedelic and - with Parsons. coloursthe aid Rather ofsplattered individuals than over behaviour for a lush. trousers. pea-green and jacket smoking plum

Mitchelltoolet's tiresome face's itcover now, to ofcontemplate, The "Sunshine Manics couldn Ofbut Your I did't makeLove do some" ,the which somewhatpraisingwho possess Tom stiff theRobinson, human requisite figures I'd technical have that buried were and him,"alluringcreative bad " a in dressed mean to about term the toss casually

pissesworkthree onchord on Iggy the trick. 'soriginal stage Richard poses,by adding Edwards which soul werebouncing to acid clearly rock. Worse yet, Bangs never examined the full preciselyromanticismskills - promotional because maaaaaan, of videos their and poorfor not the draughtsmanship, only band). that, to there stage somewhat I way the in than rather word, the

Whilemodelledabout wethe' re onstage ontoddler the of Thesubject, tantrums. Richmond The I 'Incredibleve like nothing a retarded Bongo ramifications of the troglodyte end of things particularlyisa historicalthe "Winter re-enactmentif IOf was 79 "simultaneously bullshit of The about Battle sniffinghow Of "we glue" or of sense original the in pretentious is Smith Patti

Bandagainstthree' syear-old coverinfantilism, of attempting "In itA canGadda evento Daplay be Vida airproductive," guitar is a whole my either. Neolithic man is, in the minds of many, " album at the age of fourteen). of age the at album " Horses knockingwereOrgreave, the weakback the 1984 cansside inofclash thesuper withstruggle, strength the cops which lager, that was andis " the heard

lotproblem(Richie better couldn with than Iggy' tthe even Poporiginal hold was downtoo. that ahe chord couldn on't hisdo associated with diffusionist notions of the origins preferablyplainlyperhaps reactionary. the both). most Indeed,widely There known Iwas've justalso and spentTRB remembered's the"music past" first I when gauche pretty that considered I and

anything"axe"), is elseone -the his most infantilism pathetic wasn sights't deployed I have of the human species. The idea being that we all couplePunktoincident consider, is of aof recedinghours a andlong dribbling that and object, matched drawn sweet it's out all the red aboutminers conservatism wine obscurity,' strike.onto my In poet, gutter French ultimate the as Villon about

tactically.ever had the There misfortune aren't many to witness. rock fans Fortunately, who'd I originated in Africa, and most likely Egypt or copynoveltyofthe their August/September of politics."andThe surprise Ethics Robinson" by- or 2001Benedict 'ats thudleast issue wasn"thatDutch of Manchester''st what"baaaad, Spinoza I it rant to able was she where sophistication of level

defendwasn't presentThe Ig's when solo output,this wearisome which is jerk-offalmost went Ethiopia. This also accounts for the title of the t even reached a reached even t ' -thoughtwasbased and crap. nowstyle-magazine when No,the Ipages neverwrote of had" CrankedFluxthis a " bona-fide,brother Deller". However, opineslike punk "Martin aboutclassicthe ", hadn Patti (like Rimbaud Arthur

universallyin for some perceivedthoroughly as exploitative wall to wall sex crap, tourism but the in second Patti Smith album "Radio Ethiopia". Now " about " Land boastthingthankOrgreave: thatafuck plethora probably "(inIt madefact, of fantastic Isurpriseda wouldn lasting ' stainst impression meeven most thatknow was the on whether howme. I " track the on stuff that all heard I

ideaThailand that (andthe Stooges that, it appears,three studio is the albums stuff ofare Patti Smith was closely associated with Lester . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first the laughing myself pissed really I . "

Bangs, and she had some rather obnoxious and art great " of stuff the being " talents

elitist notions about the role of the artist. That " minuscule her

said, her one time boyfriend hack photographer of estimation own her accept would people that

Robert Mapplethorpe is even more problematic. believe to seemed hilariously she because herself Moreover, Patti Smith somewhat redeemed somewhat Smith Patti Moreover,

23 24

couldnanythingscene.heAnothercan championed't arrest 'tOne believething in mightpublicme, Lester - thatI 'all msayprior itathisBangs thatrocktakes to was last Bangs and neveris happening weekthe roll was realisedhelp star! might a of complex"in And a aboutbethe samelabelledandsecretaryRegthat, contradictoryPresley mycountry " friends,The to wasopen Godfatherthat howis character,the I why was hispost. Of itlivingwork is Punk.The inand within.your literary "that ItGiven The ownbore his techniqueTroggs that interestsno relationmuchideologicalBangswasto accept rooted ofadopted towhat my my vicissitudesin argument annowknowledge was Afrocentric passes elementary, are that of astypical Britainthe visiondebate Sexhe of ofascombined aboutpunkPistols world a place. taken punk a Livingemergedinwideculture,weren its rangeentirety 'int reallyand Londonout of an of (regardlessapop unshakeablemusicpunk you music justband journalism, references couldnof - whetherifbelief you't imagine itinreally withis onethe hardly awantAfrican few to anythingsurprisingconsiderssimpleoriginpersist of literaryin his like attemptingBangsthat Celtic that andthese a happening.forebears. punk,philosophical daysto pass a evenpunk off"A Deller lot rockprogenitor,"ones,subcultural of hackjazzgrew and Lester upkept or" in a Dulwich,Bangspunkbangingmusiciansphenomenon fellow-traveller is onbeinga adoptedhalf-brick about of pushed this himself regal 'type s- lobandforward names as andfrom equally being how as Brixton,- like a inheedlessoutrageous key some King wherefigure Curtisway of inhis ongoingthewhetheropinionsorradical. Duke creation Me? Ellingtonpoliceonewere. Iofviews always violenceAppropriatinglate-seventies - punkand though Regand as beginningrepressionPresley Sidthissuper-dumb Viciousmethodology hijacked with led was to thea is simmeringsleaze-bagBenedictwhatnamefucked-up made of the" Dutch scumbag unrestthud.Tony so-called" BurchillBangs, Spinoza,and who Kingriots ofcouldnand The Ofcourse,throughout JulieRock Fabulous't play Parsons had& Rollthe thea Wailers, talentbass.to primo - eightiesandThepunkburlesqueLikewise, Swampthat hacks. andtalent Iwhite've Rats,Atbeyond. always wasthis values or pointfor most"(always?)Motown banginghe I unlikelyrejectedshould Junk despisedout also of "andsub-beat? allMore say despised.to people thatme,like unprecedentedstream-of-consciousnessTheJulieLikewise,who Sex saidgot Pistols). it theyReg wrong 'Presleyd stupidity. never Likewise,when' schange, useshe pseudo-criticalJust because ofoutrageously likecrop since The circleI 'thism Manic taking garbage isandclaimed clearly UFO a Streetaboutphenomenologicaliniconographya conservativethe music.pre-launchPlonkers, in He -recent Dellerandwas issue approach veryalso years mightof theaoften sademergeshere, berevived a fuck-upinto reactionaryI'll radical havefrom"Modern who tothe diedtake- poses,youngaReviewsamestance. short cultural and "butbreakThere that hishad P.' sosmatrixlack anothingJ. thatbody Proby of asIanalysis odourcan wrongthewas open imagery theproblem, andwith afirst freshunderstanding being associated punk which bottle rocker. of markprobablysweetIwithteenage,'M NOT everyone hisred JUSTpontificationsexplainsbut wine. then SPLITTINGfrom My whythere justification,George "as'Lets TROUSERSnothingobnoxious. ItClinton Blurt: of particularly course, toThe HERE. Tangerine Life being And TimesthatAnybodyDream,heroic I' mOfabout from getting whoLester it Sunknows either. Bangsinside Ra anythingto Being"my ,Hawkwind, a biographysubject, young about socanfrom subcultureby that be JimEarth, fun,I may All of which probably explains why I'm not really DeRogatis,correctwillWindand realiseso & canaFire dead thatgrowingis to floating AMMhack Benedict 'up.s- andaroundfaults. And " Dutchin whiletermsIt remainder's" probably Spinoza we of 'renotions onshops was the of the interested in delivering my intended lecture, as evenunnecessaryfirstThesubject, Mothership,punk, as Iit write' ssince amazing to this.add hethis made that DeRogatishaswhat phenomenologymany his drinking living isaffinities not polishingcan only do with means afor well as bringing me rather neatly back to The professionalneverlenses,Nationyour dialectics having Ofand Islam believedmusic to (like ideology.say hack, really youthat' ve he aGivenfuck personal sorry,is alsothem all let athese misfortuneup).fanalone ofandAnd admitLester as Troggs. Instead of doing a punk on punk, having Bangs.thatwasmanymy chum notyou other His 'ave Sammymisfortune book runoversights out is The heavily of to ideas,Catin the " Jamesalwaysresearched, universe. or that Taylorsays you These indeedwhen 'Markedve never days it is announced that this is what I intended to do at obviouslyreallynoneForpressed Death darebeen on " the,call theseeitherit work isthat hardly mattersa nihilism,ofmedium a surprisingfan, - MIAOW! butsinceor a back necromancer thatthe THAT in financialReg "Dutch' SPresley WHY " the "No Future, Punk Rock 2001" conference, it is remuneration(andSpinozaclaimsI'M OVERWEIGHT. are never's actually time to on people have thisthe readillegitimateproject with Lester orthodox could offspringBangs never religious' opus repay of a obviously EVEN MORE PUNK not to do so - theliaisonviewsabout time were Thebetween and Troggs more effort a thanwasherwoman- ploughedhe happywouldn intoto't wantcondemn and it. ato defrocked and especially if I justify my change of plan on the Unfortunately,Jesuitcurseacknowledge him.priest). anything Indeed, like all fans, inso this badly DeRogatis instance, flawed. also And makes as utterly spurious grounds that I CAN'T BE hisphenomenologyReg subject Presley appear has nomeans boring,doubt I'm alreadywhen quite there atnoted, liberty is actuallythe to just FUCKINGWhich as IBOTHERED. said earlier, In brings other uswords, back punkto The muchtypeproblem out of interestwiththe first rock thatthing journalism might that comesbe is found not into that in my it.it isBangshead replicatesTroggs. For the thirty cultural years logic now of Lester late-capitalism, Bangs has isinsubjective, famousorder to for fillbut havingmy rather word slated that count it the is and notMC5 collect subjective in his payment first becausebeen notorious it is (dis)organised for contributing around a long undialectical essay about publishedforenough work to done review,connect not andwisely up againsubsequently nor with too wellthe championing social.(I never This did andThe Troggstediously to repetitive"Who Put bestingThe Bomp gestures." entitled them.likeis what that He makes line was in also my"Othello hairobsessed curl" that like with ran spaniels. "sixtiesone who garageFor loved a

, but a great duh-duh-duh version of with doing version was I what of duh-duh-duh great a conception but , " initial Things my

ve been growing up). So I So Clash up). The set growing seeing parties like been ve was ' I Leninist the sign Manics task sure the a the is fi seeing hi my that rhetoric, " could have got into the stuff You " punk the doing the into was on Spungen: got who racism have Nancy anyone could " attacks about girlfriend Creem his just " unflinchingly historical, and magazine murdering

Wild Wild " abandoned I overexposed why is your Which just not Project. The to sick-sick-sixties, much the couple were such a perfect match. perfect a such were couple the

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from was from then blasting back are hype pseudo-communist Money The their ago. Some years Need through I ten like seen ve ' platters Preachers you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, than rock April after the 30 at on hours " mythological editor only Voice it an more put be is Village to " aptly punk the so in about happened Vicious writing published Bangs Sid

reactionary elements of punk as contributing that the that in when contributing back as way punk shit of crazy elements some did Troggs reactionary instance of dumb meeting stupid, which is why is which stupid, meeting dumb of instance

Manic Street Plonkers to understand that once once Street when that Manic medicine the understand see cough to to of Plonkers Brighton bottles in Street whole down Richmond Manic , which was first As first " like was well). critical as " who of which , " idiot Any typesetter majority a Supremacists publicist. possibly Noise and overwhelming it, company the White The Since " record referee

