Two Testaments Summary and Analysis

This book is mostly a collection of music reviews by Lester Bangs, one of the most famous rock critics to ever live. Bangs goes beyond music, however, to describe many of the most intimate details of his life.

The essay "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung" is written from the point of view of a ninety-year-old man (likely meant to be an older version of Bangs himself) explaining an alternative history of rock and roll to his grandchildren. The old man begins the story by explaining how great music was in 1965, in particular the Yardbirds. The Yardbirds were a British rock band that launched the careers of guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page and by the end of the 1960s transformed into Led Zeppelin. Bangs makes it clear that he does not believe this was a positive development...