1 comments about Punk Rock: An Oral History.

1. With Please Kill Me!(NYC) & We've got the Neutron Bomb!(LA) Everyone complained that there was Very little, if Anything, like those about the UK punk scene. John Robb's Oral History of the UK punk world puts those Complaints to sleep!
   Lots of Great interviews, great Stars & Scenesters with Real Insight to what is was Like back then in the UK in the Early to Mid seventies. Seems like Everyone gets a Say, but Very little Repetition of Key Facts, Dates & Milestones. The Best known bands are covered(Sex Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks) But Great info about Other (unfairly) lesser known Forces of Nature: Like The Stranglers, The Damned, X-Ray Spex, Dr. Feelgood, & More!
   Dive in & Then Dive into what you've been missing out on!
   Always Nice to get a Good Book!

5 comments about Beige.

1. Beige/Katy is dumped into the Punk rock scene with her father in L.A. and is a fish out of water. But she figures it out. That was the fun part. The really great stuff, though, is the characters and their relationships with each other. I fell in love with Rat, despite his weird hair and inability to dress himself. I liked Lake Suck in the end, which is a trick because at the beginning she is very unlikeable. Cecil is so good at this, making you love characters you think you must hate. She did the same thing in Queen of Cool.
   
   Buy this book! You'll be glad you did.



2. When Katy is shipped off to Los Angeles to live with her father for the summer, she is less than pleased. Why couldn't she stay in Canada, or go with her sensible mother on her trip? After all, her father is Beau Ratner, the aging punk rocker known by his fans as "The Rat."
   
   Katy is not a punk rock kind of girl. She's not even a music kind of girl. Katy's a good girl. Even if that means keeping it all inside. Even if that means hating everything to do with music--everything that, all those years ago, made her mother run off, do drugs, sleep with "The Rat," and get pregnant with Katy.
   
   BEIGE is a fantastic novel, and Cecil Castellucci is a very talented writer. Her characters are wonderfully real and fresh. Her story is absorbing enough to be read all in one sitting (so start this one on an empty Saturday!). BEIGE is an honest, real, intelligent, and very well-written book for music lovers and those of us who can't tell the difference between the great and the popular alike!
   
   It's a good music story, sure, but, more than that, it's a wonderful and amazingly good life story. BEIGE is one of my top picks for 2007 so far, and I'm definitely moving Cecil Castellucci's other two teen novels (Boy Proof and The Queen of Cool) up on my to-read list.
   
   Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce



3. Katy's summer vacation is not exactly what she had in mind. When her mother goes to Peru for an archaeological dig, Katy is exiled from her beloved home of Montreal to crazy Los Angeles with her stranger-than-strange father, who she hasn't seen since she was seven years old. The last time he visited her and her mom, he was caught trying to bring drugs into Canada. Now he's banned from that country for life.
   
   Both Katy's parents are recovering addicts who met in the world of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Beau Ratner (aka "The Rat") was the drummer for the infamous band, Suck. When her mother (who was a groupie) got pregnant, she moved to Montreal and got clean. It took years for The Rat to give up drugs, and his only real relationship with his daughter has been through emails, phone calls and letters.
   
   Katy feels like a fish out of water in L.A. She is a nice, polite girl who smiles even when she's unhappy. She doesn't like music and would rather spend her time reading books from the library. When she first sees her dad's band perform at a party, she feels sick. "They yell beside me and around me while I shrink to the smallest size I ever was. Small like a child. Like a frightened mouse."
   
   The Rat's best friend and bandmate, Sam Suck, has a teenage daughter, Lake, who gets bribed with gift certificates to Guitar Center to spend time with Katy. Lake Suck is into music, has her own band and writes manifestos on her rehearsal space's wall. As a commentary on Katy's very unpunkrock style, Lake nicknames her "Beige." And in L.A. that is exactly how Katy feels. Very, very beige.
   
   As her summer unfurls, however, Katy encounters many surprises. She learns more about her family history and her father, but also realizes that she doesn't have to be that polite, smiling, beige girl all the time. Maybe it's okay to live the punk rock lifestyle every once in a while and let things out.
   
