Editing Lester Bangs (section)

=== ''Creem'' magazine ===
Bangs began freelancing for [[Detroit]]-based ''[[Creem]]'' in 1970.<ref name= Bustillos>{{cite magazine| last= Bustillos| first= Maria| url= http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/lester-bangs-truth-teller |title= Lester Bangs: Truth-teller| magazine= [[The New Yorker]] |date= August 21, 2012| access-date= }}</ref> In 1971, he wrote a feature for ''Creem'' on [[Alice Cooper]], and soon afterward he moved to Detroit. Named ''Creem''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s editor in 1971,<ref>Harrington, Joe (2002). ''Sonic Cool: The Life & Death of Rock 'n' Roll'' (1st ed.). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. p. 226. {{ISBN|0-634-02861-8}}.</ref> Bangs fell in love with Detroit, calling it "rock's only hope", and remained there for five years.<ref>Holdship, Bill (January 16, 2008). [http://www2.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12383 "Sour Creem: The Life, Death and Strange Resurrection of America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine".] ''[[Metro Times]]'' (Detroit, Michigan). Retrieved 3 January 2013.</ref>

During the early 1970s, Bangs and some other writers at ''Creem'' began using the term ''punk rock'' to designate the genre of 1960s [[garage rock|garage bands]] and more contemporary acts, such as MC5 and [[The Stooges|Iggy and the Stooges]].<ref>Bangs, Lester (2003). ''Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung.'' Anchor Books. pp. 8, 56, 57, 61, 64, 101 (reprints of articles originally published in 1971 and 1972 and referring to garage bands such as the [[Count Five]] and [[the Troggs]] as "punk"); p. 101 (associating Iggy and Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers with the Troggs and their ilk as "punk"); pp. 112–113 (describing [[the Guess Who]] as "punk"—the Guess Who had made recordings as a garage rock outfit in the mid-60s, such as their hit version of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965); p. 8 (general statement about "punk rock" (garage) as a genre: "then punk bands started cropping up who were writing their own songs but taking the [[The Yardbirds|Yardbirds']] sound and reducing it to this kind of goony fuzztone clatter &nbsp;... oh, it was beautiful, it was pure folklore, Old America, and sometimes I think those were the best days ever)"; p. 225 (reprint from an article originally published in the late 70s refers to garage bands as "punk"</ref><ref>Marsh, D. ''Creem.'' May 1971 (review of live show by ? & the Mysterians Marsh describing their style as "a landmark exposition of punk rock.").</ref> Their writings provided some of the conceptual framework for the later [[punk rock|punk]] and [[New wave music|new wave]] movements that emerged in New York, London, and elsewhere later in the decade.<ref>''Punk: The Whole Story.'' ed. M. Blake. 2006 ''[[Mojo Magazine]]'', 2006. In the opening article, "Punk Rock Year Zero," the writer and former member of early Sex Pistols lineup Nick Kent discusses the influence of Lester Bangs on punk concept and aesthetic.</ref><ref>Gray, M. (2004). ''The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town''. Hal Leonard. p. 27 - Gray discusses how in the early 70s, while his mother was living overseas (in Detroit), she would send [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]] (later of [[the Clash]]) copies of ''Creem'' magazine, and how writings by Bangs and others using the term ''punk rock'' influenced him.</ref> They were quick to pick up on these new movements and provide extensive coverage of the phenomenon. Bangs was enamored of the [[noise music]] of [[Lou Reed]],<ref>[[Charlie Gere|Gere, Charlie]]. (2005). ''Art, Time and Technology: Histories of the Disappearing Body''. Berg. p. 110.</ref> and ''Creem'' gave exposure to artists such as Reed, [[David Bowie]], [[Roxy Music]], [[Captain Beefheart]], [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]], [[Brian Eno]], and [[the New York Dolls]] years earlier than the mainstream press. Bangs wrote the essay/interview "[[Let Us Now Praise Famous Death Dwarves]]" about Reed in 1975.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/milkitcollectedm0000dero|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/milkitcollectedm0000dero/page/188 188]|quote=Lester Bangs dead OR died OR death.|title=Milk It: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90s |first=Jim |last=DeRogatis |date=October 2, 2003|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=9780306812712|access-date=August 1, 2017|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> ''Creem'' was also among the earliest publications to give sizable coverage to [[hard rock]] and [[Heavy metal music|metal]] artists such as [[Motörhead]], [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], [[Judas Priest]], and [[Van Halen]].