Vital Signs: Music, Movies, and Other Manias

Alongside Greil Marcus, Nick Kent, and Lester Bangs, Ian Penman is one of the most important cultural critics of his generation. Long the star writer for Britain's NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS, Penman achieved something few music writers even dream of--he changed the way the subject was written about. VITAL SIGNS is the first collection of his writing. A collection of the writings of Ian Penman, covering contributions to "NME", German "Vogue" and obscure academic film journals, and pieces on James Garner, Robert De Niro and Lee Marvin, as well as deconstructionist writings on icons ranging from Martin Amis to Frank Zappa.