   BEIGE is a quirky, fun read with characters that burst off the page. The plight of Katy is sad yet funny, and will grip readers from start to finish. The multitalented Cecil Castellucci is a musician herself who clearly knows the music-related material well, which makes the story truly realistic. Teens will enjoy the mix-CD-type chapter heads that list names of artists and songs. Also, there is a bit of punk rock history scattered throughout the book.
   
   --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson



4. I realllly wanted to love this book - for many reasons.
   
   First, any book with the topic of addiction is bound to be interesting.
   Secondly, the book mentions Montreal quite a lot.
   
   I reallly did not like this book - for many reasons.
   
   First, the addiction aspect is glossed over - despite the fact that it is the core reason this family is so disrupted. The author tries to sprinkle 12 step stuff in there - such as HALT. Nice try, but since there is very little set up to begin with, in this novel, about the whole addiction issue related to the main character - " I was once on heroin - now I kicked it" and so few other references to 12 step - that the whole thing just feels like a cheap plot ploy. By the way, I doubt many adolescents will "get" what HALT really means. Time might have been better spent talking about the main character's addiction issue and slowly introducing the 12 step aspect to the reader.
   
   Secondly, where to start with the whole Montreal thing? First of all, although I appreciate the author actualy spelling Montréal correctly (with the accents)every other French word in this book is without the accents. Small detail but if you are going to use French as your background and since I am French Canadian - its important to me. Also, if you are English speaking in Québec - you do not use those ridiculous French swear words - I swear to you!!!! It feels as though the author used every gimicky trick she could think of to refer to Montréal. Poutine - only available in Québec - like Montréal is only known for its cheese curds???? I suppose I should be grateful she does not refer to the Olympic Stadium roof! By the way, who the heck goes shopping for clothes at les Cours Mt-Royal - especially for back to school clothes - unless this family is made of money!!!!
   
   Maybe i am being petty here - but the devil is in the details and the author is off base here.
   
   As for the actual storyline - yeah its pretty --- should I say it? Beige.



5. Beige is an amazing read. When I started reading the book, I didn't think I was going to be able to relate to any of the characters. The roster contains Katy, our narrator, who let's face it, is one of those typical teen girls who never sticks up for herself and represses all her feelings, keeping them bottled up until she explodes. I hate characters like that. Then there's the free-spirited mom, totally oblivious to her daughter's pain. There's the father who never grew up. And then we have Lake, who is one of those people that thinks "really original" can only mean one thing. That goes around insulting everyone who isn't punk.
   
   But Castellucci treats her characters with a velvet glove. You get inside their heads and see the true heart through the rough edges.
   
   Katy is going to spend the summer with the RAT, her punk rocker father who is the drummer for a once infamous band named Suck. She would much rather be in Peru with her free-spirited mother, excavating caves and stuff.
   
   The Rat lives in a hovel hole of an apartment and is totally wrapped up in making Suck live again. He bribes the daughter of Sam Suck, Lake, into "baby-sitting" Katy during the day. Lake thinks Katy is totally boring and beige. Katy quietly goes about her business, biding her time until her Mom might call and say it's time to go home. But when that call gets delayed, Katy has to survive on her own in a world that feels foreign. Katy spends her days listening to the musical hopes of Lake and being schooled in the way of the punk.
   
   The book is about Katy creating her own version of original and sticking to it. I was very happy that she didn't just become punk. She learns the Sam Suck punk mantra, but she doesn't just jump on the bandwagon. And she comes up with her own way of making music.
   
   The best think about Beige is that you could hand this book to so many teens. Your razor-edged teens will enjoy the punk scene, while more conservative minded teens will relate to Katy's feelings of being an outsider in this environment. I think guys will enjoy it, too. Each chapter lists the name of a band and song that teens could listen to while they are reading the book.

5 comments about The Taqwacores: A Novel.

1. Michael Mohammed Knight converted to Islam as a teenager and spent a few months in Pakistan learning the hardcore version. After a later spiritual crisis, he has reincarnated as the leading spokesman of punk-islam.
   Always fun to read, loaded with more Islamic references and Arabic phrases than a jihadi manifesto from Tora Bora, this book rocks. Blasphemous and funny, occasionally preachy, never dull.....definitely worth buying.



