Punk Books

[Scrod Prickknee]

I never "used" Christgau for anything (I, too had Trouser Press guides and etc.), I just find him overall more USEful than Marcus. This is a dickbag/fuckface matchup where I don't much care and neither should anyone, there's just something particularly vexing about Marcus to me. Poisonally.

[Scrod Prickknee]

Victor - I have a copy somewhere. If I find it, I'll send it out to ya. Funny stuff.

Meltzer was different in that he was highly creative. A trailblazer. And really funny. As actual-crit, I don't know. Good, then not so good I suppose. I'm more into his writing than any musical ideas bouncing around, at least once rnr became rock. Like many trailblazers, he eventually poo-poo'd both the writing and the subject matter and successors molded it into something more workable long-term. None burned with the same flame, but Coley et al had an enormous impact on rockstuff largely via Meltzer.

[I Am Not Marty Feldman]

I haven't read much Meltzer in a while, but I can definitely see this criticism. It doesn't really bother me much, and in fact it's pretty fitting for rock writer to create a persona for themselves (that's what rock's all about).

True.  Pairs well with his other well-worn topic: the invisible line 'tween crit and rockstar in the '60s and early '70s. 

The "bad boy" juvenilia jive is a lot less impressive to me than it once was.  Just as unimpressive are his hip-shot moments, his tell-it-like-it-is reruns: Bangs was a rube, the Dolls were hogwash, Christgau was a tyrant, Patti Smith is ice-cold, on and on.  Thankfully he had some incisive moments beyond all that. 

Oh, and I don't believe that he doesn't read.  Load of shit.

I still like Meltzer, but at this point I've marrowed his writing and don't need to read most of it again any time soon.  Add to that the fact that he's one of the most often imitated critics in the game and I'm good without all of it for a long while.  Then again, The Night (Alone) is a damn good book.  So who's full of shit?

[Scrod Prickknee]

His lists were maybe the funniest parts, and worked great in terms of book-flow. He has command.

[Scrod Prickknee]

You worry too much about how "legit" an "artist" is. Who cares? The rubes. Are you a rube? So why anguish over that detail? Everything and everybody's pretty much bullshit. It surprises me how much that surprises you.

[I Am Not Marty Feldman]

I'm usually a rube.  I don't necessarily care about how legit Meltzer or any critic is, but they should be able to either cut to the core of the thing or foster discussion beyond "I was there first," "I know this musician or artist personally and he or she is an asshole" or "I fucked."  Thankfully he can make those tangents entertaining.  But it grows tiresome when you realize he is often those very things he's criticizing. 

[2 Cold Scorpio]

I like Meltzer too but quite a bit of his actual music writing isn't too insightful.  He is entertaining, I like his shtick but it's still shtick.  His take on the LA punk movement had its moments.

He definitely influenced some of the language and lingo that I see, on here especially....

[o.t.h.punk]

i have a stack of black flag flyers that sst sent to meltzer.

[Sukebe GG]

I keep The Aesthetics of Rock in the john...still a fun read: "tongues" and "moves" (Introduction by....ta-dum Greil Marcus!)

[erickelric]

Look, guys, it's yr boy >>>> https://lareviewofbooks.org/review/ordinary-life-greil-marcus-commonplace-songs-and-commonplace-listening

[cerealrecords]

I clicked cause lol LA Review of Books.

I read the first sentence. Not disappointed:

AS SCIENCE EATS AESTHETICS, as rationality consumes imagination, and as what Marco Roth and the editors of n+1 diagnosed in 2013 as the ?sociology of taste? devours the chance, freedom, pleasure, and individualism of art, including music, and leaves nothing but bones on the sandy floor of the cultural arena, all listening threatens to become socially determined.

[erickelric]

Look, guys, it's yr boy >>>>

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/greil-marcuss-critical-super-power

[Charlie M]

My two faves recently have been Cheetah Chroome: A Dead Boy's Tale and Diary of a Punk: Life and Death in the Pagans. Both great reads packed with stories of Clevo in the 70's onward

Great double header there.

Just blew threw Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground, great interviews comp with TG, Lunch, MES, Thurston, Coil, Some Bizarre roster, etc... - somehow I missed this one for years, saw it someone's (Nick?) instagram and picked it up.

Just picked this up today for a few quid in a charity shop - looks very good.

[erickelric]

Marcus' column is going to start running on Pitchfork.

Way to keep your finger on the pulse, Pitchdorks.

[Mattpabst]

Marcus' column is going to start running on Pitchfork.

Way to keep your finger on the pulse, Pitchdorks.

In all honesty this is about as current as most Conde Nast publications.