--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art\", \"Bop\" and \"rock and roll\" and…" description: "\"“Art\", \"Bop\" and \"rock and roll\" and whatever is all just a joke and a mistake, just a hunka foolishness so stop treating it with any seriousness or re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/lester-bangs-9750_art_art-bop-and-rock-and-roll-and-whatever-i_282408.jpg" --- # Art", "Bop" and "rock and roll" and whatever is all just a… ![“Art", "Bop" and "rock and roll" and whatever is all just a joke and a mistake, just a hunka foolishness so stop treating it with any seriousness or respect at all and just recognize the fact that it's nothing but a wham-o toy to bash around as you please in the nursery, it's nothing but a goddam…” quote by Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/lester-bangs-9750_art_art-bop-and-rock-and-roll-and-whatever-i_282408.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/lester-bangs-9750_art_art-bop-and-rock-and-roll-and-whatever-i_282408.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/lester-bangs-9750_art_art-bop-and-rock-and-roll-and-whatever-i_282408.jpg) > ““Art", "Bop" and "rock and roll" and whatever is all just a joke and a mistake, just a hunka foolishness so stop treating it with any seriousness or respect at all and just recognize the fact that it's nothing but a wham-o toy to bash around as you please in the nursery, it's nothing but a goddam Bonusburger so just gobble the stupid thing and burp and go for the next one tomorrow; and don't worry about the fact that it's a joke and a mistake and a bunch of foolishness as if that's gonna cause people to disregard it and do it in or let it dry up and die, because it is the strogest, most virulent, most invincible Superjoke in history, nothing could ever destroy it ever, and the reason for that is precisely that it is a joke, a mistake, foolishness. The first mistake of art is to assume that it's serious.”” [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art is portrayed as a deliberate joke, suggesting seriousness undermines its power and that its impact lies in its absurdity. **In simple terms:** Art is a joke; seriousness weakens it. Key Takeaway Embrace humor, reject pretentiousness. Themes art culture humor critique seriousness Mood irreverent provocative critical Type aphilosophical satirical When to use this quote - music criticism - creative writing - media analysis - public discourse Key Concepts postmodernism absurdism cultural commentary Questions to Reflect On - How does humor change our perception of art? - When is seriousness appropriate in creative work? A Different Perspective Treating art seriously can limit its subversive potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Rock and roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-and-roll/) ## Related quotes > [The ideas that the left has is a bunch of foolishness. We don't need to be ashamed to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/the-ideas-that-the-left-has-is-a-bunch-of-foolishness-we-don-t-need/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [“If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/if-fifty-million-people-say-a-foolish-thing-it-is-still-a-foolish/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-undset/and-when-we-give-each-other-christmas-gifts-in-his-name-let-us/) [Sigrid Undset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-undset/) > [Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-one-fool-thing-after-another-whereas-love-is-two-fool-things/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There are petty-minded people who cannot endure to be reminded of their ignorance because, since they are usually quite blind to all things, quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/there-are-petty-minded-people-who-cannot-endure-to-be-reminded-of/) [Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/) > [In the foolishness lies the danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-torrijos/in-the-foolishness-lies-the-danger/) Omar Torrijos > [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [A fool without fear is sometimes wiser than an angel with fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fool-without-fear-is-sometimes-wiser-than-an-angel-with-fear/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-madman-of-the-cleverest-man-and-renders-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-magi-as-you-know-were-wise-men-wonderfully-wise-men-who-brought/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You can never understand why people do stupid things for love, Unless you, yourself experience how it is to be in LOVE...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-never-understand-why-people-do-stupid-things-for-love-unless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She shrugged. “I fell. I’m a clumsy fool.” “I know how you feel. I’m such a fool I knocked half my teeth out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/she-shrugged-i-fell-i-m-a-clumsy-fool-i-know-how-you-feel-i-m-such-a/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## More by Lester Bangs > [I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-think-that-if-most-guys-in-america-could-somehow-get-their-fave/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [I can guarantee you one thing, we will never agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-can-guarantee-you-one-thing-we-will-never-agree-on-anything-as-we/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [ “Like almost all of Beefheart's recorded work, \[Trout Mask Replica\] was not even "ahead" of its time in 1969. Then and now, it stands… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/like-almost-all-of-beefheart-s-recorded-work-trout-mask-replica-was/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Here we are in the 70's when everything really is horrible and it really stinks. The mass media, everything on television everything everywhere is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/here-we-are-in-the-70-s-when-everything-really-is-horrible-and-it/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/the-ultimate-sin-of-any-performer-is-contempt-for-the-audience/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [I don't see that there are any particular changes in popular music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-don-t-see-that-there-are-any-particular-changes-in-popular-music/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“Look at it this way: there are many here among us for whom the life force is best represented by the livid twitching of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/look-at-it-this-way-there-are-many-here-among-us-for-whom-the-life/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Don’t ask me why I obsessively look to rock ’n’ roll bands for some kind of model for a better society. I guess it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/don-t-ask-me-why-i-obsessively-look-to-rock-n-roll-bands-for-some/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [No, I see it as meaning very little at the moment because none of the groups are about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/no-i-see-it-as-meaning-very-little-at-the-moment-because-none-of-the/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [A young woman is dead. I don’t care. You probably don’t care. The police don’t care. The papers don’t care. The punks for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/a-young-woman-is-dead-i-don-t-care-you-probably-don-t-care-the-police/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Sexual chaos reigns currently, but out of chaos may flow true understanding and harmony, and either way Elvis almost singlehandedly opened the floodgates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/sexual-chaos-reigns-currently-but-out-of-chaos-may-flow-true/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [When kids can't afford to see it anymore maybe we'll have a whole resurgence of garage bands all over America and this New Wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/when-kids-can-t-afford-to-see-it-anymore-maybe-we-ll-have-a-whole/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock 'n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/the-mekons-are-the-most-revolutionary-group-in-the-history-of-rock-n/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“But since death is inevitable we don’t have to deal with it (it’ll deal with us when it decides to). What we do have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/but-since-death-is-inevitable-we-don-t-have-to-deal-with-it-it-ll/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [I've always believed the New Left is rank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-ve-always-believed-the-new-left-is-rank/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) [Explore all 70 Lester Bangs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Art\", \"Bop\" and \"rock and roll\" and whatever is all just a joke and a mistake, just a hunka foolishness so stop treating it with any seriousness or respect at all and just recognize the fact that it's nothing but a wham-o toy to bash around as you please in the nursery, it's nothing but a goddam Bonusburger so just gobble the stupid thing and burp and go for the next one tomorrow; and don't worry about the fact that it's a joke and a mistake and a bunch of foolishness as if that's gonna cause people to disregard it and do it in or let it dry up and die, because it is the strogest, most virulent, most invincible Superjoke in history, nothing could ever destroy it ever, and the reason for that is precisely that it is a joke, a mistake, foolishness. 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