Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I read a book about this guy last month





















Leslie Conway Bangs (December 13, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, author and musician. Most famous for his work at Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, Bangs was and still is regarded as an extremely influential voice in rock criticism.

Just a truly original voice that really had a quality of wonder and amazement. You knew he loved something and he wasn't too cool to let his enthusiasm show. It's ok to gush about something...it's ok to admit that something is great. It's ok not to be jaded. We haven't seen everything before...there are things that still can take our breath away.

I'm looking for a great quote from Bangs to share with you, but I can't find a great one that sums it all up. But all of these sentiments reminded me of an interview I read with Andrew WK, a few years back:
m
Somehow, for some reason, it's gotten cool to not have a passion about something. It's gotten cool to be distant and detached from things, to have a seen-it-all, done-it-all, been-there-done-that attitude about things. Which I only can attribute to the amount of information that's available and the things that are expected of people, and the way people are judged based on what they decide. No wonder people are tentative about believing in something: First, they're wondering if it's going to let them down, and second, they wonder what people are going to think of them. The more you believe in it, the more it becomes your own. I just hope people have the strength to still give things a chance, and to say, "You know what? This isn't too good to be true. Maybe I haven't seen everything."

1 comment:

brent larson said...

that quote is spot on.
just when i think i have seen it all..i am left in awe by something new or exciting.
i miss being excited about life.
i get sick of the "culture of cool".
there are still so many places i have never seen...so many people i have never met...so many ideas i have never thought.
often when i want to give up on this world...somebody or something reminds me that there is still so much to be excited about...a brief moment of childlike excitement.