2. WOW. This is one of the most brilliant books i've ever read! Who would have thought that two things like Islam and Punk rock could ever overlap, let alone be combined in such a genius way. From the radical feminist in full burqa(her burqa is covered with band patches!), to the straightedge punk with Qur'an verses tattooed on him, to the mohawked drunk punk who plays the call to prayer on electric guitar from the roof of the house...this book is just genius in every detail! The only problem i can imagine is that he uses A LOT of arabic terms and Islamic references which may be hard to understand if you don't have background knowledge about Islam. But READ IT ANYWAY! Find somebody you can ask if you need the terms defined for you. This book is worth the time! (p.s.the word "fasiq" means "pervert") Not exactly for the conservative thinker...BEWARE, you will need to think outside the box on this one. Though the end result is something that is unexplainably...blasphemously reverent, dogma-smashingly righteous...what can one say?...allahu akbar!



3. This fun, smart, sexy, Muslim-American, punk rock novel is one of the best fictional books I've read in ages! The characters, the plot and its pro-feminist, queer-positive, anticapitalist politics will captivate you! Frankly, once I started the book I couldn't put it down! The ending is pure genius. At a time when anti-Muslim xenophobia is sweeping the country, this book is a necessary intervention. I can't wait for Knight to write another book!



4. Knight's novel is a brilliant blend of reality and imagination. Character development is richly textured and his descriptive prose paints a vibrant texture that will stay with the reader long after reading the novel. The potential for Islamic cultural influences on very familiar popular cultural scenes is elegantly framed and cleverly nuanced leaving one with the sense of being wrapped in a world of the imminently possible rather than being in just an idiosyncratic world of a remarkably creative imagination. This book is a hidden gem that both shares and inspires new visions of tolerance and acceptance amidst the blood and gore found in the realities of recent American imperialism.



5. It is refreshing to read a Muslim novel, yes, Muslim novel, rather than, say, a Christian or a Jewish novel. The novelistic form rose from Christian, Puritan roots and, so, the Muslim novel may well have resonances with that form.
   
   However, "The Taqwacores" appears to be a novel about immaturity, Western struggle for young, unconnected Muslims who have an innocent purity of 'Deen' or religion.
   
   Breaking so many taboos in Islamic culture about music, co-habitual relations, social behaviour, religious practice (women leading the Kutbah or prayer meeting, for example) that it makes for an uneasy, revolutionary and iconoclastic reading for the traditional Muslim critic. One wonders if Michael Muhammad Knight will be taken as an apostate.
   
   Young people do make music, do wear tatoos and Mohican haircuts, do pray behind women and do take the prophet's name in vain, but let them do so until they come to see that there are aberrations, and that Islam calls for righteousness, plain living, clean family relations and normalised sexuality.
   Jaffer

5 comments about The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime (33 1/3).

1. Fournier, aside from proving years and years of fanhood and research for this book, has proven himself a biographical writer worth noting. His writing contains more relevant and interesting material than I could have asked for, while managing to trap my interest for pages on end. A worthy investment for anyone, whether a new or life long Minutemen fanatic.



2. This 33 1/3 was a lot of fun to read. The Minutemen are one of those bands who have a wall of in-jokes around them that both insulate them from listeners as well as appeals to them. Fournier does a great job of digging deep and asking the right questions to his interviewees, so in the end there's not that diminishing effect of someone explaining a joke to you. Good stuff!



3. It's nice to know that at least one other Concord resident finds this record worthy of such great praise. Although I was bit skeptical of such a youngster dissecting one of my all-time faves, Mr. Fournier's well-researched and interesting take on Double Nickles makes it well worth a read for any fan (even casual) of The Minutemen. Not much new ground is covered about the band, but that makes little difference. Fournier is deft at casting a critcal eye on the sprawling 2LP set, while not falling into too many fanboy musings, unlike other books in this series. So run out and buy this. And Michael, next time your in C-town, look me up and I'll fill you in on some humorous Watt stories from our many conversations during the 1980's and 90's.



4. An excellent read, quite econo in its own right. With a great level of detail, shared in an interesting fashion, this is the best of the 33 1/3 books I've read to date, and will keep me looking for more of them. I loved the fact that they took so much effort to get the cover shot just right for the record, only to have it cropped on them at the end! Classic! Also, great to read about how the energy of the scene at the time just cross fueled so many important artists.