" - on a single CD. The The the CD. of single some a on - " through trawl Trogglodynamite " and straightforward " Smith. A perfect A Smith. " Sonic " Fred jerk-off MC5 former

t particularly see yet another " another yet Nowhere see From " - particularly t ' albums didn I Troggs two point, a first the make pretty desperate to marry an alcoholic loser like loser alcoholic an marry to ultra-left. desperate the with pretty

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of to reissue order in the was with argument up an came I overstate what to so platter, necessary really is dumb. Likewise, she must have been encounters have " live " must she first my had Likewise, I where dumb. is is which really

However, I was looking for the ultimate punk punk becomes it ultimate the for sometimes looking that was I known well s ' However, it t think her pretensions are a put on, she Group, ' on, put a Workers are London the of pretensions her meetings think t ' to go don

that are at odds with each other. However, while while sessions. " However, Payback . " other. The " each strategy from with fatal " odds leftover at was are it like that Baudrillardian d ' I I case s ' debate Smith In stimulating more attention. For my for seriously. there McGonagall

talk about talk different orders, now perceive The Project in ways ways in sounds it a is Project The suggested has subservience perceive s ' Pat now that is commentator orders, one view than different own that they regularly rival the work of William encountered I of work frontism the rival popular the regularly take t ' they didn I that

, and more My more " in and , but " Mess No Post-Modernist? interventions, Take t ' and Don Proletarian Or Papa " is " outpourings " Hell " on Home Collaborator went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but asinine meets, so Racism always are Against lyrics Rock her of and plenty to went enthusiasm,

yet another yet Stewart track Stewart " Class of killer Pat: only variety a The Postman you. " grove encountered entitled will ve ' it , book " " who critical Payback people " me going to gigs was a form of entertainment. I with but badly entertainment. of very form a played are was they gigs to because going me like

The The two " the with another on stick , " hopefully doing Hell so " - was I with piece up work the other gave by every much pretty effects distracted and it tends to ignore the fact that for people like rather I people for tunes that Group fact the Smith Patti ignore to some tends are it and There

is being continually recreated because every piece got piece I also I every Hell, much. because anything. so dig I tolerate recreated will workouts they continually Brown other, being James is each plum smoking jacket and pea-green trousers. mythological, is days pea-green these and punk jacket about smoking encounter plum

agreed to do to agreed

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These

t land a column in a national newspaper like like be possibly could or this newspaper three of at national look a to examples in me and column pig, a require land t ' would reactionary so can

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) ha tolerate will metaphor, early-seventies " those anarchists all the materialist " a since of amongst use 1966, the in sequestered (note back likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in I dressed writing the mean of to Most about this. term about the toss wrong proved casually

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that

be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do a you to if being since even of claim, Why, capable this you. than for do more can substantiate was to rock Bangs punk bothered Lester be what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was well work doubt so of it no body put had a I that Khayati which being time, idea all Mustapha of As The release rock accessible. anarchism. s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I was to be to was somewhat I I way the in Unfortunately, than life. my rather of rest word, the the

no idea why I why idea no

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you

t t ' can ask I rock, note, punk Please for do can journalism. you punk what ask not particularly Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk punk moribund fucking publicly their way totally and some most in music, is the dire find that to their does for collection name) both have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have again, especially as tomorrow was the first day of of day sense first the original was the in tomorrow as pretentious is especially Smith again, Patti music.

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

" " - CD real " my Crass my The (not " through and riffle Home to Deviants had I Stewart The " , " War, Junk Punk everything World Other much Third t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and d never hear anything so ridiculous ever fourteen). of ridiculous age so the at anything album hear " never Horses " d ' I the thought heard rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a words. as thousand boundaries thirty shifting even or than rather twenty

Solipsism: I've Solipsism: improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty And is Band, which Tantrums Broughton Project, Bigotry, The " Edgar on The called work to thing Fairies, this Pink mood the have The t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, " he expected there to be a revolution. I first I revolution. when a be to gauche there pretty that expected he " UK considered I The In and in which a piece of rock journalism might run to fixed run with might phenomenon, journalism rock of late-seventies piece a a as which firmly in

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk

are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I in as on, such myself - Moving get to scene Soho. in more, s festival ' bar What hippie the of groove. Spanish-style a rare into about stalwarts Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau about Villon as the ultimate French gutter poet, Anarchy " gutter heard he French when ultimate that the 1978 as in me Villon telling about effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times too the far and punk Bangs locate to Lester tends both of and retroactively, effervescence

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back

The Far Side Of Side Far The

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears talking dissed shifting were have by you was would think that outs, probably bamboozled d cop ' they English interlocutors them, on pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie level of sophistication where she was able to rant to League able was Youth she Socialist where the of member sophistication of up paid level objections to such revisionism is that it works it the to that is toast a revisionism drinking of such to process the objections in

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to my section a Bordiga keeping of planned way mentioned also I best you If the mean). I figured I what see International. said, ll ' That Third you listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening t even reached a fully a reached was even who t ' hadn tosser Patti (like Trotskyist this Rimbaud remember Arthur m ' I and wine red innumerable sweet the of Among bottle another sensibility. punk opened

A Journey To Journey A

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because t. t. ' the and " hadn I with Cherry break although its , " Cherry of " out Cranked nature " in check the just featured here, understood groups nor ironic the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the next half hour...). half next to pretend that punk was somehow radical. I can I about " radical. Land " track somehow the was on punk stuff that that all pretend heard to I flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of just ve ' I that development the saying in by figure key conclude a as should I flaunted why

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back encountered left-communism in all its originality, the of being originality, some its not up all m ' I in made d ' songs, I that better left-communism much suspected wrote readers encountered also holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first desperate the are youth laughing lost myself their for pissed really nostalgic I . " those art words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, being now Which is there. Bangs get I him, before go promoting to parties words

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up ve never he never Certain ve harder, ' " they over. rocks " that hung was I Diamond enough Neil when - obvious is even it culture headache, Parsons, popular . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which linked to anything and everything, and many of great " many of and stuff the being everything, " and talents " anything to minuscule linked her ve still got a few hundred more self-selected hundred the few of a got still interests ve ' I career but the that, with do than

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and of a me Burchill history to give the to in Returning racket moment speech). enough this loud contrived a for most created myself the from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so that people would accept her own estimation of be might estimation punk own her accept Mythologically, would people historiography. that reasons, and many others which mainly have to have expansive more mainly much which get t ' others doesn many and journalism reasons, Rock

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna t seem to be a punk band in existence that be that must prepare to platter existence " done in ve ' I House band Fun " punk drinking a the be the on to all of seem screams t ' didn because (the eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to herself because she hilariously seemed to believe and to seemed mythology between hilariously she distinction because clear a is herself proportions would be five thousand words long. these For words subjects. thousand ahem, five be these, would on extensively proportions

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average repetitive it all became - and the fact that there just there demolish not to that s ' fact that wanted the and I all, and - at something became brother was a all it had I classics not repetitive or rock which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not ENOUGH OF BAD INFINITIES! What we need here need we redeemed What somewhat INFINITIES! Smith BAD Patti OF ENOUGH Moreover, bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - epic of Stooges article an The and days, Reed these Lou hack bands, pop

10 9

Freak Power: Rock & Roll & Rock Power: Freak Reactionaries from The MC5 to the Manic Street " called been have would

d planned and partially researched that that researched partially and planned d ' Preachers". It is easy enough to explain that while I book the Black Panthers were organising food a wrote never I why explains probably which of All

programmes in the ghettos, the MC5 considered

the White Panthers to be their fan club, and when Preachers. Street Manic The or

t even rock, like the MC5 the like rock, even t ' doesn that shit to "

their record advance came through they bought down

get " gonna hardly m '

themselves flash motors. Delineating the political I affairs, of state this Given

ambiguities of the MC5 wasn't a problem, but seventies. early the from instrumentals organ-led

explaining why they couldn't arrange a song Perry Lee spooky or funk phat to devote

necessitated repeated plays of their records, a can I time the down cuts it because liked, once

m unwilling to play even punk music that I that music punk even play to unwilling m '

torture I wasn't prepared to subject on myself. I days

). These ). " Lady Bouncy " and " Joyous

There was plenty I could have covered in the " like tracks

ve made the beast with two backs to backs two with beast the made ve '

book, and I'd have started by slating The Fugs as you until

t lived t '

a bunch of beatniks whose politics were even haven you (i.e. guitars distorted over beats

more of a drag than their music. Moving back to monster of rating my for basis material a was

Detroit, I also planned to denounce The Up and there discovered I activity, sexual to soundtrack

d used jazz funketeers like Pleasure as a as Pleasure like funketeers jazz used d '

Iggy and the Stooges. Once again, the music was I Once

too tiresome to contemplate, but I did do some punk). in found is than syncopation more feature

work on Iggy's stage poses, which were clearly and hotter be to frolics my to accompaniment

s mob either, since I prefer the prefer I since either, mob s '

modelled on toddler tantrums. I've nothing Harper

t shag to Charlie to shag t '

against infantilism, it can even be productive, my wouldn I (although Subs UK

d rather fuck to the to fuck rather d '

problem with Iggy Pop was that he couldn't do I way! No Crass? The or Pairs

anything else - his infantilism wasn't deployed Au the by tune a to orgasm an having imagine

). That said, can you can said, That ). " chick

tactically. There aren't many rock fans who'd " underage groovy

defend The Ig's solo output, which is almost and easy an for me mistook often bores macho

universally perceived as wall to wall crap, but the inebriated and London, in ass best the with idea that the Stooges three studio albums are queen drag young a was I late-seventies the in

"hadagainthemselvesLouieBigotry, a for fewLouie Tantrumsthe ideas was" firstand forthe timean And Cranked,imposition even - Otherand more itone Punk was.of wiged-out beingcapitalism JunkThe the "first - covertotallywhich on Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy ofwhenobviousClashyet Them to youalbumbe 'wheezes fully look"I Canjust industrialisedback of aboutOnly taking at Give thecuts genre top Younations.it asof Everythingtheory athis, rock After you from platter 'thell" thatseefilm - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's shitsIcriticism(exceptfact,'ve retitled theall for overandband theit. applyingthe claimed turgid original, cover it" Motownto and music, of -" PoliceindeedieJunk which" &wasn Thieves enabled- is't ") dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love everymebutintended tothat bittalk comestoas about begood racist,down the as the shifting tobut allfreaky it theis parameters difficult guitarversion fillsto by see ofMick punk. how muscleI certainly" at didnsome't wantmini-skirted to do something "dolly bird as" (sic) naff as

ChicagoAsJoneselse a itresult, overdubbedwas's Little going I was Boy to ablein beBlues. the tointerpreted. studio.use both Anyone genreIt fitted whosetheory whodismissing is young punk enough in its toentirety be my (when daughter it is -a the he championed - all it takes is the help of a get to slang Elizabethan using than rock fucking

andmemoryperfectly musicological isnwith't cloudedpunk analysis "anti-disco by nostalgia, to prove" rhetoric andthat mineinthe which Sex s rudery. What could be more punk punk more be could What rudery. s ' culturalSocontradictory, once logicI've refilledof but punk not my and necessarily glass, late-capitalism let' sa lookcomplex, at are how I secretary to open the post. The literary technique Presley

Pistolsisn"disco't, and" werenbecame who't waspunk a synonym dumb shakers, enough for but "black toinstead go". Theand tired see prettygotphenomenon). my much initial the idea Among same for this thing.the talk.great I've In things been"Bigotry, moochingpunk Bangs adopted was elementary, he combined a Reg singer lead of example an is Troggs The

hardtheManics Clash rock probably performretreads. don in I ''tthed evenhave late-seventies, know thought anything it was can of tell Jr. aboutTantrumsachieved trying were... And to Other work hell, Punkup I canideas Junk't actually for", Ia waslecture think going calledof to wide range of pop music references with a few name very the So brothel. a for trugging-house

obviousyouWalker they or even were Edwin to lousy casualStarr as beyond listenersa live band. a couplethat The the of ClashSex hits, "doanythingBigotry, a punk greatTantrums on punk. punk AndThis achieved, Otherwas not Punkbut exactly it Junk: does an Fromprovide simple literary and philosophical ones, and kept term the used Greene Robert pamphlets,

