Best of
Punk

2009

I Slept With Joey Ramone


Mickey Leigh - 2009
    Fast and frenetic in their leather jackets and torn jeans, the Ramones gave voice to the disaffected youth of the seventies and eighties, influenced countless bands, and inspired the counterculture for decades to come. Born Jeffry Hyman of Queens, New York, Joey Ramone was the quirky, extraordinary lead singer and cofounder of the band. Hiding his face behind signature sunglasses and a mop of dark hair, he helped define punk's early image, and his two-decade-plus tenure as the Ramones' front man made him unforgettable. Told by Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh, "I Slept with Joey Ramone" provides an intimate look at the turbulent life of one of America's greatest -- and unlikeliest -- music icons.With honesty, humor, and grace, Mickey shares the fascinating, sometimes troubling story of growing up with an emotionally distressed brother who becomes a rock star and the effect it had on their family. He shows how Joey used music to cope with mental illness; embraced the glam nightlife of the New York scene; launched CBGB alongside bands like the Talking Heads and Blondie; and brought punk to Britain, clashing with the Sex Pistols and changing music history.Ultimately, betrayal and infighting would end the band. While the music lives on for new generations to discover, "I Slept with Joey Ramone" is the enduring portrait of a man who struggled to find his voice and of the brother who loved him.

Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag


Stevie Chick - 2009
    Throughout the years they fought with the police, record industry and their own fans. This is the band's story from the inside, drawing upon exclusive interviews with the group's members, their contemporaries and the groups who were inspired by them. It's also the story of American hardcore music, from the perspective of the group who did more to take the sound to the clubs, squats and community halls in American than any other.

Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling


Marcus Gray - 2009
    Even its cover—the instantly recognizable image of Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar—has attained iconic status, inspiring countless imitations and even being voted the best rock ’n’ roll photograph ever by Q magazine.Now the breakthrough album from the foremost band of the punk era gets the close critical eye it deserves. Marcus Gray examines London Calling from every vantage imaginable, from the recording sessions and the state of the world it was recorded in to the album’s long afterlife, bringing new levels of understanding to one of punk rock’s greatest achievements. Leaving no detail unexplored, he provides a song-by-song breakdown covering when each was written and where, what inspired each song, and what in turn each song inspired, making this book a must-read for Clash fans.

Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day


Jack Boulware - 2009
    Gimme Something Better brings this outrageous and influential punk scene to life, from the notorious final performance of the Sex Pistols, to Jello Biafra's bid for mayor, the rise of Maximum RocknRoll magazine, and the East Bay pop-punk sound that sold millions around the globe. Throngs of punks, including members of the Dead Kennedys, Avengers, Flipper, MDC, Green Day, Rancid, NOFX, and AFI, tell their own stories in this definitive account, from the innovative art-damage of San Francisco's Fab Mab in North Beach, to the still vibrant all-ages DIY ethos of Berkeley?s Gilman Street. Compiled by longtime Bay Area journalists Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor, Gimme Something Better chronicles more than two decades of punk music, progressive politics, social consciousness, and divine decadence, told by the people who made it happen.

Trapped in a Scene: UK Hardcore 1985–1989: Frontline Reports from the Hardcore Punk Underground


Ian Glasper - 2009
    Emerging from the wreckage of the anarcho-punk scene spawned by the likes of Crass and Conflict, it took its influences from the studs 'n' leather punk bands of the early 1980s such as Discharge and GBH, as well as the nascent American hardcore movement and the emerging metal/punk crossover scene. Filtered through some through fiercely DIY aesthetics, there was a potent movement that spawned such seminal acts as Napalm Death, ENT, the Stupids, and Heresy. With the backing of John Peel and an unwavering work ethic, these bands, and the labels that launched them—such as Earache and Peaceville—pushed musical boundaries into new and previously unexplored avenues of extremity. Ian Glasper digs deeper than anyone has previously dared into a subculture that was as manic, exciting, innovative, and defiant as anything before or since. Constructed upon meticulously gathered firsthand accounts and heaving with exclusive never-before-seen photographs, here is the definitive document on UKHC.

Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits


Zoë Street Howe - 2009
    Author Zoe Street Howe speaks to The Slits themselves, to former manager Don Letts, mentor and PIL guitarist Phil Levene and many other friends and colleagues to discover exactly how The Slits phenomenon came about and to celebrate the legacy of a seminal band long overdue its rightful acclaim.

The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1978-1996


John Robb - 2009
    The real story of the Manchester music scene in the words of the musicians, promoters, club owners, managers and pundits.