Punk Rock
by Niall McGuirk [Soft Skull 8/04, 200pp.]
"Developed from the Hope Collective, a popular punk venue in Dublin, Ireland, this unique cookbook links healthy eating with the punk rock community and subculture. With over 120 vegan recipes and personal anecdotes collected from bands who performed at the club, Please Feed Me presents tasty offerings such as Fugazi Chocolate Cake, Bikini Kill Chili non Carne, and Neurosis and Pincer Martin Tomato and Orange Soup. Also included are thoughts on punk rock culture as a vital underground network, and insider stories of well-known U.S. and international bands."
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Punk is Dead: Punk is Everything!
by Bryan Ray Turcotte, Christopher Miller [Gingko 11/02; 9/03, 240pp.]
"An exposition of the lasting impact of punk on visual culture worldwide. Punk slipped quietly under the cultural radar before rising again to inspire new generations of creative and idealistic artists and musicians. This work features an essay by one of the most respected voices of the fiercely independent DIY music underground, Ian Mackaye. Other contributors include Malcolm McLaren, Vincent Gallo and Matt Burosso."
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Punk : Loud, Young and Snotty -- The Story Behind the Songs
by Steven Wells [Thunder's Mouth 3/04, 144pp.]
"It has been over twenty-five years since punk rock transformed the landscape of music and popular culture, but the significance of the era continues to endure. Whether you take your Year Zero from The Stooges in 1969 or the heady bile of The Clash and Sex Pistols, it's impossible to overstate the importance of punk. This book examines the songs that encapsulated punks' message of dissatisfaction, anger, and integrity. From The Stooges, The Clash, and Sex Pistols through The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, The Undertones, and The Damned to the later, artier punk of Joy Division, Wire, and The Fall, as well as the American front of Ramones, Suicide, Talking Heads, and Blondie, author Steven Wells dissects punk's nihilistic classic tunes. Why were The Clash 'So Bored with The USA'? What made Johnny Rotten dismiss the Queen as 'a moron'? What were the undertones of The Stranglers' seemingly benign 'Golden Brown'? What '"Psycho Killer' was the focus of the Talking Heads classic song? Why were the Bad Brains 'Banned in D.C.'? And who was the Ramones' Sheena? All of these answers, dozens of photographs and more are provided in detail in Punk: Loud, Young, and Snotty."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Punk Rock Aerobics: 75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, and 25 Reasons to Get Off Your Ass and Exercise
by Maura Jasper, Hilken Mancini [DaCapo 1/04, 208pp.]
"This book was hard to put down. The pictures are adorable (especially of Clint Conley!) and the interviews kept me reading ahead. It made me want to start doing aerobic exercises again, having shunned them for years due to the creepy workout culture. Big credits to Hilken and Maura for spreading the word that you don't have to spend a pile of money to be fit or buy into a bulls**t philosophy about punk or a choke down a corporate spin on health. I am also relieved to know that there is a class I can take that plays the music I like where I won't feel like a Bally's reject. I will recommend this book to all my friends."
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Punk Is A Four-Letter Word
by Ben Weasel [Hope and Nonthings 4/02, 192pp.]
"This book is okay. It's a great read when Weasel is talking about his old band, Screeching Weasel, but is completely boring when he drones on about past day jobs or solitary hobbies (like running). Some critics say Weasel is the punk-rock Charles Bukowski, but that's an inacurate comparison. Where Bukowski was brutally honest, Weasel is annoyingly evasive, choosing to hide behind his stadium-sized ego. This book would have been great if Weasel talked more about what helped make him a punk-rock celebrity, namely his ex-girlfriend of 10 years and his old band. That said, this book does have two fantastic articles, one on Weasel meeting Curt Kobain, the other -- previously unpublished -- on advice for novice musicians."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amped : Notes from a Go-Nowhere Punk Band
by Jon Resh [Viper Press 1/01, 168pp.]