5. When "Double Nickels" came out, I was a teenager in a small town, playing in my own punk rock band. And just as D Boon sang about how "punk rock changed our lives", mine was never the same afterwards -- Minutemen and "Double Nickels" taught me that punk rock was a state of mind, not a cliche I had to adhere to.
   
   So, for me, as a fellow devotee, Fournier had a lot to live up to with this title -- which he does superbly. Seeing as Mike Watt is one of the great self-mythologizers of all of rock (he was even then), Fournier has precious little new information about the subject whatsoever to bring to the table. He instead chooses to delve, song-by-song, into the album itself, musing on whatever he can muster from his own interviews and pre-existing spiels.
   
   If Fournier has a real short-coming here, it's in his presentation of the music itself -- while he readily handles all of the lyrical density and inside-lingo of the Minutemen and "Double Nickels", most fans know that D Boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley were supremely ambitious musicians, reaching light years ahead of their supposed abilities to incorporate sounds from the Pop Group to James Blood Ulmer, and created songs unlike anything at the time; Fournier seems to have a limited-at-best grasp on the musical concepts he's trying to describe.
   
   But, for most readers, that's a minor quibble. Highly enjoyable, and a must-read for anyone trying to approach this record now, a couple of decades out-of-context.

3 comments about Revolution on Canvas, Volume 1: Poetry from the Indie Music Scene.

1. This book was truly amazing. Raw emotion, beautiful words, full of opinion and truth. I haven't read anything this good since Peter Wentz's "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side". I can't get over how good this book was. I definetely reccomend it if your a fan of any of the following bands: The Academy Is..., A Static Lullaby, Something Corporate, Circa Survive, and more. These artists are more than amazing, and they've put they're time into more than just singing. This book of poems is by far the greatest you may ever read. I can't wait for volume two, and you can bet that I'll review that too.



2. I bought this book for my granddaughter for Christmas. She read it in one day, and loved it.



3. Just a tip. I flipped thorugh this in the book store asumming to see Indie-Rock, and i got Emo/Punk. If you are looking for something from Spoon, Okkervil River and the like, then do not pick this book up.
   
   Where does the auther get the idea that NOFX and Static Lullaby are indie-rock? Hmm. =/

3 comments about Punk 365 (365 Series).

1. Despite being yet another book titled PUNK this-or-that (how boring) accompanied by yet another picture of the overexposed Pistols, what we have here is a rare and fine contribution to the small flock of top rate punk documentation. For the lost-in-space stalwarts of the "punk died in '77" variety, you will find ample obscure photos and tentalizing quotes/factoids about your beloved NY scenesters (Patti Smith, Richard Hell, Ramones; the usual suspects) and your typical UK actors (Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, et al). But what is truly exceptional about this book is the wide territory it covers for the true punk listener. Not only does it include proto-punk legends (13th Floor Elevators, Stooges, MC5) but it ackowledges the crucially influential yet overlooked groups from both the US & UK such as the Avengers, Dils, Weirdos, Stiff Little Fingers, Angelic Upstarts, Dead Boys, Undertones, Black Flag, Germs, and on and on. As a bonus it includes the salt and pepper of much loved hangers-on who used punk to become rich and famous while not ever really being punk (Elvis Costello...you get the idea). This book is great and can be looked through over and over again without boredom. Highly recommended for every punk or jaded old rocker who has ever picked up a photobook on punk only to be bored to tears with 50 pages on Patti Smith/Talking Heads and another 50 pages of Sex Pistols/Clash and little else. And its cheap!



2. I bought this book for someone who was probably bouncing up and down at many of the shows depicted in this fine collection (which hardly does it justice) of performance and candid photographs of the seminal figures of Punk. Even though they are the epitome of a music snob and punk aficionado, they were delighted with the book. Now I'll have to go back and get one for myself.



3. An excellent selection of photos with great text. This book was edited perfectly and it kept my attention throughout.

No comments about New York Dolls: Photographs by Bob Gruen.

1 comments about Revolution on Canvas, Volume 2: Poetry from the Indie Music Scene.