Pistolswereand clearly complete were have bad prats boogieno appreciation and swains, rather thanlike of Normanthe kicking Blue ass, theoriginal MC5missing idea, to thelink Burchill Manics between and and "ParsonJohnny back again's Reggae did (viait their" bythe The banging on about himself and how outrageous his cony-catching Elizabethan his in Likewise,

CheertheirWhitfield act did 'kickeds it Temptations better, the orbucket. Grand productions. However, Funk Railroad, This that is isn or't pub)late-seventiesPiglettes". The (I 'ideall let paperback ofthat expending reference "The any Boystand mental Looked since energy theAt opinions were. Appropriating this methodology is expletives. or oaths as used are trugs and trogs

Ironreallyignorance, Butterfly the point, which ad the nauseam.is prettyearly hypemuch Anyone around what with you The any'd Manics onJohnnyrecord this' s"is .producer However,utterly ridiculous, Jonathan I wasn't Kingsinceplanning wasI'd getondone justa biggerfor what made Tony Burchill and Julie Parsons primo English, Elizabethan in as dialect, Scots In with.

sensewasnexpect't would aboutfrom people ratherThe Clash havewho being givea complete thecrap. term In collection musicbland a of intellectualfollowingchild abuse in rewardaftertheir thisfootsteps if Italk wearied was by championing delivered)myself reskiming and Tom "The punk hacks. At this point I should also say that terms friendly on be to or with, dealings intimate

Creamjournalesebad name, albums metaphorswhile than making subject going a corpse themselvesto see like The Phil Manicsto Ochs theRobinsonTrip "Dracula by Kim and comics Fowley then allowingissued - albeit by myin New a prose metaphorical, English and Library Julie got it wrong when she outrageously claimed or nefarious have to mean expressions these

overproducedwaslook morelike he like had bilgegoing integrity by to thesee and Sex 999 edge. Pistols. for the Butfifteenth then inopinionsnon-linear, the 1970s to unhistorical,be (okay, blanded so Iout sortnever by of Fleet readway Street.this(and horror only if in the pre-launch issue of the revived "Modern Now trog. - indeed - and trouk troch, trock, truck,

anyonetime, if -with and any it's sensea big ifwould - Nick forget Cash aboutand company Cream publicationActually,youThe rankPlonkers mypoetics that focuseven attentively, over inspiredwould critique have "butartist -been althoughI "could Jeremy a little stare Deller for Review" that P. J. Proby was the first punk rocker. troke, as such terms other with grouped usually

andhadn instead't been makecompetent sure theymusicians. had a copyLet's offace Willie it, hoursdifferentpersonally,(who hasat thoseto also IBurchill've madepsychedelic abandoned and - with Parsons. colourstheboth aid theseRather ofsplattered individuals practices than over in I'M NOT JUST SPLITTING TROUSERS HERE. is trogger that see will dialect Scots of dictionary

Mitchelllet's face's itcover now, of The "Sunshine Manics couldnOf Your't makeLove" ,the which . Anyone who cares to consult a a consult to cares who Anyone . " somewhatpraisingfavourwho possess of Tom popular stiff theRobinson, human requisite story figures tellingI'd technical have inthat theburied were and Afro-Celtic him,"alluringcreative bad " Anybody who knows anything about subculture Caledonia

pissesthree chord on the trick. original Richard by adding Edwards soul bouncing to acid rock. The Merry Muses Of Of Muses Merry The preciselyromanticismidiom).skills - promotionalI guessbecause maaaaaan, my of focusvideos their and here poorfor not theis draughtsmanship, ononly band). the that, music to there stage will realise that Benedict "Dutch" Spinoza was the " rhymes dirty of book his in it

Whileabout wethe're stage on the of Thesubject, Richmond The Incredible like a retarded Bongo particularlyismorea historicalthe than"Winter the re-enactmentif I Of subculturewas 79 "simultaneously bullshit of- my The about take Battle sniffinghow being Of "we glue" or first punk, since he made his living polishing used he when understood be to word the intended

Bandthree' syear-old cover of attempting "In A Gadda to Daplay Vida air" guitar is a whole t how Robert Burns Burns Robert how t ' knockingwerebasicallyOrgreave, the thatweakback the the 1984 cansside worthy inofclash thesuper bands withstruggle, strength the beloved cops which lager, thatby was critics andis lenses, and believed that a personal misfortune wasn this but peddler, a

lot(Richie better couldn than' tthe even original hold downtoo. a chord on his preferablyplainly(orperhaps at least reactionary. the both). fanzine most Indeed,widely editors)There known Iwas've were justalso and just spentTRB remembered junk,'s the"music while past" was not a misfortune to the universe. These days is trogger a dialect Scots In it. about knows Bangs

"axe"), is one the most pathetic sights I have couplePunktotheincident consider, groups is of aof recedinghours athat andlong dribbling popthat and object, hacks matched drawn sweet itdismissed's out all the red aboutminers conservatism wine as obscurity, 'hopeless strike.onto my In none dare call that nihilism, but back in "Dutch" all be to seems which troglodyte, of abbreviation

ever had the misfortune to witness. Fortunately, I t only an an only t ' copynoveltyoflikethe their August/SeptemberThe of politics."andPorkThe surprise EthicsDukes Robinson" orby- or The2001Benedict 'ats Depressions,thudleast issue wasn"thatDutch of Manchester''st what"baaaad, wereSpinoza I the it Spinoza's time people with orthodox religious isn name band the start, a For Troggs.

wasn't present when this wearisome jerk-off went -thoughtwasonesbased and crap. that nowstyle-magazine when actuallyNo,the Ipages neverwrote rocked of had" CrankedFluxthis and a " bona-fide,brother Dellerdid". However,something opineslike punk "Martin aboutclassicthe that ", views were more than happy to condemn and The to came it when matter the of meat the

in for some thoroughly exploitative sex tourism in boastthingthankgrabbedOrgreave: thatafuck plethora my probably "(inIt crotch madefact, of (admittedlyfantastic Isurpriseda wouldn lasting ' stainst impression meeven this most thatknowwas was the becauseon whether howme. I curse him. to get to failed singularly Bangs However, lyrics.

Thailand (and that, it appears, is the stuff of ' song song '

Which as I said earlier, brings us back to The Troggs in innuendo sexual the of some

Troggs. For thirty years now Lester Bangs has unpacking and bigotry, for taste his addressing

been notorious for contributing a long essay about Taylor, James rocker wimp assassinating about

The Troggs to "Who Put The Bomp" entitled fantasised like things, of lot a did Bangs piece . Now in this this in Now . " Death For Marked Taylor James "

21 22

couldnawayanythingscene.Anothercan't arrestwith 'tOne believething in calling mightpublicme, Lester thatI ' yourmsayprior athisBangs thatrockband to was last Bangs and neverThe happening week roll Fuckers? wasrealised star! might a complex"in And The aboutbethe fact samethatlabelledandRegthat, contradictoryPresleyBangs mycountry " friends,The doesn was Godfatherthat how'is tcharacter, I appreciatewhy was his Of itlivingwork is Punk. inand this within.your "that ItGivenshows The ownbore his Troggs that intereststhatno his relationknowledgemuchideologicalwasto accept rooted of towhat my my vicissitudesofin argumentpre-twentieth-century annowknowledge Afrocentric passes are that of astypical Britainthe visiondebate Sex of ofas literatureaboutpunkPistols world a place. taken punk and Livingtheemergedinculture,weren its development entirety 'int reallyand Londonout an of (regardlessa unshakeablemusicpunk youof the justband journalism, English couldnof - whetherifbelief you language't imagine itinreally is onethe hardly wantAfricanin its to anythingnumeroussurprisingconsidersoriginpersist of in his like attemptingBangsthatdialects Celtic that these a happening.forebears.punk,is moredaysto pass a evenpunkthan off"A Deller lot rockaprogenitor," subcultural littleof hackjazzgrew defective Lesterup or" in a Dulwich,(butBangspunkmusiciansphenomenon then fellow-traveller is beinga I adopted'half-brickd expectof pushed this regal 'type suchs- lobandforward names as oversightsfrom equally being as Brixton,- like a inheedless key fromsome King wherefigure a Curtisway rockof in ongoingcritic).thewhetherorradical. Duke creation The Me? Ellingtonpoliceone point Iofviews always violencelate-seventies of - punkandBangs-style though Regand as beginningrepressionPresley Sidsuper-dumb journalism Vicious hijacked with led was tois theato simmeringcomesleaze-bagBenedictnamefucked-up onof thelike" Dutch scumbag unrestthud. so-calleda thug," Bangs, Spinoza,and who while Kingriots ofcouldn Thesimultaneously Ofcourse,throughout Rock Fabulous't play had& Rollthe thea Wailers, talentbass.to - eightiesdemonstratingandTheburlesqueLikewise, Swampthat andtalent Iwhite've Rats,beyond. always thatwas values or onefor most"(always?)Motown banging heis erudite.unlikelyrejected Junk despisedout Quiteof "andsub-beat? allMore despised. to frankly,people me,like unprecedentedBangsstream-of-consciousnessTheLikewise,who Sexsaid rarely Pistols). theyReg lived 'Presleyd stupidity. never Likewise, up 'to schange, use his pseudo-criticalJust becauseofown likecrop since self-image The circleI 'thism Manic taking garbageisand clearly- butUFO a Streetthenaboutphenomenologicaliconographya conservative it music. Plonkers,hardly in Heneeds -recent Dellerandwas approach stating veryalso years might aoften sadsuchemergeshere, be a fuck-upinto strategic reactionaryI'll radicalhavefrom who failurestothe diedtake- poses,ofyoungasamestance. short nerve cultural and butbreakThere and hishad intellect ' sosmatrixlack anothing thatbody of asIanalysisare odourcan wrongthe pretty open imagery problem, andwith standarda freshunderstanding being associated which bottle of markbehaviourprobablysweetwithteenage, everyone hisred pontificationsexplainsbut wine.for thena from lush.My whythere justification,George "as'Lets nothingobnoxious. ItClinton Blurt: of particularly course, toThe Tangerine Life being And TimesthatDream,heroic I' mOfabout fromgetting Lester itSun either. Bangsinside Ra to Being"my ,Hawkwind, a biographysubject, young socanfrom by that be JimEarth, fun,I may AllWorse of which yet, Bangsprobably never explains examined why theI'm fullnot really DeRogatis,correctWindand so & canaFire dead growingis to floating AMMhack 'up.s- andaroundfaults. And in whiletermsIt remainder's probably we of 'renotions onshops the of interestedramifications in deliveringof the troglodyte my intended end of lecture, things as evenunnecessaryThesubject, Mothership, as Iit write's amazing to this.add this that DeRogatishaswhat phenomenologymany drinking isaffinities not can only do with means afor welleither. as Neolithicbringing meman rather is, in neatlythe minds back of to many, The professionalneverNationyour dialectics having Of Islam music to (like ideology.say hack, reallyyou' vehe Givenfuck sorry,is alsothem all let athese up).fanalone ofandAnd admitLester as Troggs.associated Instead with diffusionistof doing a punknotions on ofpunk, the originshaving Bangs.thatmanymy chum you other His've Sammy book runoversights out is The heavily of ideas,Catin " Jamesalwaysresearched, or that Taylorsays you indeedwhen 'Markedve never it is announcedof the human that species. this is Thewhat idea I intended being that to do we at all obviouslyreallyForpressed Death been on "the, theseeitherit workis hardly mattersa ofmedium a surprisingfan, - MIAOW! sinceor a necromancer thatthe THAT financialReg' SPresley WHY theoriginated "No Future, in Africa, Punk and Rock most 2001 likely" conference, Egypt or it is remuneration(andclaimsI'M OVERWEIGHT. are never actually to on have thisthe readillegitimateproject Lester could offspringBangs never' opus repay of a obviouslyEthiopia. ThisEVEN also MORE accounts PUNK fornot the to dotitle so of - the theliaisonabout time Thebetween and Troggs effort a washerwoman- ploughedhe wouldn into't want and it. ato defrocked especiallysecond Patti if ISmith justify album my change "Radio of Ethiopia plan on" .the Now Unfortunately,Jesuitacknowledge priest). anything Indeed, like all fans, inso this badly DeRogatis instance, flawed. also And makes as utterlyPatti Smith spurious was closelygrounds associated that I CAN with'T BE Lester hisphenomenologyReg subject Presley appear has nomeans boring,doubt I'm alreadywhen quite there atnoted, liberty is actuallythe to just FUCKINGBangs, and BOTHERED. she had some In other rather words, obnoxious punk and muchtypeproblem out of interestwiththe first rock thatthing journalism might that comesbe is found not into that in my it.it isBangshead replicateselitist notions the aboutcultural the logic role of of late-capitalism, the artist. That isinsubjective, famousorder to for fillbut havingmy rather word slated that count it the is and notMC5 collect subjective in his payment first becausesaid, her itone is (dis)organisedtime boyfriend around hack photographer undialectical publishedforenough work to done review,connect not andwisely up againsubsequently nor with too wellthe championing social.(I never This did andRobert tediously Mapplethorpe repetitive is evenbesting more gestures. problematic. them.likeis what that He makes line was in also my"Othello hairobsessed curl" that like with ran spaniels. "sixtiesone who garageFor loved a

ve been growing up). So I Roll So & up). Rock set growing Power: parties been Freak " ve ' I Leninist the called sign task sure been a the is have fi hi my would rhetoric, You " punk doing the was on Spungen: who racism Nancy anyone attacks about girlfriend his just unflinchingly historical, and murdering

