I Hate New Music: The Classic Rock Manifesto
By Dave Thompson
Backbeat Books

“We need our reprobates, we need our delinquents, we need our antiheroes. Because if we don’t get them, what’s the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame going to look like in another 25 years?” – Dave Thompson

How many Limeys do you know that love American classic rock? Me either. Rock critic and author Dave Thompson’s new book is less a manifesto than a collection of diatribes about what he hates about new, and old, music.

Overall, I Hate New Music is a quick, fun read but seems scattered at times. Thompson wants to take on everything – stadium rock, Live Aid, U2, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – but he seems to have trouble containing his rage, making chapter breaks seem like little more than chances for him to catch his breath. Read the rest of this entry »