"This book is a real friggin gem. Very well written (cannot say the same for most 'punk' books that have surfaced recently), concise,and engaging. Though a work of non-fiction, it reads like a very modest historical account of a guy getting turned on to punk rock and how his band, friends, and life develops. Funny anecdotes, honest perspective ... Amped is about as good as it gets when analyzing a time in 'punk' when punk and hardcore had gone different ways and indie rock was developing. Amped captures the spirit of many who drifted between scenes and couldn't help themselves from being underground. This paints a pefect picture."
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Q Magazine Book of Punk Legends (UK only)
by the editors of Q [1996]
"Small paperback with lots of good info on the Clash, Pistols, Damned, Siouxsie, Blondie, Buzzcocks, Iggy, Stranglers and more."
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In the Fascist Bathroom : Punk in Pop Music, 1977 - 1992
by Greil Marcus [3/99]
"By now, first-generation rock critic Greil Marcus is better known as the author of highbrow pop-culture tomes than as a workaday, keep-it-pithy critic. This collection of columns and short pieces (most rewritten to varying degrees for the book) churned out for New West, Artforum, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone presents the erudite Marcus as a periodical commentator subject to deadline and word-count pressures. As such, it gives a history-as-it-happens perspective on the music scene rather than a sweeping overview, meaning it's perhaps less provocative than Marcus's more recent efforts, but it's also more readable. Invigorated by the emergence of the Sex Pistols, Marcus delighted in chronicling the music and behavior of the first wave of punk provocateurs. Here are pieces on the import of the Pistols, the Clash, Elvis Costello, the Gang of Four, and (closest to the author's heart?), the Mekons, presented largely as they were originally written, with the din still ringing in the scribe's ears."
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Lipstick Traces : A Secret History of the 20th Century
by Greil Marcus [9/90]
"It does it! It traces the exact path I took in 1976, when 16, upon going from the Beats (Kero and Burro) into Dada... then on to Kent Ohio where the insane punk scene swept me up, cemented my sensibilities and threw me for a loop.
Everything comes together in this book, although Marcus almost ignores what was happening in US at the time, he traces the roots of punk. His thesis is that the Sex Pistols' Anarchy for the UK/etc trace back to earlier ideas such as Dada, the SI, etc. He does a good job in dissecting what punk was without selling it out. Recommended for 30-something former punks AND for anyone currently 13-24."
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Punks : Street Revolution
by Stuart Coles [12/01]
"The companion volume to Mods and Rockers, Punks documents the history of that radical phenomenon which, 20 years after its birth, continues to grow. The first complete visual record of this characteristically visual movement, it recreates for fans old and new the dramatic experience of this street revolution. 208 photos."
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Up Yours! (UK only)
by Vernon Joynson (ed.) [9/01]
"25 years on from the punk explosion, this massive book provides a detailed guide to UK punk, new wave and early post punk. Concentrating primarily on the 1976-82 period, the book provides an A-Z listing of the relevant artistes with discographies, personnel details and, for most entries, band histories and comment on the music. Individual entries also include details of reissues and retrospective compilations. At the end of the book there are sections detailing many of the various artists compilations of this era and key record label discographies."
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Punk Diary : 1970-1979
by George Gimarc [8/94]
"Opening appropriately with the August 1970 release of the second LP by the Stooges (from whom sprang Iggy Pop), Gimarc's chronicle of the punk era is a day-by-day accounting of the formation (and often demise) of dozens of punk rock bands, their recordings and performances, and their many highlights (and lowlights, so to speak). The volatile reaction to the stale state of most 1970s rock, punk was a do-it-yourself movement that gave voices to a disenfranchised population of young rebels and nihilists. Although he does take a few important U.S. acts (the New York Dolls, Patti Smith, the Ramones, etc.) into account, Gimarc emphasizes UK punk, placing the most infamous punkers of all, the Sex Pistols featuring Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, at the center of his coverage--while also entertainingly, informatively treating the likes of the Clash, the Damned, XTC, Elvis Costello, the Cure, the Jam, and the Mekons. An excellent companion to Savage's England's Dreaming ."
