from Kevin Avery's Everything is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson:
Elliott Murphy: "I remember him telling me that when Jann Wenner used to push albums on him that he didn't like, it was like being forced to eat rotten food or something."
"The first three years I was there," Paul said, "I won, I'd say, about two-thirds of my fights with him. If I could argue with him in a reasonable manner and not get angry, I would usually win. The last two years I didn't win any fights. I mean, just none."
Murphy: "The story Paul told me was that Jann called him into his office to say he was going to start the star system with the reviews. Paul said, 'Excuse me,' and walked out of the room and never came back." Paul wondered what they would do--give five stars to Gatsby and three to The Sun Also Rises? And what about On the Road? Four and a half?
"That was the death of rock criticism right there," Dave Marsh says, "and that may have something to do with why Paul stopped writing record reviews. I don't think it explains why he didn't finish the Clint Eastwood piece, though."
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