A Whore Just Like the Rest: The Musical Writings of Richard Meltzer

By Richard Meltzer

Book Overview

He is one of the inventors of rock criticism. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock (acclaimed by Greil Marcus as "a disemboweling of rock's soft white underbelly"), became an instant cult classic when published in 1970. And for the next thirty years he fearlessly expanded the boundaries of music writing. Now he has collected the best of his prodigious output into a gonzo sampler of the reviews, profiles, interviews, and essays that form the heart of his rockwriter legacy. Traveling from psychedelia to the "dinosaur-rot early '70s" to the redeeming majesty of punk and the constant solace of jazz, this will stand as a remarkable document of an era by a singular voice in music writing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306809532
• ISBN13: 9780306809538
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Meltzer Stands Naked (and then coughs for the doctor)

When my sister asked me for Christmas gift ideas a little more than a year ago, she mentioned possibly getting me a couple of grammar and style books to befit the Journalism degree that I was about to receive, as well as my own still-budding -- "stillborn" -- future as a writer. I thought about it long enough to realize that this book here, even based on the title alone, probably reflected journalism and writing much more realistically than anything that Strunk & White had to say going on a century ago, so I suggested it to her. Well, she got it for me off here, but it still came bundled with those damn grammar books, which made for an odd pairing, indeed, to say the least.For one thing, "A Whore Just Like the Rest" doesn't really flout the rules of standard English as much as it simply NEGATES them altogether -- as the product of some hotter, looser realm. It pretty much does that with standard rock criticism, too. The only differences are that, by his own admission, Richard Meltzer practically gave birth to that beast and regularly produced his share of bastard offspring with it. In contrast, many of those who've followed his path -- "all the way to the bank," as it were -- probably still can't acknowledge that Bastardization was only the first milepost that they faced.That is to say, Richard Meltzer is probably one rock critic you'll never see as a talking head on VH1. (Hell, how many OTHER Baby Boomers do you know who were more shaken by Darby Crash's death than by John Lennon's?) The roughly 30 years of work anthologized in this book includes windy, philosophical treatises that you'd probably need a Master's degree (or a good joint) to decipher; record company junket write-ups that focus more on the available food, booze, sex and drugs than on whatever musical act was supposed to be getting hyped; reviews of sub-cutout-bin-caliber LPs that Meltzer never bothered to open -- much less play -- and described, at best, from the sleeve artwork and song titles; and latter-day pieces in which the ghost of rock criticism is given up entirely, in favor of such diverse subject matter as wrestling, classical music, jazz, Lawrence Welk, piano bars and adult video stores (in the same piece), MTV (as something "worse than heroin" -- this is in 1983) and the L.A. Riots.Granted, some of this stuff is as off-the-wall as it sounds, and some of it is a great deal more so. But there are also some pieces that serve as both priceless glimpses and brutal demystifications of, among other things, the '60s, the New York pre-new-wave and L.A. pre-hardcore scenes and Lester Bangs. (The two were companions as dysfunctional as they were sincere, and Lester gets a sordid chapter of his own sandwiched between "Punk" and the intriguingly-titled "Weddings, Breasts and Dirty Clothes.") It also goes without saying that most of Meltzer's stuff is as funny and a blast to partake in as a drunken conversation at a good dive show.Of course, there's also a swath of darkness that ru

Cheap Thrills & self-indulgent fun!

OK, so this book is not for everybody. In fact, it's not for me, and it's certainly not for you! All of the articles in this anthology were written for no one but Dick Meltzer. The rock reviews won't help you decide on your next album purchase in the slightest (there may be more pages devoted to pro wrestling than to music), and the "autobiographical" bits don't make Dick sound like the kind of guy you'd like to meet, or even an interesting person. And yes, no matter what Dick says, Lester Bangs was a better writer (better than Keroac, too).But you shouldn't let any of that stop you from reading this. It's better than Dick's lame "Aesthetics of Rock" and it makes "Gulcher" unneccessary. Yes, you need to know the skinny on Dick's Beef with the Blue Oyster Cult. Yes, you need to know how little he remembers from his college philosophy courses. Why would you want to read a book of articles that you agree with? This is stimulating, if petulant, material that you'll want to read from cover to cover, especially if you keep it in the john like I did. I don't think Dick would mind my saying that.Rock and read on!

Meltzer Sounds Like a Really Good Sandwich

Very funny book, I laughed almost all the way through. Richard Meltzer is good on Connie Francis' "Grandes Exitos del Cine de los Años 60" his review of which I can't imagine any editor turning down. Meltzer is the perfect antidote to all rock and roll pieties and his writing helped me to re-appreciate Love, Moby Grape, the Beach Boys. Great piece as well on Lawrence Welk Hotel and Resort. Who else would say of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" that it isn't "a tenth as rhythmically interesting--let alone exciting--as the first three bars of 'West End Blues' by Louis Armstrong"? Or: "That's what 'rock history' is: collective bad memory"? As many readers have commented, his writing got better over the years but I still like his early stuff--actually read "The Aesthetics of Rock" and like it even though not one of my friends I lent it to ever managed to read it. Oh well, there is that great picture of the Dave Clark Five contemplating the immensity of New York with Meltzer's comment: "Vastly susceptible, the Dave Clark Five is just generally baffled as well as baffling, as exemplified by this captioned photograph:" Generally baffled, baffling, this is some of the best music writing ever, right up there with Tosches' "Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll."

R. Meltzer is America's greatest living writer

I first read R. meltzer when he was doing phony horiscopes for a Philly hippie rag called The Drummer in the early 70's. I then continued to read his writing in the various music magazines of the day. His writing stood out for it's humor and honesty. If nothing else, R. Meltzer is totally honest, the title of the book says it all. R. Meltzer was around at the birth of Detroit Punk, New York Punk, and LA Punk. He gives you a first hand eye witness account. His writing in the LA Reader in the early eighties was the only thing that kept me sane during that time and place. All this and more is in this collection. You have not lived untill you read the writings in this book.

A brilliant collection from a true original!

For the uninitiated, Richard Meltzer is one of the most fearless, insightful, hysterically funny people to ever take up a pen. In this collection of short pieces, he merrily takes on (and in the process, deconstructs) the punk rock scenes of New York and LA; the late, lamented Lester Bangs, and a host of other topics, all of which are given the full Meltzer treatment. Provocative, brilliant and hilarious.