Greg Shaw comments: George Gimarc, longtime Dallas DJ and longtime collaborator of John Lydon in his syndicated radio show and other projectsThis book, and its sequel, are the result of obsessive note-taking. He records, day by day, everything that was going on in the world of punk. It's a unique perspective that no student of the era should be without.
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Post Punk Diary : 1980-1982
by George Gimarc [10/97]
"This is an essential guide to the music that was called new wave and post punk. Not only is it thoroughly entertaining but a great reference source. It has all the acts from that era, from commercial to ridiculously obscure (Girls at Our Best, Hurrah!, Freshies, New Musik, et.al.) It comes with a bonus CD that has some nice interviews and snippets of featured artists' songs. "
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The Philosophy of Punk : More Than Noise
by Craig O'Hara [2/99]
"The Philosophy Of Punk is an awesome look at the underground scene, philosophies, history, political and social happenings of the punk movement. Craig shatters what the mass media portrays as punk and gives you the truth. No one can do it all but Craig does a pretty damn fine job. There are also some great pictures to boot. I can't say how good this book is. The Lithuanian authorities stopped the printers from distributing it in their country saying it was "a vile, rebellious, offensive document" so you know it is a good one. :-)
"Here are the chapter headings (after forward and intro) to give you a small glimpse: *Why Punk: Background Comparisons With Previous Art Movements; Some Defining Characteristics of Punk. *Media Misrepresentation: How Television, Glossy Magazines, And Mindless Media Have Done Their Best To Defang The Beast. *Skinheads And Racism: Who They Are, Where They're From And What Do They Have To Do With Punk Anyway. *Intra Movement Communication: Fanzines-Communication From The Xerox Machine To The Underground. *Anarchism: An Alternative To Existing Systems. What It Is And Why It Is Embraced By Punks All Over The World. The Failure Of "Bought And Paid For" Politicians Has Ensured A Counterculture Receptive To The Idea That We Would Be Better Off Without These Vampires. *Gender Issues: Sexism, Feminism and Open Homosexuality. *Environmentalism And Ecological Concerns: The Ideas And Techniques Of Earth First, ALF and Others Have Found A Comfortable Home In The Punk Scene. *Straight Edge: A Movement That Went From Being A Minor Threat To A Conservative Conformist No Threat. *DIY"
Greg Shaw review: I wonder if this is what Richard Hell and Malcolm McLaren had in mind....
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From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History For a Post-Punk World
by Clinton Heylin [6/93]
"This book illuminates the dark, underground history that preceded the spectacle now known as punk. It's so entertaining...so lucidly written... I could hardly sit it down...should be required reading for all pop culture classes concerned with rock and roll...and anyone who really loves the music."
Greg Shaw note: unless you think "punk" means "New York" and nothing else, this somewhat misleadingly-titled book may disappoint you. There is a much broader, less standardized perspective on what happened between Altamont and Anarchy--perhaps someday it'll be written. Meanwhile, here is the predictable tale of Velvets- Dolls- Patti- Ramones- Hell, thankfully filled with quotes from the principal characters.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Blank Generation Revisited : The Early Days of Punk Rock
by Roberta Bayley, Stephanie Chernikowski, George du Bose, Bob Gruen, Ebet Roberts, David Godlis [3/97]
"Six preeminent rock photographers reveal the photos that launched their careers--in the process, revealing the acts that launched modern rock. From the B-52s and Talking Heads to Richard Hell and Blondie, the influence of the legendary bands that shaped the punk rock movement continues to be heard in music as diverse as folk, rap, alternative, and heavy metal. 120 photos. "
Bomp review: Some of New York's best rock photographers, who were there at the beginning and captured it all, have put together some of their best work for this excellent book. Keep it by your side while reading "Please Kill Me"
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Illustrated Collectors Guide to Punk : Band by Band Documentof the Punk Era
by Dave Thompson [7/95]
"A collector's guide to punk is a huge undertaking, but Dave Thompson pulled it off. He made this book "Part One". "To be included in this book, a band needed to be actively recording (for radio or record) during the period 1976-1978," he wrote. He focused on the UK. By allowing himself to work within these parameters, Thompson made the book an easier read, as well as saving himself a lot of work. Thompson makes some outstanding points in his introduction that explain his take on the scene, and he invites readers to argue and "write the publisher long, well-reasoned letters about how 'x' should not have been included, while 'y' was a ghastly omission." Thompson acknowledges that punk is different to everyone.