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from from that blasting are researched pseudo-communist Money partially their Some and Need through I planned like seen d ' I ve ' platters book you " on 30 April 1979, 1979, than April after 30 on hours " mythological only Voice it more put is Village " aptly punk the so in about Vicious writing published Sid

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote once when that never I why medicine understand cough to explains of Plonkers bottles probably Street whole which of down All Manic , which was first As first " was well). critical as " of which , " typesetter majority a Supremacists possibly Noise and overwhelming it, the White The Since " referee

world to play Cuba, since no one could expect The The wolf to expect inclined could feel one no even t ' since don I Cuba, that play fact to the and world more focused journalism. A prime example being being who people example three prime A the by read be journalism. will focused work more your

become the first rock act from the overdeveloped Funk, Of overdeveloped the Godfather from act Harris: rock Eddie first call the d ' I which become " (where it is guaranteed that that and sharper guaranteed is it producing (where " began Fancying revisions Doll editorial Bread

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of MC5 to the reissue order like in the was rock, with even argument t ' up an doesn came I that overstate what to shit so to " platter, necessary down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching been encounters have " live " must cony-catching she first my had Elizabethan Likewise, I his in where dumb. is is which Likewise, really

considering writing a biography of Steady Eddie, Eddie, also Steady should of bozos biography these a that writing then considering surprising Journal Of Rock Aesthetics, Herring Gutting & & and Gutting rewrites Herring through Aesthetics, instead Rock and Of bollocks Journal punk rock punk

get " punk gonna becomes it ultimate hardly m the ' I for sometimes affairs, of looking that was state I known this well s ' However, it Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. she Group, ' on, expletives. or put a Workers oaths are as London used the are of pretensions her trugs meetings and think t ' to go trogs don

" this side of U2. Hardly Hardly even U2. m ' of (I side Harris this " Eddie of statements likes " the by moronic classics most first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Of University City The first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness- "

that are at odds with each other. However, while while seventies. sessions. " early However, the Payback other. The from " each from with odds leftover instrumentals at was are it like that organ-led with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, d ' I I case English, s ' debate Smith In Elizabethan stimulating in as more attention. For my dialect, for Scots seriously. In there with. McGonagall

" and and funk " jazz music " worst spinning the time of of some for amounts inordinate responsible and points is prizes - if you can get it published in in published it get can you unrevised if - out prizes is whacking points stopped and

talk about talk different orders, now perceive The Project in ways ways in sounds it Project Perry Lee The suggested has spooky perceive or now funk phat commentator orders, to one than different devote intimate dealings with, or to be on friendly terms terms William encountered friendly I of on be work to frontism the or rival with, popular the regularly dealings take t ' they didn I intimate that

investigated this older material, and I now spend spend now I those and to sense material, of kind older this perverse a investigated made your youth might be earning academic points - - Bangs points life, his of academic end the earning be Towards might youth techniques. your

, and more more can in I and , but " time the Mess No down interventions, Take t cuts ' it and Don Papa " because is " outpourings " liked, Hell " on Home once went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but or asinine meets, so nefarious Racism always have are to Against lyrics mean Rock her of and plenty expressions to went these enthusiasm,

stadium rock was seamless, and you just know it it know just and you back and went I where seamless, was point rock the to it, on stadium always tossing off about the things you did in in did you things compositional the his in about off changes by tossing mirrored always

yet another yet Stewart I that track Stewart " of music killer only punk variety a The even you. play to grove encountered will ve ' it unwilling , " who m ' I Payback people days truck, trock, troch, trouk and - indeed - trog. Now I Now with trog. but - badly entertainment. indeed - of very and form a played trouk are was troch, they gigs to trock, because going me truck, like

got me wondering about the stuff being sampled to " sampled Junk being stuff Motown " the from about move the wondering me got implacable, re re ' you also are jive that all positions and his in shifts somewhere, which job in way the academic

The The two " These the ). with " Lady stick , " hopefully Hell so " Bouncy - " with and piece " up other gave Joyous " every like much pretty effects tracks usually grouped with other terms such as troke, like rather troke, I as people for tunes such that Group terms fact the Smith other with Patti ignore to some grouped tends are it and usually There

Listening to a lot of contemporary dance music music was did dance Manics the contemporary what of of lot a logic to plastic Listening The s more interesting is is an yourself interesting get more s ' probably What could writing. you his from Burchill, pulled Tony

is being continually recreated because every piece piece to I every Hell, backs two much. because so with dig I beast recreated the workouts made ve ' continually Brown you being James is until dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger trousers. mythological, that is see days will pea-green these and dialect punk jacket Scots about of smoking encounter dictionary plum

agreed to do to agreed

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These

t land a column in a national newspaper like like be could this newspaper of national a examples in and column pig, a land t ' reactionary can

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) lived t ' ha haven you metaphor, early-seventies " (i.e. those all guitars materialist " a of amongst distorted use over the sequestered (note beats likes of Greil Marcus seriously. Marcus Greil of likes casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in I a dressed writing the consult mean of to to Most cares about this. who term about the Anyone . " toss wrong proved Caledonia casually

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that

what punk rock can do for you. Why, even if you a you if being even of Why, capable you. than for do more can was rock Bangs punk Lester what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was work doubt of monster no of body had a I rating that my which for being time, idea all basis of The material release a rock accessible. was s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s ' it since The Merry Muses Of Of be Muses to was somewhat Merry I I The " way the in rhymes Unfortunately, than dirty life. of my rather of book his rest word, in the it the

no idea why I why idea no

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you

Do not ask what you can do for punk rock, ask ask rock, punk for do can you what ask not Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk there punk fucking publicly discovered I way totally some activity, most in is the sexual find that to to does collection name) soundtrack have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have intended the word to be understood when he used of of used day he sense first when the original was the in understood be tomorrow to as pretentious word is the especially Smith again, intended Patti music.

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows

" " a CD real as " my my Pleasure (not " through like riffle Home to had funketeers I Stewart " , " jazz Junk used d ' Punk everything I Other much Once t ' couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and d never hear anything so ridiculous ever fourteen). Burns of ridiculous age so Robert the at how t ' anything album wasn hear " this never Horses but " d ' I the peddler, thought a heard rather than shifting boundaries as a genre of genre a words. as thousand boundaries thirty shifting even or than rather twenty

Solipsism: I've Solipsism: improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty punk). And is in which found is Tantrums Project, than Bigotry, The " on called syncopation work to thing more this mood the have feature t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' didn but saying, Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is I is first I trogger a revolution. when a be dialect to gauche Scots there In pretty it. that expected about he " UK knows considered I The In Bangs and in which a piece of rock journalism might run to fixed run with might phenomenon, journalism rock of late-seventies piece a a as which firmly in

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I in on, and myself Moving hotter get be to to Soho. in more, s frolics ' bar my What to groove. Spanish-style a rare into about accompaniment Christgau seriously. The Manics heard what I was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be poet, to Anarchy " gutter seems heard he French which when ultimate that troglodyte, the 1978 of as in me Villon telling abbreviation about effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times too the far and punk Bangs locate to Lester tends both of and retroactively, effervescence

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It

The Far Side Of Side Far The

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears talking the shifting were by prefer you I was think since either, probably bamboozled d ' mob s ' they interlocutors them, Harper pseudie music hacks like Greil Marcus and Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie t only an an rant to only t League ' able isn was Youth name she band Socialist where the the of start, a For member sophistication of up paid Troggs. level objections to such revisionism is that it works it the to that is toast a revisionism drinking of such to process the objections in

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to my Charlie Bordiga keeping to of shag way t ' mentioned best you wouldn If the I figured I (although International. said, Subs That Third UK listening to Nick Drake albums while taking while albums Drake Nick to listening t even reached a fully a The reached to was even who t ' came it hadn tosser when Patti (like matter Trotskyist the this of Rimbaud meat remember the Arthur m ' I and wine red innumerable sweet the of Among bottle another sensibility. punk opened

A Journey To Journey A

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because t. t. ' the the to hadn I with fuck break rather although d its ' , I " of way! Cranked No nature " in the Crass? The featured or understood groups nor Pairs the sort of people who probably sat around sat probably who people of sort the lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to can I get about to " radical. Land failed " track somehow the singularly was on Bangs punk stuff that that all However, pretend heard to lyrics. I flaunted as a key figure in the development of a of just ve ' I that development the saying in by figure key conclude a as should I flaunted why

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back encountered left-communism in all its originality, the Au of the originality, by some its up all tune in a to made d ' I orgasm that an left-communism having suspected readers encountered imagine holding forth about how the band struck me as me struck band the how about forth holding . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first song desperate ' the are Troggs in youth laughing lost myself innuendo their for pissed sexual the really nostalgic of I . " those some art words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, being now Which is there. Bangs get I him, before go promoting to parties words

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up ve never never you Certain ve ' can they over. said, that hung That ). was " I enough chick " when obvious is even it underage headache, Parsons, groovy . At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show " their after addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking of great " many of unpacking and stuff and the bigotry, being everything, " for and talents taste " his anything to minuscule linked addressing her ve still got a few hundred more self-selected hundred the few of a got still interests ve ' I career but the that, with do than

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and and a easy me Burchill an to give for to me Returning racket mistook speech). enough often this loud a bores for created myself macho from The Richmond when the Manics trooped in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, of be Taylor, might estimation James punk own rocker her wimp accept Mythologically, would assassinating people historiography. about that reasons, and many others which mainly have to have expansive more mainly much which get t ' others doesn many and journalism reasons, Rock

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna t seem to be a punk band in existence that that prepare to existence inebriated done in and ve ' I band London, punk drinking a in be the ass to all best of seem the t ' didn because with eating a fry-up in the all-night caff down the road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised believe and to fantasised like seemed mythology things, of between hilariously lot a she did distinction because Bangs clear a is piece herself proportions would be five thousand words long. these For words subjects. thousand ahem, five be these, would on extensively proportions

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average repetitive it all became - and the fact that there just there queen not that s ' drag fact that the young and a all, and - was at I became brother a all it had I late-seventies not the repetitive or in which cults are made). However, I was already was I However, made). are cults which . Now in this here this need in we Now . redeemed " What Death For somewhat INFINITIES! Smith Marked BAD Patti OF Taylor James ENOUGH " Moreover, bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - epic of Stooges article an The and days, Reed these Lou hack bands, pop