1. Whenever I sit down to write for the day, I look for something to inspire me. Most often that something is music. Revolution On Canvas, Volume 2 is true inspiration. The book is two hundred and twenty-five pages of poetry and essays written by musicians. The introduction by Rich Balling sets the tone for the whole collection. He brings an artist's eye to his selections where others might insist on perfection. But what truly is perfection? Is it a red pen marking all the creativity out of a piece or is it words, thoughts, visions strung together in a palette of colors?
   
   I was struck by how honest the pieces were in this book. Justin Pierre's essay, "Annalisa," strips away all pretense of traditional perfection within the subject of addiction and how we sometimes take those around us for granted. Rebekah Jordan allows the reader a close up look at how her love of music began in the demise of her parents' marriage. Both pieces by Meg Frampton and Dia Frampton give different views of sickness: the one who is sick and the one who watches. It is a beautiful tribute to relationships.
   
   While it is hard to say what was my favorite - all of the pieces were rich and well worth my time - one essay stands out most. Elgin James' essay brings home that civil rights is personal, not just stories from the past to be remembered. You hear how an eight-year-old boy in Torrington, Connecticut struggled to get home from school each day, who would rather be sick than face each afternoon. Elgin endures the torture of one self-professed KKK member as he strives to make sense of the situation and find courage from within. It shows the transformation of a young boy into a young man too early in life. This piece is truly inspiring and eye-opening.
   
   As the title suggests, Revolution On Canvas, Volume 2 is no picnic in the park, but a gut churning experience.

3 comments about Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now!.

1. Another perspective on a movement that still seems to shoot under the radar. A nice blend of first person information and the history of Riot Grrl. The name is taken from Bikini Kill's 1991 self released first album.



2. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as it had not been reviewed at the time I purchased it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's split into 4 sections: the first two cover the history of riot grrrl, the third riot grrrl writing and zines, and the fourth the movement's relevance to feminism at large. The book is very well designed, and is full of colour photographs of bands, flyers, zines, and more. I know this is a book that I will peruse often.



3. This is better than the Riot Grrrl film "Don't Need You" because this book also talks about the British Grrrls. I like Kathleen Hanna & Allison Wolf, but my favorite bands are the English ones. My favorite band coming out of the earth's core in the early 90's was Huggy Bear. They called out the revolution in a style and urgency than their American counterparts. Great read!!

5 comments about On The Road With The Ramones (revised edition).

1. The more I read and learn about Johnny, the more complicated and intriguing I find him. It could be easy to dismiss him as a jerk but then something like the "milk and cookies every night" story comes up and endears him to you.



2. This book is a GREAT read for any Ramones fan, but it was very heartbreaking in the end to see how "the remaining band members" treated Joey at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. I only wish Joey's mom and brother would have stepped up on stage to accept that award for Joey. He indeed was the most kind hearted soul and he deserved more recognition then what he got that night. May he rest in peace.



3. This is the best book on The Ramones, period. I absolutely loved it!! The pictures are so cool and the stories are even better. I recommend this book to anyone who loves The Ramones. Great purchase.



4. The Ramones' popularity keeps growing--it's a shame that Joey, Dee Dee and Johnny didn't live to enjoy it. As a result of their popularity, so many--TOO MANY--Ramones books have been written and it seems like a new one comes out every month. If you are a die-hard Ramones fan, this is the ONLY book you need. Monte was with them from the beginning to the end and was partly responsible for making them the best touring band ever. He tells it like it was, and it is a fascinating read. Buy the book!



5. What an entertaining book! I'm half-way through it and enjoying every minute. You get a real sense of the various personalities that made up the Ramones roster, which changed over the years. Johnny - the hard-on; Dee Dee - the Crazy; Joey - the freak; Tommy - the oppressed; and Marky - the over the top alcoholic. I personally love the oral history format. Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Marky, Ritchie and Monte, their tour manager, all contribute their stories. For some reason, Dee Dee doesn't personally contribute but he comes through vibrantly in the stories of his band mates.
   
   I'm not a fanatical fan, but after seeing the Ramones documentary: End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones, I knew I had to read this book. The only down side is realizing that the three core band members - Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee - all failed to see age 50.