Dear Tom,

Bob Christgau passed this on to me, saying that he didn't have room for it but thought it had merit and I might be able to use it. I agree with him about its merit, but we already ran a review of this album. I also recall your Metal Machine Music piece in the Voice, and a recen tletter you wrote me inquiring about writing for Creem. The only thing that throws me is why a writer of your abilities would feel so insecure as to change his style in such a radical manner as you did between the Voice and the letter to Creem. Which of course leads me to wonder what the real Tom Hull writes like. I remember reading your Xgau-influenced consumer guide in some commie mag a year or so back. So you see, I know all about you. In fact, I know the secret sexual quirks of everyone in your immediate family, the exact amount of your uncle Ted's bank account, and why you were turned down for membership in Vic Tanney's. The only thing I don't know is what you are going to do with your talents when you stop bending over backwards to make the Xgau style even more academic than it is already, or pretending to be a quaalude casualty to ingratiate yourself to Creem, which would be proud to print your work of a more balanced nature.

Respectfully,

Lester Bangs

P.S. We are also very interested in things besides record reviews: movie and book reviews, Beat Goes On items which don't have to have anything to do with music (a lot of those just oddball items you could clip out of the paper and rewrite) . . .