Lots of links tonight ... not a lot of writing. Sometimes it's best to let others speak. And so, I was reading a review in the NY Times today about the release of the U.S. edition of Simon Reynolds', Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. I'm usually wary of any book (or any thing for that matter) that gets described as "definitive" (particularly when it involves music), unless you're discussing Lester Bangs, in which case, if you've only skimmed through Mainlines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste or perhaps the 30+ page article about one band (the only band that matters, in this case) in Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, you can consider yourself informed on punk, postpunk, and everything thereafter. Thankfully, I am familiar with Reynolds and I know I'll pick this book up (I'm sure it's excellent). My ire is up only because, once again, a Times review left me gritting my teeth and wondering if all any of the writers do there anymore is write for their own amusement (I use a less ladylike description in private company). But, I digress.Reynolds is an ex-pat, which is important as far as perspective and he's also one of the last truly smart music journalists out there. I loved the other book of his that I read, The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion, and Rock 'n' Roll, which could basically be described as a sophomore-year gender-study text book--a topic I generally cringe at, because it only ever seems to be handled by reactionaries--set to music, except that it's not. His review of 24-Hour Party People is dead on, too, and it's also worthwhile to take a look at his blog (you'll need to skim for a while, there's a lot there).
For more Lester Bangs (that letter is a wonderful look into what kind of person he was and why he was adored by even the most misanthropic of musicians), and other terrific articles see the Creem Magazine Archives.
"Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity." -- Lester Bangs
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