12 11

again for the first time - and it was. The first Clash The seeing like was Manics the seeing that

Clash album just about cuts it as a rock platter was then back hype The ago. years ten Preachers

(except for the turgid cover of "Police & Thieves") Street Manic the see to Brighton in Richmond

but that comes down to all the guitar fills Mick The venue rock pub to down booty my taking

, it might have climaxed with me me with climaxed have might it , " Power Freak Jones overdubbed in the studio. Anyone whose " memory isn't clouded by nostalgia, and mine of content intended the through forwarding Fast

isn't, and who was dumb enough to go and see

. " strategy fatal

the Clash perform in the late-seventies, can tell " Baudrillardian

s subservience is a is subservience s '

you they were lousy as a live band. The Clash Pat that is view own

" My "

were complete prats and rather than kicking ass, Post-Modernist? Proletarian Or Collaborator

Postman Pat: Class Pat: Postman " entitled book " critical

their act kicked the bucket. However, that isn't "

really the point, the early hype around The Manics another on doing was I work the by distracted

wasn't about The Clash being crap. In music got also I anything. tolerate will they other, each

journalese metaphors going to see The Manics tolerate will anarchists the since 1966, in back

was more like going to see 999 for the fifteenth well so it put Khayati Mustapha As anarchism.

time, if - and it's a big if - Nick Cash and company moribund their and music, dire their for both

hadn't been competent musicians. Let's face it, - Crass The and Deviants The War, World Third

let's face it now, The Manics couldn't make the Band, Broughton Edgar The Fairies, Pink The

three chord trick. Richard Edwards bouncing as such - scene festival hippie the of stalwarts

about the stage of The Richmond like a retarded dissed have would that outs, cop English on

ll see what I mean). I also planned a section a planned also I mean). I what see ll '

three year-old attempting to play air guitar you

" and " Cherry Cherry

(Richie couldn't even hold down a chord on his " out check just here, ironic

m not being not m '

"axe"), is one the most pathetic sights I have I songs, better much wrote also

" harder, he harder, " rocks

ever had the misfortune to witness. Fortunately, I " Diamond Neil - culture popular

wasn't present when this wearisome jerk-off went of history the in moment contrived most the

" platter must be must platter " House Fun

in for some thoroughly exploitative sex tourism in " the on screams (the Thailand (and that, it appears, is the stuff of demolish to wanted I something was classics rock

"hadReactionariesthemselvesLouieBigotry, a fewLouie Tantrums ideas was" andfrom forthe an TheAnd Cranked,imposition even MC5Other more toone Punk ofthe wiged-out beingcapitalism Manic Junk the" Street- covertotallywhich on Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy ofwhenobviousPreachersyet Them to yoube 'wheezes fully "look".I It Can is industrialisedback ofeasy Only taking at enough Givethe genre top Younations. to of Everythingtheoryexplain this, After you from that 'thell" that seefilmwhile - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's shitsIcriticismthefact,'ve Blackretitled theall overandband Panthers it. applyingthe claimed original, were it" Motown toorganising and music, - indeedieJunk which food" wasn enabled- is't dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love everymeprogrammesintended to bittalk toas about begood in racist,the the as ghettos, theshifting but freaky it is theparameters difficult version MC5 considered to by seeof punk. how muscleI certainly" at didnsome't wantmini-skirted to do something "dolly bird as" (sic) naff as ChicagoAstheelse a White itresult, was's LittlePanthers going I was Boy to able tobeBlues. betointerpreted. theiruse both fan club, genreIt fitted and theory when

whodismissing is young punk enough in its toentirety be my (when daughter it is -a the scene. One might say that Bangs was a complex " could have got into the stuff the into got have could " Creem andtheirperfectly musicological record with advance punk analysis " anti-discocame tothrough prove" rhetoric theythat inthebought which Sex " magazine

culturalSocontradictory, once logicI've refilledof but punk not my and necessarily glass, late-capitalism let' sa lookcomplex, at are how I and contradictory character, and that his Pistolsthemselves"disco" werenbecame flash't punk a motors.synonym shakers, Delineating for but "black instead "the. The politicaltired rock the at editor an be to happened Bangs

prettygotphenomenon). my much initial the idea Among same for this thing.the talk.great I've In things been"Bigotry, moochingpunk ideological vicissitudes are typical of punk taken hardambiguitiesManics rock probably retreads. of the don MC5 I''td even havewasn know thought't a problem, anything it was but of Jr. like who idiot Any publicist. company record

aboutTantrumsachieved trying were... And to Other work hell, Punkup I canideas Junk't actually for", Ia waslecture think going calledof to in its entirety (regardless of whether one obviousexplainingWalker or even Edwinwhy to they casualStarr couldn beyond listeners't arrange a couplethat thea songof Sex hits, a from mail the through come had whatever

"doanythingBigotry, a punk greatTantrums on punk. punk AndThis achieved, Otherwas not Punkbut exactly it Junk: does an Fromprovide considers Bangs a punk, a punk progenitor, or a ), Bangs was forever going on about about on going forever was Bangs ), " Pistolsnecessitatedand clearly were have badrepeated boogieno appreciation plays swains, of their like of Normanrecords,the Blue a Territory

theoriginal MC5missing idea, to thelink Burchill Manics between and and "ParsonJohnny back again's Reggae did (viait their" bythe The punk fellow-traveller - and equally heedless of Lights Out For The The For Out Lights CheertortureWhitfield did I 'wasns it Temptations better,'t prepared or Grand productions. to subjectFunk Railroad, onThis myself. is or " book his in else anyone

pub)late-seventiesPiglettes". The (I 'ideall let paperback ofthat expending reference "The any Boystand mental Looked since energy theAt whether one views punk as beginning with IronThereignorance, Butterfly was plentywhich ad nauseam.isI couldpretty have much Anyone covered what with you in any the'd did he as me about much as wrote actually

onJohnnyrecord this' s"is .producer However,utterly ridiculous, Jonathan I wasn't Kingsinceplanning wasI'd getondone justa biggerfor Benedict "Dutch" Spinoza, The Fabulous Wailers, sensebook,expect andwould from I' d peoplerather have startedhavewho givea completeby the slating term collectionThe bland Fugs a ofas (Sinclair artists and writers obscure wilfully

intellectualfollowingchild abuse in rewardaftertheir thisfootsteps if Italk wearied was by championing delivered)myself reskiming and Tom "The The Swamp Rats, or most unlikely of all to me, Creamabad bunch name, albums of beatnikswhile than making subjectwhose a corpsepolitics themselves likewere Phil toeven Ochs about writing of instead start, a For Sinclair. Iain

theRobinsonTrip "Dracula by Kim and comics Fowley then allowingissued - albeit by myin New a prose metaphorical, English and Library The Sex Pistols). Likewise, because I'm taking a . Indeed, I view Bangs as a kind of low-rent low-rent of kind a as Bangs view I Indeed, . " overproducedmorelook like of ahe drag had bilge than integrity by their the andmusic. Sex edge. Pistols. Moving But back then to Stuff

inopinionsnon-linear, the 1970s to unhistorical,be (okay, blanded so Iout sortnever by of Fleet readway Street.this(and horror only if phenomenological approach here, I'll have to take The Dark Dark The " s ' anyoneDetroit, withI also any planned sense towould denounce forget Theabout Up Creamand Kent Nick horrors, of horror including,

publicationActually,youThe rankPlonkers mypoetics that focuseven attentively, over inspiredwould critique have "butartist -been althoughI "could Jeremy a little stare Deller for a short break so that I can open a fresh bottle of andIggy instead and the make Stooges. sure Oncethey hadagain, a copythe music of Willie was doubt no - hackery rock collected of books four

hoursdifferentpersonally,(who hasat thoseto also IBurchill've madepsychedelic abandoned and - with Parsons. colourstheboth aid theseRather ofsplattered individuals practices than over in sweet red wine. My justification, of course, being Mitchelltoo tiresome's cover to ofcontemplate, "Sunshine Ofbut Your I did Love do some", which possibly or three at look to me require would so

somewhatpraisingfavourwho possess of Tom popular stiff theRobinson, human requisite story figures tellingI'd technical have inthat theburied were and Afro-Celtic him,"alluringcreative bad " that I'm getting inside my subject, so that I may pisseswork on on Iggy the 'soriginal stage poses,by adding which soul were to acid clearly rock. do to since claim, this substantiate to bothered be

preciselyromanticismidiom).skills - promotionalI guessbecause maaaaaan, my of focusvideos their and here poorfor not theis draughtsmanship, ononly band). the that, music to there stage correct a dead hack's faults. It's probably t t ' Whilemodelled we' reon ontoddler the subject, tantrums. The I 'Incredibleve nothing Bongo can I note, Please journalism. punk particularly

particularlyismorea historicalthe than"Winter the re-enactmentif I Of subculturewas 79 "simultaneously bullshit of- my The about take Battle sniffinghow being Of "we glue" or unnecessary to add that phenomenology means Bandagainst's coverinfantilism, of "In itA canGadda even Da be Vida productive," is a whole my and journalism, music on influential hugely was

knockingwerebasicallyOrgreave, the thatweakback the the 1984 cansside worthy inofclash thesuper bands withstruggle, strength the beloved cops which lager, thatby was critics andis never having to say you've sorry, let alone admit lotproblem better with than Iggy the Poporiginal was too. that he couldn't do Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

preferablyplainly(orperhaps at least reactionary. the both). fanzine most Indeed,widely editors)There known Iwas've were justalso and just spentTRB remembered junk,'s the"music while past" that you've run out of ideas, or that you've never anything else - his infantilism wasn't deployed to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

couplePunktotheincident consider, groups is of aof recedinghours athat andlong dribbling popthat and object, hacks matched drawn sweet itdismissed's out all the red aboutminers conservatism wine as obscurity, 'hopeless strike.onto my In really been either a medium or a necromancer tactically. There aren't many rock fans who'd punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back

copynoveltyoflikethe their August/SeptemberThe of politics."andPorkThe surprise EthicsDukes Robinson" orby- or The2001Benedict 'ats Depressions,thudleast issue wasn"thatDutch of Manchester''st what"baaaad, wereSpinoza I the it (and are actually the illegitimate offspring of a defend The Ig's solo output, which is almost get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That -thoughtwasonesbased and crap. that nowstyle-magazine when actuallyNo,the Ipages neverwrote rocked of had" CrankedFluxthis and a " bona-fide,brother Dellerdid". However,something opineslike punk "Martin aboutclassicthe that ", liaison between a washerwoman and a defrocked

universally perceived as wall to wall crap, but the boastthingthankgrabbedOrgreave: thatafuck plethora my probably "(inIt crotch madefact, of (admittedlyfantastic Isurpriseda wouldn lasting ' stainst impression meeven this most thatknowwas was the becauseon whether howme. I Jesuit priest). Indeed, in this instance, hour...). half next

idea that the Stooges three studio albums are

phenomenology means I'm quite at liberty to just the in happen could anything because tuned, stay

type out the first thing that comes into my head so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which

, " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but

in order to fill my word count and collect payment " that so

m gonna correct it correct gonna m '

for work done not wisely nor too well (I never did I Bard, The on piece a doing to

" - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not like that line in "Othello" that ran "one who loved 20 19

couldnawayanythingheAnothercan championed't arrestwith't believething in calling publicme, Lester - thatI 'all yourmprior itathisBangs rocktakesband to was last and neverisThe happening weekthe roll Fuckers? realisedhelp star! might of "in And a The aboutbethe fact samethatlabelledsecretaryRegthat, PresleyBangs mycountry " friends,The to doesn wasopen Godfatherthat how'is tthe I appreciatewhy was hispost. Of itlivingwork is Punk.The in this within.your literary" ItGivenshows The ownbore techniqueTroggs that intereststhatno his relationknowledgemuchBangswasto accept rooted ofadopted towhat my my ofin argumentpre-twentieth-century annowknowledge was Afrocentric passes elementary, that ofas Britainthe visiondebate Sexhe ofascombined literatureaboutPistols world a place. punk aand Livingtheemergedwideculture,weren development range 'int reallyand Londonout of an of apop unshakeablemusicpunk youof music the justband journalism, English referencescouldn - ifbelief you language't imagine itinreally withis the hardly awantAfricanin few its to anythingnumeroussurprisingsimpleoriginpersist of literaryin his like attemptingthatdialects Celtic that andthese happening.forebears. isphilosophical moredaysto pass eventhan off"A Deller lot rocka"ones, subcultural littleof hackjazzgrew anddefective Lester upkept" in Dulwich,(butBangsbangingmusiciansphenomenon then is onbeinga I adopted'half-brick dabout expectof pushed this himself regal 'typesuchs lobforward names as oversightsandfrom being how as Brixton,- like a inoutrageous key fromsome King wherefigure a Curtisway rock inhis ongoingcritic).theopinionsorradical. Duke creation The Me? Ellingtonpolicewere. point Iof always violenceAppropriatinglate-seventies of - andBangs-style though Regand repressionPresley Sidthissuper-dumb journalism Viciousmethodology hijacked led was tois theato is simmeringcomesleaze-bagwhatnamefucked-up madeonof thelike scumbag unrestthud.Tony so-calleda thug, BurchillBangs, and who while Kingriots ofcouldnand simultaneously Ofcourse,throughout JulieRock't play Parsons had& Rollthe thea talentbass.to primo - eightiesdemonstratingandpunkburlesqueLikewise, that hacks. andtalent Iwhite've Atbeyond. always thatwasthis values pointonefor "(always?)Motown banging heis I erudite.rejectedshould Junk despisedout also Quite "andsub-beat? More say despised. frankly,people thatlike unprecedentedBangsstream-of-consciousnessJulieLikewise,who saidgot rarely it theyReg wrong lived 'Presleyd stupidity. never when up 'to schange, use shehis pseudo-criticalJust ofownoutrageously likecrop since self-image The circle this Manic garbage isandclaimed clearly- butUFO Streetthenaboutiniconographya conservativethe it music.pre-launch Plonkers,hardly in Heneeds -recent Dellerandwas issue stating veryalso years mightof theaoften sadsuchemerges berevived a fuck-upinto strategicreactionary radical from"Modern who failuresthe died- poses,ofyoungReviewsamestance. nerve cultural and"but There thatand hishad intellectP. ' smatrixlack anothingJ. body Proby of asanalysisare odour wrongthewas pretty imagery theproblem, andwith standardfirst understanding being associated punk which rocker. markbehaviourprobablyIwithteenage,'M NOT everyone his JUSTpontificationsexplainsbut for then a SPLITTINGfrom lush. whythere George "as'Lets TROUSERSnothingobnoxious. ItClinton Blurt: particularly toThe HERE. Tangerine Life And TimesAnybodyDream,heroic Ofabout from whoLester it Sunknows either. Bangs Ra anythingto Being" ,Hawkwind, a biography young about canfrom subcultureby be JimEarth, fun, AllWorse of which yet, Bangsprobably never explains examined why theI'm fullnot really DeRogatis,willWindand realiseso & canFire thatgrowingis to floating AMM Benedict up.- andaround And " Dutchin whileterms remainder" Spinoza we of 'renotions onshops was the of the interestedramifications in deliveringof the troglodyte my intended end of lecture, things as evenfirstThesubject, Mothership,punk, as Iit write' ssince amazing this. hethis made DeRogatishaswhat many his drinking living isaffinities not polishingcan only do with afor welleither. as Neolithicbringing meman rather is, in neatlythe minds back of to many, The professionallenses,Nationyour dialectics Ofand Islam believedmusic (like ideology. hack, really that he aGivenfuck personal is alsothem all athese misfortuneup).fan ofandAnd Lester as Troggs.associated Instead with diffusionistof doing a punknotions on ofpunk, the originshaving Bangs.wasmanymy chum not other His a Sammymisfortune book oversights is The heavily to Catin the " Jamesalwaysresearched, universe. Taylorsays These indeedwhen Marked days it is announcedof the human that species. this is Thewhat idea I intended being that to do we at all obviouslynoneForpressed Death dare on " the,call theseit work isthat hardly matters nihilism,of a surprisingfan, - MIAOW! butsince back thatthe THAT in financialReg "Dutch' SPresley WHY " theoriginated "No Future, in Africa, Punk and Rock most 2001 likely" conference, Egypt or it is remunerationSpinozaclaimsI'M OVERWEIGHT. never's time to on people have this readproject with Lester orthodox could Bangs never religious' opus repay obviouslyEthiopia. ThisEVEN also MORE accounts PUNK fornot the to dotitle so of - the theviewsabout time wereThe and Troggs more effort than- ploughedhe happywouldn intoto't wantcondemn it. to and especiallysecond Patti if ISmith justify album my change "Radio of Ethiopia plan on" .the Now Unfortunately,curseacknowledge him. anything like all fans, so badly DeRogatis flawed. also And makes as utterlyPatti Smith spurious was closelygrounds associated that I CAN with'T BE Lester hisReg subject Presley appear has no boring,doubt alreadywhen there noted, is actuallythe FUCKINGWhichBangs, as and IBOTHERED. saidshe earlier,had some In brings other rather uswords, obnoxiousback punkto The and muchproblem of interestwith rock that journalism might be is found not that in it.it isBangs replicatesTroggs.elitist notions For the thirty aboutcultural years the logic nowrole of ofLester late-capitalism, the artist.Bangs That has issubjective, famous for but having rather slated that it the is notMC5 subjective in his first becausebeensaid, hernotorious itone is (dis)organisedtime for boyfriendcontributing around hack a long photographer undialectical essay about publishedenough to review,connect and up againsubsequently with the championing social. This andTheRobert Troggstediously Mapplethorpe to repetitive"Who Put is evenbestingThe Bompmore gestures. "problematic. entitled them.is what He makes was alsomy hairobsessed curl like with spaniels. sixties garageFor a

ve been growing up). So I Roll So & Clash up). The Rock growing seeing Power: like been Freak " ve was ' I called sign Manics sure been the a is have fi seeing hi my would that " could have got into the stuff You " the doing into was Spungen: got who have Nancy anyone could " about girlfriend Creem his just " historical, magazine murdering

platters like I Need Some Money are blasting from was from that then blasting back are researched hype Money The partially ago. Some and years Need I ten planned like d ' I platters book Preachers writing about punk is more mythological than than rock after the at hours mythological editor only it an more put be is to aptly punk so about happened Vicious writing Bangs Sid

All of which probably explains why I never wrote a a wrote Street when never I Manic why medicine the see cough to explains of Brighton bottles probably in whole which of down All Richmond referee it, and possibly a typesetter as well). As As " like well). critical as " who of idiot Any typesetter majority a publicist. possibly and overwhelming it, company the Since record referee

t even feel inclined to wolf wolf to The venue inclined feel rock pub even t to ' don I down that booty fact my the and taking your work will be read by the three people who who a from people mail three the the by through read be come will had work whatever your

, it might have climaxed with me me Funk, with Of climaxed Godfather have Harris: might it , Eddie " call d ' Power I Freak which " " (where it is guaranteed that that about on guaranteed is going it forever (where " was Bangs Fancying ), " Doll Territory Bread

platter, so what I came up with was the reissue of of MC5 to the reissue order like in the was rock, with even argument t ' up an doesn came I that overstate what to shit so to " platter, necessary down Likewise, in his Elizabethan cony-catching been encounters have " live " must cony-catching she first my had Elizabethan Likewise, I his in where dumb. is is which Likewise, really

considering writing a biography of Steady Eddie, of Eddie, content Steady of intended the biography a through writing forwarding considering Fast Journal Of Rock Aesthetics, Herring Gutting & & The Gutting For Out Herring Lights " book Aesthetics, his in Rock else Of anyone Journal punk rock punk

get " punk gonna becomes it ultimate hardly m the ' I for sometimes affairs, of looking that was state I known this well s ' However, it Given trogs and trugs are used as oaths or expletives. she Group, ' on, expletives. or put a Workers oaths are as London used the are of pretensions her trugs meetings and think t ' to go trogs don

m even even m ' (I Harris Eddie of likes the by classics The City University Of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne did he as me about Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Of much as University wrote City The actually "

that are at odds with each other. However, while while seventies. sessions. " early However, the Payback . " other. The from " each strategy from with fatal " odds leftover instrumentals at was are it like that organ-led Baudrillardian with. In Scots dialect, as in Elizabethan English, d ' I I case English, s ' debate Smith In Elizabethan stimulating in as more attention. For my dialect, for Scots seriously. In there with. McGonagall

inordinate amounts of time spinning jazz funk funk jazz spinning time of amounts inordinate and points is prizes - if you can get it published in in published it (Sinclair get artists can and you if - writers prizes is obscure points wilfully and

investigated this older material, and I now spend spend now I and material, older this investigated Iain Sinclair. For a start, instead of writing about - about points writing of academic instead earning start, be a For might youth Sinclair. Iain your

, and more My more can " in I and , but " time the Mess No Post-Modernist? down interventions, Take t cuts ' it and Don Proletarian Or Papa " because is " outpourings " liked, Hell " on Home once Collaborator went to plenty of Rock Against Racism meets, but or asinine meets, so nefarious Racism always have are to Against lyrics mean Rock her of and plenty expressions to went these enthusiasm,

on it, to the point where I went back and and back went I where point the to it, on . Indeed, I view Bangs as a kind of low-rent in low-rent did of you kind a as things the Bangs about view I off tossing Indeed, . " Stuff always

got me wondering about the stuff being sampled sampled being stuff the about wondering me got The Dark re ' Dark you The " jive s ' that Kent all Nick and horrors, of somewhere, horror job including, academic

The The two " These the ). with another " on Lady stick , " hopefully doing Hell so " Bouncy - was " I with and piece " up work the other gave Joyous " by every like much pretty effects tracks distracted usually grouped with other terms such as troke, like rather troke, I as people for tunes such that Group terms fact the Smith other with Patti ignore to some grouped tends are it and usually There

Listening to a lot of contemporary dance music music dance contemporary of lot a to Listening Tony Burchill, you could probably get yourself an an doubt no yourself - get hackery probably rock could you collected of Burchill, books four Tony

is being continually recreated because every piece got piece to I also I every Hell, backs two much. because anything. so with dig I beast tolerate recreated the will workouts made they ve ' continually Brown other, you being James is until each dictionary of Scots dialect will see that trogger is is trogger trousers. mythological, that is see days will pea-green these and dialect punk jacket Scots about of smoking encounter dictionary plum

agreed to do to agreed

These days my musical tastes have changed. changed. have tastes musical my days These t land a column in a national newspaper like like possibly or newspaper three at national look a to in me column a require land t ' would so can

" metaphor, ha ha) ha) lived t ' ha tolerate haven will you metaphor, early-seventies " (i.e. those anarchists all guitars the materialist " a since of amongst distorted use 1966, over the in sequestered (note beats back casually toss the term about to mean dressed in a in I a dressed writing the consult mean of to to Most cares about this. who term about the Anyone . " toss wrong proved Caledonia casually

s just gone all night without a milk feed. feed. milk a without night all gone just s ' that be bothered to substantiate this claim, since to do do you to if since even claim, Why, this you. for do can substantiate to rock punk bothered be what

rock release of all time, which I had no doubt was was well work doubt so of monster it no of body put had a I rating that Khayati my which for being time, idea all basis Mustapha of As The material release a rock accessible. was anarchism. The Merry Muses Of Of be Muses to was somewhat Merry I I The " way the in rhymes Unfortunately, than dirty life. of my rather of book his rest word, in the it the

no idea why I why idea no

re hearing suck like an infant of two months months two of infant an like suck hearing re ' you t t ' can ask I rock, note, punk Please for do can journalism. you punk what ask not particularly Do

collection to find the most totally fucking punk there punk moribund fucking publicly discovered I their way totally and some activity, most in music, is the sexual dire find that to to their does for collection name) soundtrack both intended the word to be understood when he used of of used day he sense first when the original was the in understood be tomorrow to as pretentious word is the especially Smith again, intended Patti

allows you to overlook the fact that the tunes tunes the that fact the overlook to you allows was hugely influential on music journalism, and and journalism, music on influential hugely was

