The whole point of American culture is to pick up any old piece of trash and make it shine with more facets than the Hope Diamond. Lester Bangs More Quotes by Lester Bangs More Quotes From Lester Bangs Or like in the early 70's when we had the reaction against acid rock and all the fuzz tone, and feedback, and the noise. And you had James Taylor and everyone went acoustic and that. Lester Bangs acoustics rocks noise if the main reason we listen to music in the first place is to hear passion expressed- as i've believed all my life-then what good is this music going to prove to be? what does that say about us? what are we confirming in ourselves by doting on art that is emotionally neutral? and, simultaneously, what in ourselves might we be destroying or at least keeping down? Lester Bangs passion doe art I mean Iggy and The Stooges first couple of albums I think sold twenty five thousand between the two of them you know and so to talk in terms of an underground I mean you have to go really to the independent labels and things like that. Lester Bangs independent couple mean When kids can't afford to see it anymore maybe we'll have a whole resurgence of garage bands all over America and this New Wave thing will start to mean something on a grass roots level. Lester Bangs roots mean kids All humans are the same sex, except albinos. Lester Bangs humans sex That's one reason why it's pretty worthless, I can't totally buy it, if you think about it, it's things like the Phil Spector records. On one level they were rebellion, on another level they were keeping the teenager in his place. Lester Bangs uprising teenager thinking The great thing about The Clash of course is that they keep searching for answers beyond that. Lester Bangs great-things clash answers I've always believed the New Left is rank. Lester Bangs always-believe left As far as a truly radical conscience, you have to take it as part of a larger thing, that it was sort of historical inevitability that with the coming of a leaguer society people would start to use drugs a lot more then they had before. Lester Bangs drug historical people I mean the interesting thing I think would be if something happened like, what happened in England where all these kids that all of a sudden can't afford the ticket prices. Lester Bangs mean kids children John Lennon at his best despised cheap sentiment and had to learn the hard way that once you've made your mark on history those who can't will be so grateful they'll turn it into a cage for you. Lester Bangs cages grateful way I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever they wanted with this legendary body for one afternoon, at least 75 percent of the guys in the country would elect to beat her up. Lester Bangs girl men country In fact I think now we've reached a point now, where the powers that be really have sort of vested interest in all of us being stoned out as much as possible all the time so we don't know what's going on, and we don't care. Lester Bangs care facts thinking The real question is what to live for. And I can't answer it. Except another one of your records. And another chance for me to write. Art for art's sake, corny as that sounds. Lester Bangs real writing art The extravagant and ostentatious lifestyles that pass for charisma in a time when almost anybody talks about charisma but if you think about it there's precious little to be seen. Lester Bangs lifestyle littles thinking All blues singers are great liars. Lester Bangs great-liar singers liars The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock 'n' roll. Lester Bangs rock-n-roll rocks groups Sexual chaos reigns currently, but out of chaos may flow true understanding and harmony, and either way Elvis almost singlehandedly opened the floodgates. Lester Bangs reign understanding may Corporations are social organizations, the theater in which men and women realize or fail to realize purposeful and productive lives. Lester Bangs productive-life business men It's much easier to wear a Chairman Mao button and shake your fists in the air and all that, then to actually read the Communist manifesto and things like that and actually become involved in politics. Lester Bangs buttons air hands