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Review

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. A little too pedantic for punk.By C. BurkhalterThere is one fantastic essay in this collection; "I wont let that dago by: Rethinking punk and racism;" by Roger Sabin. Its totally great; and I think its mandatory reading for anyone interested in punk. Other than that essay though....Well; I picked this book up from the library hoping to get a little more context for the 1970s UK punk scene. Listening to Gang of Four; Sham 69; and Stiff Little Fingers day after day; I wanted some specifics. I wanted Margaret Thatcher horror stories and shocking welfare statistics. This book really doesnt do that. Furthermore; it kinda reads like a bunch of professors waxing nostalgiac about listening to the Rezillos and buying bondage pants. Id have been better served re-reading the liner notes to Crasss "Best Before." This book might be a good resource if youre writing a paper on punk; but its not much use for someone with a general interest; and it doesnt touch much at all on social or political issues; which to me seem crucial to UK punk. But do check out that Sabin essay!4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Nick Knox was in The Cramps; not The Vibrators...By A CustomerWhen I first found this book I was suspicious; expecting a disaster of misunderstanding and pedantic musings that miss the point (and soul) of the vital underground/independent rock music of the mid to late 1970s. I myself have problems with the label punk; a term Im old enough to associate with 1960s garage rock. In the liner notes he wrote for the classic 1972 Nuggets compilation of garage and pop peculiarities; Lenny Kaye used the term punk to describe the sounds and mindset of those 1960s gems. Academics and journalists engaging rock music always has its risks (Greil Marcus pretentious Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century; for example; which gets some well-deserved criticism in the chapter Im about to recommend). But I bought Punk Rock: So What? for a great a chapter that REALLY gets it right; Chewing out a rhthym on my bubble-gum: The teenage aesthetic and geneologies of American punk; by Bill Osgerby. He explores among other things the connections between bubble gum; the Monkees; and the Ramones; sidesteps any pretentious musings; and provides useful insights. The book is worth it for those valuable insights into the connections and influences of some great; inspired and timeless music. By the way; drummer Nick Knox was a member of The Cramps; not The Vibrators; as mistakenly written on page 206; in a chapter by someone else. The name of the singer/guitarist in The Vibrators was simply Knox; one word only. I saw The Vibrators; the original Ramones; and others in that halcyon year of 1977; and The Cramps some years after that. And bless ya; Nick; wherever you are. Thanks for your contribution to some brilliant and timeless music. Oh; uh; pardon my momentary stroll down memory lane. This book will help to capture some of the essence of that essential cute noise (Marc Bolans description of mid seventies punk rock) and its surrounding aesthetics.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Uneven but interesting ideasBy DogrrrlA collection of essays; primarily about the British scene. The writing is very uneven; which gets in the way of some interesting ideas. In particular I appreciate the inclusion of essays on gender and race; as these issues are usually glossed over in books on punk. I also liked to essay on regional British punk in contrast to London; and the influences of surf garage music and comix on American punk. These would be best as starting points for discussion; as each is fairly short; and has shortcomings.