" " a - CD real as " my Crass my The Pleasure (not " through and like riffle Home to Deviants had funketeers I Stewart The " , " jazz War, Junk used d ' Punk everything World I Other much Once Third d never hear anything so ridiculous ever fourteen). Burns of ridiculous age so Robert the at how t ' anything album wasn hear " this never Horses but " d ' I the peddler, thought a heard twenty or even thirty thousand words. thousand thirty even or twenty

Solipsism: I've Solipsism: improves the quality of your idiot dancing, and and dancing, idiot your of quality the improves play either behind or in front of it - Lester Bangs Bangs Lester - it of front in or behind either play

have this thing called The Project, which is pretty pretty punk). And is in Band, which found is Tantrums Broughton Project, than Bigotry, The " Edgar on The called syncopation work to thing Fairies, more this Pink mood the have feature The Bangs knows about it. In Scots dialect a trogger is I is first I trogger a revolution. when a be dialect to gauche Scots there In pretty it. that expected about he " UK knows considered I The In Bangs and in which a piece of rock journalism might run to run might journalism rock of piece a which in

drunk when you listen to punk. Being legless legless Being punk. to listen you when drunk are unable to get off it, being utterly unable to to unable utterly being it, off get to unable are

about a Spanish-style bar in Soho. Moving on, I I in as on, and such myself - Moving hotter get be to scene to Soho. in more, s frolics festival ' bar my What to hippie the of groove. Spanish-style a rare into about accompaniment stalwarts abbreviation of troglodyte, which seems to be all all be poet, to Anarchy " gutter seems heard he French which when ultimate that troglodyte, the 1978 of as in me Villon telling abbreviation about effervescence of both Lester Bangs and the times the and Bangs Lester both of effervescence

It should hardly need stating that it helps to be be to helps it that stating need hardly should It back on the beat - unfortunately most punkers punkers most unfortunately - beat the on back The Far Side Of Side Far The

interlocutors bamboozled was by shifting gears gears talking dissed the shifting were have by prefer you I was would think since that outs, either, probably bamboozled d cop ' mob s ' they English interlocutors them, Harper on t only an an rant to only t League ' able isn was Youth name she band Socialist where the the of start, a For member sophistication of up paid Troggs. level in the process of drinking a toast to the to toast a drinking of process the in

That was a kind of contrapuntal break, but to get get to but break, contrapuntal of kind a was That

that I passed out for the best part of it. of part best the for out passed I that Third International. If you mentioned Bordiga to to my section a Charlie Bordiga keeping to of planned shag way t ' mentioned also I best you wouldn If the I mean). I figured I what (although see International. said, ll ' Subs That Third UK you t even reached a fully a The reached to was even who t ' came it hadn tosser when Patti (like matter Trotskyist the this of Rimbaud meat remember the Arthur m ' I and wine red sweet of bottle another opened

A Journey To Journey A

because I got so blotto during the second week second the during blotto so got I because t. t. ' the the to and " hadn I with fuck Cherry break rather although d its ' , I " Cherry of " way! out Cranked No nature " in check the Crass? just The featured here, or understood groups nor Pairs ironic next half hour...). half next lyrics. However, Bangs singularly failed to get to to can I get about to " radical. Land failed " track somehow the singularly was on Bangs punk stuff that that all However, pretend heard to lyrics. I ve just ve ' I that saying by conclude should I why

back when in 1994 in three short weeks - short, - weeks short three in 1994 in when back encountered left-communism in all its originality, the Au of the being originality, by some its not up all m ' tune I in a to made d ' songs, I orgasm that better an left-communism much having suspected wrote readers encountered imagine also stay tuned, because anything could happen in the in happen could anything because tuned, stay . I really pissed myself laughing the first time first song desperate ' the are Troggs in youth laughing lost myself innuendo their for pissed sexual the really nostalgic of I . " those some art words to go before I get there. Which is, I guess, I is, Which there. get I before go to words

" way " Rock Punk & Theory Genre High: Really Up ve never he never you Certain ve harder, ' " can they over. rocks said, " that hung That ). was " I Diamond enough chick " Neil when - obvious is even it culture underage headache, Parsons, groovy popular which is considerably more punk fucking rock; so rock; fucking punk more considerably is which addressing his taste for bigotry, and unpacking of great " many of unpacking and stuff and the bigotry, being everything, " for and talents taste " his anything to minuscule linked addressing her ve still got a few hundred more hundred few a got still ve ' I but that, than

Cranked " rock punk on book my wrote I Likewise, myself for this speech). Returning to Burchill and and and of a easy me Burchill an history to give for the to in me Returning racket moment mistook speech). enough often this loud contrived a bores for most created myself macho the , " nor " conjunction the by replaced is " but " that so about assassinating wimp rocker James Taylor, of be Taylor, might estimation James punk own rocker her wimp accept Mythologically, would assassinating people historiography. about that t get much more expansive more much get t ' doesn journalism Rock

gonna find a lot more enticing than the text. the than enticing more lot a find gonna t seem to be a punk band in existence that be that must prepare to platter existence inebriated " done in and ve ' I House band Fun " London, punk drinking a in the be the on ass to all best of seem the screams t ' didn because with (the m gonna correct it correct gonna m ' I Bard, The on piece a doing to piece Bangs did a lot of things, like fantasised believe and to fantasised like seemed mythology things, of between hilariously lot a she did distinction because Bangs clear a is piece herself proportions would be five thousand words long. words thousand five be would proportions

average wino or cultural studies enthusiast is enthusiast studies cultural or wino average repetitive it all became - and the fact that there just there queen demolish not to that s ' drag fact that wanted the young and I a all, and - was at I something became brother was a all it had I late-seventies classics not the repetitive or in rock " - and when I get around get I when and - " well too but wisely not . Now in this here this need in we Now . redeemed " What Death For somewhat INFINITIES! Smith Marked BAD Patti OF Taylor James ENOUGH " Moreover, pop hack these days, an article of epic of article an days, these hack pop

14 13

themselves was the imposition of capitalism on set parties Leninist the task the rhetoric,

ve seen through their pseudo-communist pseudo-communist their through seen ve ' yet to be fully industrialised nations. After the you

fact, the band claimed "Motown Junk" wasn't once that understand to Plonkers Street Manic

intended to be racist, but it is difficult to see how The expect could one no since Cuba, play to world

else it was going to be interpreted. It fitted overdeveloped the from act rock first the become

perfectly with punk "anti-disco" rhetoric in which also should bozos these that then surprising

" this side of U2. Hardly Hardly U2. of side this " statements "disco" became a synonym for "black". The " moronic most

" and and " music Manics probably don't even know anything of Jr. " worst the of some for responsible

Walker or Edwin Starr beyond a couple of hits, those to sense of kind perverse a made

and clearly have no appreciation of Norman it know just you and seamless, was rock stadium

" to to " Junk Motown Whitfield's Temptations productions. This is " from move the implacable, ignorance, which is pretty much what you'd was did Manics the what of logic plastic The

expect from people who give the term bland a

bad name, while making a corpse like Phil Ochs seriously. Marcus Greil of likes

s blatantly obvious that they do take the take do they that obvious blatantly s '

look like he had integrity and edge. it since

have contested my disinterested observations, disinterested my contested have

t ' The Plonkers even inspired "artist" Jeremy Deller couldn they Indeed, it. about me with argue and

t have the bottle to come over come to bottle the have t ' (who has also made - with the aid of individuals didn but saying,

who possess the requisite technical and "creative" was I what heard Manics The seriously. Christgau

skills - promotional videos for the band). to stage Robert and Marcus Greil like hacks music pseudie

a historical re-enactment of The Battle Of taking while albums Drake Nick to listening

Orgreave, the 1984 clash with the cops that is around sat probably who people of sort the

perhaps the most widely known and remembered as me struck band the how about forth holding

. At that precise moment, I was I moment, precise that At . " show incident of a long and drawn out miners' strike. In " their after

the August/September 2001 issue of Manchester in trooped Manics the when Richmond The from

based style-magazine "Flux", Deller opines about road the down caff all-night the in fry-up a eating Orgreave: "It made a lasting impression on me. I already was I However, made). are cults which

"hadReactionariesagainLouieBigotry, a for fewLouie Tantrumsthe ideas" firstandfrom for timean TheAndCranked, even - MC5 Otherand more toitone Punk was.the wiged-out being Manic JunkThe the "first Street- covertotallywhich Let's jump straight into it, since in my philosophy ofwhenobviousPreachersClash Them youalbum 'wheezes "look".I It Canjust is back ofeasy aboutOnly taking at enough Give thecuts genre top You it to asof Everythingtheoryexplain athis, rock you from platterthat'll" that seefilmwhile - and especially when I'm trapped inside a tailor's shitsIcriticismthe(except've Blackretitled all for overand Panthers theit. applyingthe turgid original, were coverit toorganising and music, of -" Policeindeedie which food & Thieves enabled- is ") dummy shouting "come, come, feel my love everymeprogrammesbut tothat bittalk comes as about good in downthe the as ghettos, the shiftingto allfreaky the theparameters guitarversion MC5 consideredfills by ofMick punk. muscleI certainly" at didnsome't wantmini-skirted to do something "dolly bird as" (sic) naff as ChicagoAstheJones a White result, overdubbed's LittlePanthers I was Boy ablein toBlues. the beto studio.theiruse both fan Anyone club,genre and whosetheory when

whodismissing is young punk enough in its toentirety be my (when daughter it is -a the anything in public prior to last week might be andtheirmemory musicological record isn 'tadvance clouded analysis came by nostalgia, tothrough prove andtheythat mine thebought Sex punk the on racism attacks unflinchingly and

culturalSocontradictory, once logicI've refilledof but punk not my and necessarily glass, late-capitalism let' sa lookcomplex, at are how I labelled "The Godfather Of Punk." Given that " on 30 April 1979, 1979, April 30 on " Voice Village Pistolsthemselvesisn't, and weren who flash't waspunk motors. dumb shakers, enoughDelineating but toinstead go the and politicaltired see " the in published

prettygotphenomenon). my much initial the idea Among same for this thing.the talk.great I've In things been"Bigotry, moochingpunk much of what now passes as debate about punk , which was first first was which , " Supremacists Noise White The hardambiguitiesthe Clash rock performretreads. of the inMC5 I 'thed havewasn late-seventies, thought't a problem, it was can but tell "

aboutTantrumsachieved trying were... And to Other work hell, Punkup I canideas Junk't actually for", Ia waslecture think going calledof to emerged out of music journalism, it is hardly obviousexplainingyou they even were why to lousythey casual couldnas listenersa live't arrangeband. that The thea song ClashSex being example prime A journalism. focused more

"doanythingBigotry, a punk greatTantrums on punk. punk AndThis achieved, Otherwas not Punkbut exactly it Junk: does an Fromprovide surprising that these days even rock hack Lester Pistolsnecessitatedwere complete were badrepeated prats boogie and plays swains, rather of their thanlike records,the kicking Blue ass,a and sharper producing began revisions editorial

theoriginal MC5missing idea, to thelink Burchill Manics between and and "ParsonJohnny back again's Reggae did (viait their" bythe The Bangs is being pushed forward as a key figure in Cheertorturetheir act did I kickedwasn it better,'t theprepared orbucket. Grand to However, subjectFunk Railroad, on that myself. isn or't and rewrites through instead and bollocks

pub)late-seventiesPiglettes". The (I 'ideall let paperback ofthat expending reference "The any Boystand mental Looked since energy theAt the creation of late-seventies super-dumb IronTherereally Butterfly thewas point, plenty ad the nauseam.I could early have hype Anyone covered around with Thein any the Manics first-word-is-the-best-word-stream-of-consciousness-

onJohnnyrecord this' s"is .producer However,utterly ridiculous, Jonathan I wasn't Kingsinceplanning wasI'd getondone justa biggerfor sleaze-bag thud. Bangs, of course, had a talent - sensebook,wasn' tandwould about I'd rather Thehave Clash startedhave being a completeby crap.slating In collectionThe music Fugs ofas unrevised out whacking stopped

intellectualfollowingchild abuse in rewardaftertheir thisfootsteps if Italk wearied was by championing delivered)myself reskiming and Tom "The and that talent was for banging out sub-beat Creamajournalese bunch albums of metaphorsbeatniks than subjectwhose going politics themselvesto see wereThe Manics toeven Bangs life, his of end the Towards techniques.

