However much I idolized Bangs, Marcus, Christgau, I was much more influenced by Gloria Stavers of 16 Magazine.

There it was again! Wolk’s a smart guy, a pro, so he was evidently talking about fellow pro critics, but WHO were they?!? Keep in mind that Bob and I didn’t object to the idea of aspiring crits imitating Bangs as such. We just wanted to know (after having to compress too many of our reviews to 100 words to get them into print in recent years), that if there actually WAS some prozine still allowing writers to stretch out like Lester did and paying for it, then by God we wanted to get in on that too! Now we find out that there’s no such nirvana, apparently it’s just guys toiling away for zilch on websites and other such self-published venues.

It’s probably difficult to say exactly what constitutes “imitation” of another writer’s style anyway. I recall that in the early ’70s, Robot A. Hull and his compatriot Brian Cullman did very direct imitations of Richard Meltzer’s style in their own writings for Creem and other mags, but I can’t think of anyone who ever imitated Bangs that closely. In my own case, Lester inspired me to want to become a rockwriter, but I never really attempted to imitate his style, even early on. The funny thing was that I thought that since I didn’t indulge in alcohol and drugs to the extent that Lester obviously did, there was no chance I could match his particular mindset, so I’d have to develop some other rockwriting approach with referents more personal to myself. Maybe in a similar fashion, Cameron Crowe started out inspired by Lester Bangs’s writing, yet ended up directing a big Hollywood movie celebrating Elton John and other un-Lester (to me) aspects of ’70s pop music. In any case, Lester was the catalyst for both of us (and a cast of uncredited thousands, so it seems.)

I imagine CREEM editors would deal with plenty of Bangs imitators. I remember there used to be (might still be) anthologies of people’s bad Hemmingway imitations. The point here seems to be agreed on all sides that most of these people never make it to print — or neglible print, and therefore don’t constitute much of a voting bloc and really aren’t “there” in the same sense that we now have so many “content providers.” More mags with 100+ reviews with no space to say anything. (Compression can be a useful tool and Xgau borders on mystical haiku from time to time, but like all things it has its limits –mostly that most shit getting reviewed probably doesn’t need a review just a burial.)

And I agree that fanzines should allow writers to make their mess. And writers should steal from whomever they can. If Bob Dylan can find an obscure Civil War poet to lead him on and do it better, by all means…

I was just pointing out an irksome claim that bugs me more because the inference (intentional or not) is that Bangs imitators = bad writing when the real equation is BAD Bangs imitators = bad writing, whereas anyone emulating his honesty and passion and self-analysis and his openness to reverting on his own opinion shouldn’t be seen as an imitator, per se, but someone using him as a template for their own self-discovery. THAT you DON’T see much of. And won’t. Not in physical print newspapers/ magazines. Where would you put it today? It’s a different industry (for better and worse).

Furthermore, much like the proliferation of second-rate “jangle-pop,” “Americana” or “grunge” bands, it’s hardly the fault of the ones who championed the genres that these others were spawned. Same would go for Lester (and Hunter S. & Jack K.).

Thanks for the QOTW suggestion. It’s good to know that if I want further input I can ask.

I was just trying not to repeat myself. Feel free to make it “Christgau imitators” and “Bangs wannabes” (though why anyone would wannabe dead for what will soon be 26 years, I don’t know).

The point is, in the mainstream rock-crit publications, I count many who aspire to if not blatantly copy the prose stylings of Professors Bob and Greil, and relatively few who attempt to conjure Bangs, much less Meltzer, and fewest still Tosches. Nor do many attempt ruthlessly honest self-examination a la Lester, absurdist/Dadaist anarchy a la Meltzer, or exhaustive archival research paired with dark world-historical/philosophical ruminations in the manner of Tosches. And I’m not so sure the world wouldn’t be a better place — or at least said mainstream publications more interesting reads — if some people tried!

Christgau’s influence is much more prevalent.

Also — I know this will piss people off — but I’ve never been a real fan of Meltzer. His first book was unreadable to me. I know Frank Kogan loves him but then again I put down Real Punks Don’t Wear Black a bunch of times cuz it was just too much. Kogan, for me, is really good in short review doses.

ANYWAY, besides Kogan, I’m not sure if I see much of Meltzer’s influence out there either.

sw