The Thousands

The Beatles. The Stones. Godard. The Cold War. This is the old testament of rock and roll. Psychic Soviet fittingly looks like a pocket bible, albeit a pink plastic one. Svenonius is simply the most interesting and insightful person writing about music today. If Lester Bangs were still alive, they’d probably have a lot in common.

Psychic Soviet‘s appeal lies in the willing anachronism of someone still banging on about Marxism and Capitalism. There is no concession to style or currency here; these essays are about more vital stuff. And they include priceless gems like, "The Rolling Stones are supporting the unpopular ‘lone gunman’ theory, saying that Oswald was not a stooge, but a socialist with a rifle, who killed the President as an act of conscience. JFK was, after all, a dangerous idiot who nearly blew up the world." Amen.