Richard Meltzer(I)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Richard Meltzer was one of the first and best pioneering rock critics
to hit the burgeoning rock music journalism scene back in the early
70s. He was born on May 11 in 1945. Richard studied philosophy at both
the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Yale University. He
was kicked out of the latter for his often wild misbehavior and hence
never completed his studies there. Meltzer initially started writing
about rock music in 1967 for Paul Williams' groundbreaking "Crawdaddy!"
magazine. He briefly taught a class in aesthetics at the Maryland
Institute College of Art and wrote lyrics for the rock group Blue
Oyster Cult. Richard's book "The Aesthetics of Rock" was published in
1970. Meltzer's fiercely sarcastic sense of humor and highly
idiosyncratic point of view gave his writing a distinctive offbeat
style and tone that's both entertaining and illuminating in equal
measure. Legendary gonzo rock critic Lester Bangs frequently cited
Richard as his one and only true mentor. Among the publications Meltzer
has contributed to throughout the years are "The Village Voice,"
"Spin," "Fusion," "Creem," "The L.A. Reader," "Addicted to Noise," "The
San Diego Reader," "Los Angeles CityBeat," and "L.A. Weekly." He's the
author of such books as "Gulcher: Post-Rock Cultural Pluralism in
America," "Richard Meltzer's Guide to the Ugliest Buildings of Los
Angeles," "The Night (Alone): A Novel," "L.A. Is the Capitol of Kansas:
Painful Lessons in Post-New York Living," "Holes: A Book Not Entirely
About Golf," "A Whore Just Like the Rest: The Music Writings of Richard
Meltzer," and "Autumn Rhythm: Musings on Time, Tide, Aging, Dying, and
Such Biz." Richard has appeared in two movies: he's an angry motorist
in the crummy fright flick comedy "Horror House on Highway Five" and a
writer in the indie drama "Good Grief." Meltzer has recorded and
performed with the improvisational music group Smegma. Richard Meltzer
lives with his longtime girlfriend Irene Forrest in Portland, Oregon.