"Meanwhile, the rest of the book includes useful information for collectors including descriptions of UK singles, UK albums, UK radio sessions and a fantastic label guide. He even lists the chart position of the releases at the end of each section. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into this book, and I recommend it highly. The book is designed to look like a double CD set, so it fits nicely in most CD racks. A fun extra."
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Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club: Popular Music and the Avant-Garde
by Bernard Gendron [4/02]
"Fairly readable as academic works go, some interesting discussions of the early days of punk rock and the music press, including Bomp itself."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
We Owe You Nothing, Punk Planet : The Collected Interviews
by Daniel Sinker [2/01]
"The first compilation of the riveting and provocative interviews of Punk Planet magazine, founded in 1994 and charging unbowed into the new millennium. Never lapsing into hapless nostalgia, these conversations with figures as diverse as Jello Biafra, Kathleen Hanna, Noam Chomsky, Henry Rollins, Sleater-Kinney, Ian MacKaye, and many more provide a unique perspective into American punk rock and all that it has inspired (and confounded). Not limited to conversations with musicians, the book includes vital interviews with political organizers, punk entrepreneurs, designers, film-makers, writers, illustrators, and artists of many different media. Punk Planet has consistently explored the crossover of punk with activism, and reflects the currents of the underground while simultaneously challenging the bleak centerism of today's popular American culture."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Punk Rock: So What? The Cultural Legacy of Punk
by Roger Sabin (Ed.) [5/99]
"This text brings together a different generation of academics, writers and journalists to provide a comprehensive assessment of punk and its place in popular music history, culture and myth. The contributors, who include Suzanne Moore, Lucy O'Brien, Andy Medhurst, Mark Sinker and Paul Cobley, challenge standard views of punk prevalent since the 1970s. They: re-situate punk in its historical context, analyzing the possible origins of punk in the New York art scene and Manchester clubs as well as in Malcolm McClaren's brain; question whether punk deserves its reputation as an anti-fascist, anti-sexist movement which opened up opportunities for women musicians and fans alike; trace punk's long-lasting influence on comics, literature, art and cinema as well as music and fashion, from films such as Sid and Nancy and The Great Rock n Roll Swindle to work by contemporary artists such as Gavin Turk and Sarah Lucas; and discuss the role played by such key figures as Johnny Rotten, Richard Hell, Malcolm McClaren, Mark E. Smith and Viv Albertine. This text kicks over the statues of many established beliefs about the meaning of punk, concluding that, if anything, punk was more culturally significant than anybody has yet suggested, but perhaps for different reasons."
"To say this book is a disapointment is an understatement. Give academics free rein to discuss Punk and this is the claptrap you get. Half baked intellectual theorising that can't make up its mind whether it's Rock criticism or Sociology. It could have been so good. Instead Sabin (a heavy metal fan who liked Wire because the songs were easy to learn!) invites people to discuss various issues and come to conclusions. Sabin himself tries to debunk the myth that punk wasn't racist. One of his premises is 'that punk didn't stand up for the Asians' so it wasn't totally anti- racist. When are people going to understand. Punk = music. No 76-79 punk band spouted any racist shit in any of their songs and that includes Skrewdriver. The examples he gives are ludicrous -- Art Attacks, Adam & The Ants -- and his selective quoting and distortion from fanzines like Ripped & Torn is not a recognised academic process but more akin to fitting the facts to theories. Steal it for articles on punk fashion, the birth of punkand a few photos." --www.punk77.uk/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranters & Crowd Pleasers : Punk in Pop Music 1977-92
by Greil Marcus [Doubleday 4/94, 438pp.]
