lordslaw 's review for:

Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung by Lester Bangs

4.0

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He is at times self-indulgent, borderline racist, vulgar, and obscene; at other times he is self-aware, sympathetic, empathetic, prescient, and insightful. This is my first encounter with legendary rock-critic Lester Bangs. Although it sometimes reads like Bukowski Lite, Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung is nevertheless a fascinating look, via a selection of essays and excerpts, of one human being's search for meaning and relevance through the medium of rock 'n' roll. There are hints in this book that the iconoclastic and self-aware Bangs, had he not died young, would have improved as a writer. Some of the material at the end of the book contains hints that Bangs was interested in cleaning up, trimming away some of the overindulgences in his writing, and honing and improving his talent even further. Entertaining, controversial, fascinating; a very good book.