Erik Jensen as Lester Bangs in How to Be a Rock Critic. Photo: Craig Schwartz
How to Be a Rock Critic examines the legendary life of music reviewer Lester Bangs and his complicated relationship with rock ‘n’ roll. Bangs made his name writing passionate—veering from scathing to commending—reviews for Rolling Stone, Creem and The Village Voice. He died of a drug overdose at the age of 33 in his New York apartment, very similarly to the rock ‘n’ roll stars he had spent most of his life covering.
When the audience meets Bangs in this show created by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank and based on Bangs’ writings, he’s already been up for 30-plus hours, trying in vain to finish a review on his Corolla-Smith typewriter. You are a guest in his home for an unexplained reason, and the fourth wall is immediately shattered. Like many writers, he finds it difficult to pound at his typewriter keys and turn the colorful metaphors he’s famous for, with you staring at him. Bangs, played by Jensen, alternates between his favorite vice (cough syrup), pills, beer and some kind of clear liquor as he tells his story, becoming increasingly wasted. As he moves exuberantly through his living room, filled with old garbage and vinyl records, he asks the audience to name the songs he plays on his record player, like “Wild Thing” by The Troggs. He even offers us beers. One audience member at the performance I saw deigned to ask if the beer was cold. In response, Jensen, as Bangs, ran up the theater stairs shaking the beer menacingly. And, it wasn’t cold.
At first, the show is chaotic in a good way. Jensen seems to have captured Bangs’ spirit and embodies the unwashed ‘70s rock fan. He’s exuberant and erratic, and you’re never sure what he’s going to do next. Jensen’s portrayal of Bangs does truly make the show come alive. How to Be a Rock Critic isn’t plotted within an inch of its life, and Jensen’s movements around the stage—knocking over beers, tossing records across the room, dropping things—feels unusually natural for a stage.
The Lester Bangs of How to Be a Rock Critic is inexplicably revered, however. He’s known as one of the best reviewers of all time. The show mimics his writing style by having Jensen declare that The Rolling Stones were “pigs” and “James Taylor should be marked for death.” If he trashed everyone’s favorite musicians, why did everyone read his reviews? It’s a question the show doesn’t adequately answer.
It does certainly examine a complex internal conflict within Bangs, which is realistic and even poignant. Jensen’s Bangs sways back and forth from optimistic to bitter. He explains bluntly that he’s stopped finding joy in writing and interviewing “establishment” rockers. He feels estranged from the world; chasing rock has alienated him from simple goals: success, money and finding a woman who loves him. There’s something refreshing in this honesty.
Jensen and Blank don’t put Bangs on too high of a pedestal, though. They explore how Bangs’ passivity plays outside of his typewriter. In the show, the character recounts watching two instances of abuse, degradation and humiliation and admits that he did very little to stop it. He reflects on his guilt, but the writers make clear that Bangs’ death isn’t far off, and he’s not going to change dramatically within that time.
With a running time of 85 minutes, the show occasionally gets away from itself. The audience began shifting in their seats shortly after the hour mark, perhaps wondering where the show was going. Overall, it’s a thought-provoking experience and showcases Bangs’ talent for the written word, but sometimes it falters and doesn’t know what point it’s trying to make.
How to Be a Rock Critic runs to January 15 in Under the Radar. More production info can be found here.