Best of
Punk

2006

Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer


Chris Salewicz - 2006
    Indebted to rockabilly, reggae, Memphis soul, cowboy justice, and '60s protest, the overtly political band railed against war, racism, and a dead-end economy, and in the process imparted a conscience to punk. Their eponymous first record and" London Calling" still rank in Rolling Stone's top-ten best albums of all time, and in 2003 they were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Strummer was the Clash's front man, a rock-and-roll hero seen by many as the personification of outlaw integrity and street cool. The political heart of the Clash, Strummer synthesized gritty toughness and poetic sensitivity in a manner that still resonates with listeners, and his untimely death in December 2002 shook the world, further solidifying his iconic status. Music journalist Chris Salewicz was a friend to Strummer for close to three decades and has covered the Clash's career and the entire punk movement from its inception. With exclusive access to Strummer's friends, relatives, and fellow musicians, Salewicz penetrates the soul of an icon. He uses his vantage point to write the definitive biography of Strummer, charting his enormous worldwide success, his bleak years in the wilderness after the Clash's bitter breakup, and his triumphant return to stardom at the end of his life. In the process, Salewicz argues for Strummer's place in a long line of protest singers that includes Woody Guthrie, John Lennon, and Bob Marley, and examines by turns Strummer's and punk's ongoing cultural influence.

Punk Rock: An Oral History


John Robb - 2006
    You didn't wait for someone to come and discover you. That was the most important thing that came out of punk... We came home and we cut our hair and bought skinny trousers. It was year zero. That was the moment for me' Billy BraggPunk Rock is a book like no other. It is an oral history of a radical movement which exploded in Seventies Britain. With its own clothes, hair, artwork, fanzines and radical politics, Punk boasted a DIY ethos that meant anyone could take part. The scene was uniquely vibrant and energetic, leaving an extraordinary legacy of notorious events, charismatic characters and inspirational music. John Robb has spent over a year interviewing more than 100 contributors including Glen Matlock, Mick Jones, Don Letts, Slash, Billy Bragg, Hugh Cornwell and Captain Sensible. Now, for the first time, they give the inside view on events such as The Sex Pistols' swearing live on the Bill Grundy TV show and staging their anti-Jubilee riverboat party on the Thames, famous gigs at The Roxy and 100 Club, and the groundbreaking records by The Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and others.From the widely debated roots of punk in the late-Sixties through to the fallout of the post-punk period in 1984, and the ongoing influence on today's bands, Punk Rock is the definitive oral history of an inimitable and exciting movement.

Surfing Armageddon: Fishnets, Fascists, and Body Fluids in Florida


George Tabb - 2006
    In Surfing Armageddon, Tabb shares his painfully funny recollections of teenage rebellion, family turmoil, and an abusive father with black humor and real humanity.

Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music


Philip Auslander - 2006
    Glam rock was outrageous and overtly theatrical, and its unforgettable characters-adorned with flamboyant costumes and heavy makeup and accompanied by elaborately constructed sets-were personified by performers such as Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, and Suzi Quatro. A sea change in rock performance had occurred.Yet glam was as much about substance as style, and Performing Glam Rock delves into the many ways glam paved the way for new explorations of identity in terms of gender, sexuality, and performance. Philip Auslander positions glam historically and examines it as a set of performance strategies, exploring the ways in which glam rock-while celebrating the showmanship of 1950s rock and roll-began to undermine rock's adherence to the ideology of authenticity in the late 1960s. In this important study of a too-often-overlooked phenomenon, Auslander takes a fresh look at the genius of the glam movement and introduces glam to a new generation of performance enthusiasts and scholars alike.Philip Auslander is Professor in the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology and author of numerous books, including Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture and Presence and Resistance: Postmodernism and Cultural Politics in Contemporary American Performance. He is editor of the major reference work Performance: Critical Concepts and coeditor, with Carrie Sandahl, of Bodies in Commotion: Disability and Performance.

Blondie Unseen 1976-1980


Roberta Bayley - 2006
    Shot by Roberta Bayley, one of the New York punk scene’s most prominent photographers, the photographs chronicle the band from its earliest days, performing before hard-to-please crowds at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, to global superstardom at the end of the 1970s. At every stage, Bayley was present to record Blondie’s swift, dramatic rise to the top. Featuring 235 candid photographs, many previously unpublished, Blondie Unseen 1976-1980 offers a fly-on-the-wall visual perspective of life with the band during these tumultuous years. Bayley’s talent for being in the right place at the right time ensures that her photographs capture the truth of the moment in a dramatic and revealing manner. The images, enhanced and complemented by Bayley’s own first-hand descriptions, provide an inimitable evocation of one of pop culture’s most creative and exciting periods.

The Encyclopedia of Punk


Brian Cogan - 2006
    But the reality of punk stretches over three decades and numerous countries, with a history as rich and varied as it is shocking and daring. With this lavishly illustrated and authoritative A-Z guide, Brian Cogan leads readers through the fiery history of a furious, rebellious, contradictory, and boundary-redefining musical genre and cultural movement that remains as massively influential as it is wildly misunderstood. As The Encyclopedia of Punk clearly proves, punk music and culture has produced a rich trove of material, above and beyond the hundreds of bands, from books and films to incendiary political movements.

The Salivation Army Black Book (1996 2006)


Scott Treleaven - 2006
    Bound into a soft black embossed cover and adorned with three black ribbon bookmarks and black gilt edges, the book features 345 pages of facsimiles of the zine, expanded texts, new collages, and prefaces by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Scott Treleaven. With its unique combination of punk aesthetics, Blakean mysticism and sexually explicit, radical queer posturing, the zine immediately attracted press, suspicion, and a loyal cult following. During its initial three year run, the Salivation Army spawned a number of spin-off zines, set up headquarters in Toronto, Prague, London, and New York, and held a series of public and private occultural events aimed at putting the Army’s magical theory into practice. Co-published by Art Metropole, Toronto and Printed Matter, NYC in a signed and numbered edition of 666 that includes sixty copies with a limited edition silkscreen insert, and six deluxe edition copies with collaged silkscreens.

Punk: The Whole Story


Mark Blake - 2006
    

Blight at the End of the Funnel


Edward Colver - 2006
    For over 25 years, Colver has been one of the main documentarians of the Southern California punk rock scene. This book serves both as catalog to Colver's retrospective show at the Grand Central Art Center Main Gallery at Cal State Fullerton, and as a testament to his impressive career. The exhibition runs from July 1 - August 20, 2006, yet this book is a timeless coffee table album on one of the 20th century's most important underground photographers. He was visible at every punk show within a seventy-mile radius from downtown LA to Riverside County. He was trusted, so his photographs were a part of what was going on rather than being the images of an outsider merely observing. -- Cynthia Murphy Photographer's Forum Edward Colver was the preeminent Los Angeles Punk photographer.... He's one of the most important photographers.--Steven Blush, author, American Hardcore

Getting There - Punk Rock Tour Diaries: Volume One


T.V. Smith - 2006
    Where to go next? Not knowing what to expect, TV set out on a serious of unpublicised, low budget solo tours through Europe, and in this book recounts his life-affirming and frequently hilarious experiences of what it's really like to be on the road, destination unknown. Punk Rock Tour Diaries: Volume One Starring!! The Adverts! Attila The Stockbroker! Tom Robinson! Die Toten Hosen! Punk Lurex OK! Santa Claus! Henry Rollins! Garden Gang! The UK Subs! Sid Vicious (the dog)! .and a cast of thousands!!