Read this Lester Bangs review of David Bowie's Station To Station right now. Go ahead, it won't take you more than 2-3 minutes, I'll wait.
Done? O.K. Wasn't it awesome? Didn't it make you want to run out and buy (or at least download) the album right away? And why do you think that was? I'll tell you why. It's because Bangs wrote with equal parts passion, critical acumen, historical context, and downright unflinching honesty. Of course, Bangs being Bangs, you can't be 100% sure he actually liked the album, but his impressions make you want to find out for yourself.Personally i don't strive to emulate Bangs' style -- that'd be pointless -- but I like to think I share the same hopes that he did (or at least the hopes I personally divine through his writing). I hope that what I write makes some people think about music. I hope what I write turns some folks onto something new, even if that exact same piece steers other folks away, since either result means I'm having some sort of effect on the reader.
I know I keep returning to the theme of what justifies one person to be a critic over another (and I'm not sure that phrase is really precise enough since I still maintain everyone has a right to their own opinion), and that I'm still sort of formulating my own definition (although I think you have to admit that I'm growing fairly consistent in my thoughts on the subject, even if there are still a few sloppy sections that either don't quite gibe or wholly contradict each other). What I do know is that particular Bangs piece on Bowie qualifies as "excellent" for all the reasons I mentioned above and one more, that may be even more important than the rest; it's a piece I can read and re-read without growing bored of it.
Criticism as an art form ... what a concept.
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