Jim DeRogatis is the author of Let it Blurt: The Life & Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic (Broadway Books). Recently portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Cameron Crowe's movie Almost Famous, Bangs wrote about rock 'n' roll for Rolling Stone, Creem, and The Village Voice. DeRogatis describes him as, "the great gonzo journalist, gutter poet, and romantic visionary of rock writing-its Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, and Jack Kerouac all rolled into one." (ORIGINAL BROADCAST: May 31, 2000).
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