Editing Lester Bangs (section)

==In popular culture==

* Bangs is mentioned in the [[R.E.M.]] single "[[It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)|It's the End of the World as We Know It]]" from their 1987 album [[Document (album)|''Document'']].
* Bangs is a character in the short story "Dori Bangs" by [[Bruce Sterling]] in which Sterling imagines what would have happened if Lester hadn't died young and had instead met the artist [[Dori Seda]].
* Bangs is the subject of the song by [[Scott B. Sympathy]] "Lester Bangs Stereo Ghost" on the 1992 album ''Drinking With The Poet''.
*[[of Montreal]] mention Bangs in their 2003 song "There Is Nothing Wrong With Hating Rock Critics."
* Excerpts from an interview with Lester Bangs appeared in the last two episodes of Tony Palmer's 17-episode television documentary ''[[All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music]]''.
* [[Ramones|The Ramones]] name-check Bangs in their 1981 song "It's Not My Place."
* In the 2000 movie ''[[Almost Famous]]'', directed by [[Cameron Crowe]] (himself a former writer for ''Rolling Stone''), Bangs is portrayed by actor [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]] as a mentor to the film's protagonist William Miller. Bangs is also a major character in the [[Almost Famous (musical)|2019 stage musical version]], in which he was played by Rob Colletti.
* The 2003 [[Buzzcocks]] song "Lester Sands" is a coded reference to Bangs. Written in the 1970s, it was re-recorded and released on the 2003 album ''[[Buzzcocks (album)|Buzzcocks]]''.<ref>[https://www.jimdero.com/News2003/June20Buzzcocks.htm Buzzcocks turn it up]. ''Jim Dero''. 20 June 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2025.</ref>
* In 2018 an [[Off-Broadway]] play about Bangs, ''[[Erik Jensen (actor)#How to Be A Rock Critic|How to Be a Rock Critic]]'', premiered and was performed at several venues around the US. It starred [[Erik Jensen (actor)|Erik Jensen]] as Bangs, and was directed by [[Jessica Blank]], with music by [[Steve Earle]].<ref name=RSBrowne>{{Cite magazine|last=Browne|first=David|title=Lester Bangs Play 'How to Be a Rock Critic' Captures Writer's Wild Spirit - Off-Broadway production starring Erik Jensen invites audience into Bangs' world|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/lester-bangs-play-how-to-be-a-rock-critic-captures-writers-wild-spirit-118111|date=January 9, 2018|access-date=April 11, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=NYPetrusich>{{Cite magazine|last=Petrusich|first=Amanda|title=Lester Bangs and the Soul of Rock Criticism|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/lester-bangs-and-the-soul-of-rock-criticism|access-date=2021-01-22|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref>