Lester Bangs, Author at The Village Voice

MUSIC ARCHIVES

I Saw God and/or Tangerine Dream

"When worlds collide, someone has to take the slide."

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: April 18, 1977

NYC ARCHIVES

Everything Above 14th Street Is Gila Bend, Arizona

“One of my supreme ambitions is to live to be 120 years old and be able to say I never set foot inside Bloomingdale's”

by Lester Bangs

May 20, 2020

MUSIC ARCHIVES

Dylan Dallies With Mafia Chic: Joey Gallo Was No Hero

“I suggested the ‘Joey’ song to Bob,” says Jacques Levy. “You know, Bob has always had a thing about outlaws.”

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: March 8, 1976

MUSIC ARCHIVES

Blondie Is More Fun

“Debbie Blondie herself has the Shangri-Las/Crystals girl group sound down to a perfect snotty whine, but unlike Patti Smith, she never comes across as snotty or pretentious.”

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: January 10, 1977

MUSIC ARCHIVES

The White Noise Supremacists

“You don’t have to try at all to be a racist. It’s a little coiled clot of venom lurking there in all of us, white and black, goy and Jew, ready to strike out when we feel embattled, belittled, brutalized.”

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: April 30, 1979

From The Archives

What If They Gave a New Year and Nobody Came?

"Maybe if we all get drunk enough we'll all have blackouts so trackless and remarkably sustained that we'll never remember all the reprehensible things we said and did to each other, hence no guilt"

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: December 26, 1979

MUSIC ARCHIVES

Where Were You When Elvis Died?

Lester Bangs recalled his “erection of the heart” when he said goodbye to the King

by Lester Bangs

Originally published: August 29, 1977

MUSIC ARCHIVES

A Sid Vicious Story

“I guess she was perfect for him — they could beat each other up every night and nobody’d mind. They had real fights.”

by Lester Bangs

October 23, 1978

Lester Bangs

"When worlds collide, someone has to take the slide."

“One of my supreme ambitions is to live to be 120 years old and be able to say I never set foot inside Bloomingdale's”

“I suggested the ‘Joey’ song to Bob,” says Jacques Levy. “You know, Bob has always had a thing about outlaws.”

“Debbie Blondie herself has the Shangri-Las/Crys­tals girl group sound down to a perfect snotty whine, but unlike Patti Smith, she never comes across as snotty or pretentious.”

“You don’t have to try at all to be a racist. It’s a little coiled clot of venom lurking there in all of us, white and black, goy and Jew, ready to strike out when we feel embattled, belittled, brutalized.”

"Maybe if we all get drunk enough we'll all have blackouts so trackless and remarkably sustained that we'll never remember all the reprehensible things we said and did to each other, hence no guilt"

Lester Bangs recalled his “erection of the heart” when he said goodbye to the King

“I guess she was per­fect for him — they could beat each other up every night and nobody’d mind. They had real fights.”

“Debbie Blondie herself has the Shangri-Las/Crystals girl group sound down to a perfect snotty whine, but unlike Patti Smith, she never comes across as snotty or pretentious.”

“I guess she was perfect for him — they could beat each other up every night and nobody’d mind. They had real fights.”