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Title: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain ISBN: 0-14-026690-9 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: September, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (80 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Blunt, crude and utterly original, the best punk history yet
Comment: Over the years there have been so many people and bands who have claimed to carry the "punk" banner that it's essence and spirit has been diluted into marketing babble. This book sets the record straight on the origins, practitioners and locations that defined what punk was all about. The narrative here is unadulterated and incredibly engrossing.
While you may think about some of these icons differently after reading this book, you cannot deny the incendiary creativity and raw lust for life in these New York and Detroit punk pioneers. At times simultaneously hilarious, repulsive and depressing, this book is a fascinating historical trip through the '60's and '70's. Say what you will, but these folks walked the talk like no one else in rock and roll before or since.
Finally, the bare bones, tell-it-in-their-own-words style here is refreshing and free of over-interpretation. Like punk itself, it avoids hyperbole and reflection and just tells it like it was, warts and all. Thanks to McNeil & McCain for such a terrific read. Some recent artists who claim to be punk should read this and just be ashamed of themselves...
Rating: 5
Summary: "It's about gesture, and shock tactic" (Mary Harron)
Comment: I wanted to read a comprehensive history of Punk Music, so I ordered a copy of "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk." I imagined that I was going to read a book that started with a sentence along the lines of "Punk Rock music started in..." blah, blah, blah. So I was initially a little disappointed in the format of "Please Kill Me", but as I read more, the book's style grew on me.
"Please Kill Me" is written in anecdotal style with absolutely no editorial comments. The book is essentially quote after quote from the movers and shakers in the music industry. Contributors include--the musicians, their girlfriends and boyfriends, groupies, wives, record producers, roadies, journalists, and hangers-on.
My purpose was to learn more about Punk Rock, and "Please Kill Me" certainly helped me to achieve that goal. Before reading this book, my impression was that Punk Rock started with the Sex Pistols. I learned I was wrong--Punk Magazine, for example was in existence prior to the Sex Pistols. The book begins with quotes about the music industry beginning in 1965 and traces the roots of Punk--the major bands--the musicians, and the book concludes in the mid-90s. There's a lot of information here about the Doors, Iggy Pop, the Ramones, the New York Dolls, and many, many others. The book concentrates on the music scene in America, and the American roots of Punk before moving on to explore the British Punk scene. Quotes from Malcolm McLaren are quite explicit when he describes how he was influenced by his management of the New York Dolls. McLaren describes his desire to take the "politics of boredom" back to England, and he also cites the influence of Richard Hell on the Sex Pistols: "this image of this guy, this spiky hair, everything about it--there was no question that I'd take it back to London." The book includes quotes regarding the differences between British and American Punk. Some of the best analyses come from Mary Harron (Punk Magazine) and Malcolm McLaren (manager of the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols).
The book also spent quite a bit of time explaining the club scene in America--and I read probably more than I wanted to read about who vomited in whose toilet. Some of the quotes were not very important--but others were very nicely linked (and relevant) to others.
I couldn't help but find myself gathering impressions of many of the high-profile musicians--Lou Reed. Patti Smith, Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop, for example. A great deal was said about each one, and after a while, certain trends became apparent.
At the end of the book is a "Cast of Characters." Everyone who is mentioned in the book is alphabetically listed here--along with a short explanation of who they were, their involvement, and the date of the death (if applicable). Many people quoted in the book are now dead. I'm rather surprised any are still alive after reading about the drug and alcohol binges. The "Cast of Characters" is invaluable. When I first started reading the book, I was completely lost, and I had to flip to the back of the book so that I could place the quote, but after a while, I didn't have to do this quite as much. The "Cast of Characters" is a great source for additional reading too. I picked up several more book suggestions from this resource. If you want to learn more about Punk music or the music scene, I heartily recommend "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk."--displacedhuman
Rating: 5
Summary: Great read.
Comment: Please Kill Me is a fantastic and highly entertaining exploration of the early American punk rock'n'roll scene. This is the REAL history of punk baby! Killer interviews with the true heroes of punk about the crazy exploits and wild times in mid to late 70's New York. Please Kill Me features lots of interviews with members of The New York Dolls, Heartbreakers,Ramones, The Dictators, the founders of Punk magazine and many, many more people that were part of the CBGBs scene.
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Title: The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise by Craig O'Hara ISBN: 1873176163 Publisher: AK Pr Distribution Pub. Date: February, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution by Stephen Colegrave, Chris Sullivan ISBN: 156025369X Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 10 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: We Got the Neutron Bomb : The Untold Story of L.A. Punk by Marc Spitz, Brendan Mullen ISBN: 0609807749 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 13 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: England's Dreaming : Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond by Jon Savage ISBN: 0312288220 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 18 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad ISBN: 0316787531 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 02 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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