"Marcus succeeds in articulating in print what was so wonderful about bands like Gang of Four, the Raincoats, X-Ray Spex, the Clash, etc. There is something truly significant captured in that music between 1976-late 1980s called 'punk,' and the author explains it unlike no other in this collection of previously-published articles."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Adulterers Anonymous
by Lydia Lunch, Exene Cervenka [11/96]
Poetry from the two most outrageous punk sirens of both coasts.
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Kiss This: Punk in the Present Tense
Gina Arnold [10/97]
"Argues that the art form punk has been slowly annihilated by the likes of Courtney Love, Geffen Records, Lollapalooza and, surprisingly, the Sex Pistols. The text goes on to contend that the music industry exploits to the point of extinction every manifestation of pop culture that appears."
"Someone was bound to write a book-length polemic decrying the commercialization of punk, and Gina Arnold is just to firebrand to do it...Unsparing, caustic, and cogent, Arnold's impassioned argument rings out like a cry in the pop-cultural wilderness."
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Break All Rules! : Punk Rock and the Making of a Style
by Tricia Henry [6/90]
"A superficial, outsider's book on the development of punk rock from the Velvet Underground to the Sex Pistols. Also discusses Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Patti Smith, the Ramones, and others. This book is basically a fashion-oriented view of the punk scene, privately published. Lots of pictures of people sporting safety pins and looking most stylish. Not only that, it stops at about 1981 with almost no mention of any US bands whatsoever."
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20th Century Rock and Roll : Punk
by Dave Thompson [8/00]
"The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Vibrators, The Buzzcocks, and many more, they're all here, with stories, records and facts that will make you feel more in touch with what they're all about about.Complete with interview excerpts, discographies and a lot of detail, this book is about the people who made the music - where they came from, where they're going, and why they did what they did, and do what they do. To fully understand Punk music, you have to understand Punk people. This book will show the way."
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Real Conversations, No. 1: The Death of Independent Everything
by V. Vale, Henry Rollins, Billy Childish, Jello Biafra, et al [RE/Search 4/01, 180pp.]
"The interviews in this book shed light into the world of independent media existence (making and promoting one's music, books art) and how it relates to these four famous figures. The Rollins interview is interesting in that both the interviewer and Rollins admit to having poor book sales up front. From there they go into the state of independent book sales, and readers will learn a lot about the practices of book sales (a lot of stuff I didn't know at least.) The Biafra interview was politically charged, as one would expect, and did mention a little bit about his lawsuit with the ex-Kennedys. It also discusses his involvement in the WTO protests in Seattle a while back. Lawrence Ferlinghetti's interview is particularly interesting because he has such philosophical insight into the world. He discusses how the pursuit of fame affected Allen Ginsburg, and the way the Internet is affecting book sales. Also, Billy Childish discusses punk principles and the do it yourself ethic to some extent. If you're interested even mildly in any of the people interviewed in this book, I would highly recommend it. Although it sometimes strays from the subject at hand (being independent in the corporate world), it lends insight into the way these people think, which I think is just as important."
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Album Cover Art of Punk
by Burkhardt Seiler [12/98]
"Foreword by Malcolm McLaren. Hundreds of color illustrations of classic punk albums and singles, including: Misfits, Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Cure, Blondie, Bauhaus, Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, The Residents, The Cramps and many more. Album themes include monsters, necrophilism, teeth, and vampires."-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Planet Joe
by Joe Cole [12/96]
"I learned about Joe Cole and 'Planet Joe' from reading Henry Rollins' books, particularly Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag. Planet Joe is a collection of Joe Cole's (long time friend of Rollins' until he was murdered in 1991) tour journals as a roadie during the final Black Flag tours. Cole's writing shows a young man who comes from a difficult upbringing, who managed to survive the strangeness of his home life and now dreams of adventure. His desire to elevate himself and define himself from everyday people is inspiring and strengthening. Cole leaves none of his thoughts unwritten & puts the truth out onto the table. From first and last experimentations with drugs, the struggle to move forward, hard times, friendships on the road and the adventures that spawned from the travels, this book will keep your eye and leave you wanting to read more. I only wish that I could have met Joe Cole as so many of his thoughts in this collection of journals are just like my own.'-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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