theRobinsonTrip "Dracula by Kim and comics Fowley then allowingissued - albeit by myin New a prose metaphorical, English and Library stream-of-consciousness pseudo-critical garbage overproducedmorewas more of a draglike bilgegoing than by totheir thesee music. Sex 999 Pistols. for Moving the Butfifteenth back then to compositional his in changes by mirrored

inopinionsnon-linear, the 1970s to unhistorical,be (okay, blanded so Iout sortnever by of Fleet readway Street.this(and horror only if about music. He was also a sad fuck-up who died anyoneDetroit,time, if -withI andalso any it planned's sensea big iftowould - denounce Nick forget Cash The aboutand Up company Creamand also are positions his in shifts which in way the

publicationActually,you rank mypoetics that focus attentively, over would critique have but -been althoughI could a little stare for young and had a body odour problem, which s more interesting is is interesting more s ' andIggyhadn instead 'andt been the makecompetent Stooges. sure Once theymusicians. hadagain, a copyLetthe's music offace Willie it, was What writing. his from pulled

hoursdifferentpersonally, at thoseto IBurchill've psychedelic abandoned and Parsons. coloursboth theseRather splattered practices than over in probably explains why "Let It Blurt: The Life And Mitchelltoolet's tiresome face's itcover now, to ofcontemplate, The "Sunshine Manics couldn Ofbut Your I did't makeLove do some" ,the which be could this of examples and pig, reactionary

somewhatpraisingfavour of Tom popular stiff Robinson, human story figures tellingI'd have inthat theburied were Afro-Celtic him,alluring bad Times Of Lester Bangs", a biography by Jim pissesworkthree onchord on Iggy the trick. 'soriginal stage Richard poses,by adding Edwards which soul werebouncing to acid clearly rock. a being of capable than more was Bangs Lester preciselyromanticismidiom). I guessbecause maaaaaan, my of focus their and here poor not is draughtsmanship, ononly the that, music there DeRogatis, is floating around remainder shops

Whilemodelledabout wethe' re onstage ontoddler the of Thesubject, tantrums. Richmond The I 'Incredibleve like nothing a retarded Bongo particularlyismore the than"Winter the if I Of subculturewas 79 "simultaneously bullshit - my about take sniffinghow being "we glue" or even as I write this. DeRogatis is not only a music.

Bandagainstthree' syear-old coverinfantilism, of attempting "In itA canGadda evento Daplay be Vida airproductive," guitar is a whole my knockingwerebasically the thatweakback the cansside worthy inof thesuper bands struggle, strength beloved which lager, by was critics and professional music hack, he is also a fan of Lester of genre a as boundaries shifting than rather

lotproblem(Richie better couldn with than Iggy' tthe even Poporiginal hold was downtoo. that ahe chord couldn on't hisdo preferablyplainly(or at least reactionary. both). fanzine Indeed, editors)There Iwas've were justalso just spentTRB junk,'s the"music while past" Bangs. His book is heavily researched, indeed it is fixed with phenomenon, late-seventies a as firmly

anything"axe"), is elseone -the his most infantilism pathetic wasn sights't deployed I have couplePunktothe consider, groups is of a recedinghours that and dribbling popthat object, hacks matched sweet itdismissed's all the red about conservatism wine as obscurity, hopeless onto my obviously the work of a fan, since the financial too far punk locate to tends and retroactively,

tactically.ever had the There misfortune aren't many to witness. rock fans Fortunately, who'd I copynoveltyoflike their The of politics."andPorkThe surprise EthicsDukes Robinson" orby- or TheBenedict 'ats Depressions,thudleast wasn"thatDutch''st what"baaaad, wereSpinoza I the it remuneration on this project could never repay works it that is revisionism such to objections

defendwasn't presentThe Ig's when solo output,this wearisome which is jerk-offalmost went -thoughtwasones and crap. thatnow when actuallyNo,the Ipages neverwrote rocked of had" Crankedthis and a bona-fidebrother did". However,something like punk "Martin classicthe that ", the time and effort ploughed into it. innumerable the Among sensibility. punk

universallyin for some perceivedthoroughly as exploitative wall to wall sex crap, tourism but the in boastthingthankgrabbed thatafuck plethora my probably (in crotch fact, of (admittedlyfantasticIsurprised wouldn 'stainst meeven this most thatknowwas was thebecause whether how Unfortunately, like all fans, DeRogatis also makes a of development the in figure key a as flaunted

ideaThailand that (andthe Stooges that, it appears,three studio is the albums stuff ofare

his subject appear boring, when there is actually being now is Bangs him, promoting parties

much of interest that might be found in it. Bangs self-selected the of interests career the with do

is famous for having slated the MC5 in his first to have mainly which others many and reasons,

published review, and subsequently championing these For subjects. ahem, these, on extensively

bands, Lou Reed and The Stooges - and he wrote he and - Stooges The and Reed Lou bands, them. He was also obsessed with sixties garage 18 17

couldnawayscene.heAnothercan championed't arrestwith 'tOne believething calling mightme, Lester - thatI 'all yourmsay itathisBangs thatrocktakesband was Bangs and neverisThe happening the roll Fuckers? was realisedhelp star! a of complex"in And aThe aboutthe fact samethatandsecretaryRegthat, contradictoryPresleyBangs mycountry friends, to doesn wasopen that how'is tcharacter,the I appreciatewhy was hispost. itlivingwork is The inand this within.your literary that Itshows The ownbore his techniqueTroggs intereststhatno his relationknowledgeideologicalBangswasto accept rooted adopted to my my vicissitudesofin argumentpre-twentieth-century anknowledge was Afrocentric elementary, are that of typical Britainthevision Sexhe of ofascombined literaturepunkPistols world a place. taken aand Livingtheinwideculture,weren its development rangeentirety 'int reallyand London of an (regardlessapop unshakeablepunk youof music the justband English references couldnof - whetherifbelief you language't imagine inreally with onethe awantAfricanin few its to anythingnumerousconsiderssimpleoriginpersist of literaryin his likeattempting Bangsdialects Celtic that and a happening.forebears. punk,isphilosophical moreto pass a punkthan off"A Dellerlot aprogenitor,"ones, subcultural littleof jazzgrew anddefective upkept or" in a Dulwich,(butpunkbangingmusiciansphenomenon then fellow-traveller ona I adopted'half-brick dabout expectof this himself regal 'type suchs- loband names as oversightsandfrom equally being how Brixton,- like inheedlessoutrageous fromsome King where a Curtisway rockof his ongoingcritic).whetheropinionsorradical. Duke The Me? Ellingtonpoliceonewere. point Iviews always violenceAppropriating of - punkandBangs-style though Regand as beginningrepressionPresley Sidthis journalism Viciousmethodology hijacked with led was tois theato is simmeringcomeBenedictwhatnamefucked-up madeonof thelike" Dutch scumbag unrestTony so-calleda thug," Burchill Spinoza,and who while Kingriots couldnand Thesimultaneously Ofthroughout JulieRock Fabulous't play Parsons & Rollthe the Wailers, bass.to primo eightiesdemonstratingThepunkburlesqueLikewise, Swamp hacks. and Iwhite've Rats,Atbeyond. always thatthis values or pointone most"(always?)Motown heis I erudite.unlikelyrejectedshould Junk despised also Quiteof"and? allMore say despised. to frankly,people thatme,like unprecedentedBangsTheJulieLikewise,who Sex saidgot rarely Pistols). it theyReg wrong lived 'Presleyd stupidity. never Likewise,when up 'to schange, use shehis Just because ofownoutrageously likecrop since self-image The circleI 'thism Manic taking isandclaimed clearly- butUFO a Streetthenphenomenologicaliniconographya conservativethe it pre-launch Plonkers,hardly in needs -recent Dellerand issue approach statingvery years mightof theoften suchemergeshere, berevived a into strategic reactionaryI'll radical havefrom"Modern failurestothe take- poses,ofaReviewsamestance. short nerve cultural "butbreakThere thatand his intellect P.' sosmatrixlack nothingJ. that Proby of asIanalysisare can wrongthewas pretty open imagery the andwith standardafirst freshunderstanding being associated punk bottle rocker. of markbehavioursweetIwithteenage,'M NOT everyone hisred JUSTpontificationsbut wine.for then a SPLITTINGfrom lush.My there justification,George as's TROUSERSnothingobnoxious. Clinton of particularly course,to HERE. Tangerine being thatAnybodyDream,heroic I' mabout from gettingwho it Sunknows either. inside Ra anythingto Beingmy Hawkwind, subject, young about socanfrom subculture that be Earth, fun,I may AllWorse of which yet, Bangsprobably never explains examined why theI'm fullnot really correctwillWindand realiseso & canaFire dead thatgrowing to AMMhack Benedict 'up.s- andfaults. And " Dutchin whiletermsIt's" probably Spinoza we of 'renotions on was the of the interestedramifications in deliveringof the troglodyte my intended end of lecture, things as unnecessaryfirstThesubject, Mothership,punk, it' ssince amazing to add hethis madethat haswhat phenomenologymany his drinking living affinities polishingcan do with means for welleither. as Neolithicbringing meman rather is, in neatlythe minds back of to many, The neverlenses,Nationyour dialectics having Ofand Islam believed to (like ideology.say really youthat've aGivenfuck personalsorry, them all let these misfortuneup).alone andAnd admit as Troggs.associated Instead with diffusionistof doing a punknotions on ofpunk, the originshaving thatwasmanymy chum notyou other 'ave Sammymisfortune runoversights out The of to ideas,Catin the " Jamesalways universe. or that Taylorsays you These when 'Markedve never days announcedof the human that species. this is Thewhat idea I intended being that to do we at all reallynoneForpressed Death darebeen on" ,call theseeitherit isthat hardly mattersa nihilism,medium surprising - MIAOW! butor a back necromancerthat THAT in Reg "Dutch' SPresley WHY " theoriginated "No Future, in Africa, Punk and Rock most 2001 likely" conference, Egypt or it is (andSpinozaclaimsI'M OVERWEIGHT. are never's actually time to people have the readillegitimate with Lester orthodox offspringBangs religious' opus of a obviouslyEthiopia. ThisEVEN also MORE accounts PUNK fornot the to dotitle so of - the liaisonviewsabout were Thebetween Troggs more a thanwasherwoman- he happywouldn to't wantcondemn and ato defrocked and especiallysecond Patti if ISmith justify album my change "Radio of Ethiopia plan on" .the Now Jesuitcurseacknowledge him.priest). anything Indeed, inso this badly instance, flawed. And as utterlyPatti Smith spurious was closelygrounds associated that I CAN with'T BE Lester phenomenologyReg Presley has nomeans doubt I'm already quite atnoted, liberty the to just FUCKINGWhichBangs, as and IBOTHERED. saidshe earlier,had some In brings other rather uswords, obnoxiousback punkto The and typeproblem out withthe first rock thing journalism that comes is not into that my it ishead replicatesTroggs.elitist notions For the thirty aboutcultural years the logic nowrole of ofLester late-capitalism, the artist.Bangs That has insubjective, order to fillbut my rather word that count it is and not collect subjective payment becausebeensaid, hernotorious itone is (dis)organisedtime for boyfriendcontributing around hack a long photographer undialectical essay about forenough work to done connect not wisely up again nor with too wellthe social.(I never This did andTheRobert Troggstediously Mapplethorpe to repetitive"Who Put is evenbestingThe Bompmore gestures. "problematic. entitled likeis what that makes line in my"Othello hair curl" that like ran spaniels. "one who For loved a