5 comments about Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs.

1. Punk Royalty King John Lydon/Johnny Rotten's no bollocks account of the fast and furious rise and fall of THE 70's punk group The Sex Pistols. From their beginnings at Malcolm MacLaren's leather shop on King's Road in London to their final concert in San Francisco ... John Lydon/Johnny Rotten ... says it like it is ... and you don't get the feeling you have been cheated.



2. The book is so good, that i' couldn't belive it. It's really enjoyable to read it, so go for it. Buy the f**king thing.



3. There is only one John Lydon. This is a great read. Gives the story behind the media interpretation of the story. This is a great read.



4. I must say that I thought it was just a biography of the Sex Pistols, when it actually is an autobiography of Johnny Rotten, but it's great anyway. It's not only John's point of view about the band and all the controversies involved, but also the point of view of other people close to the band. It's quite easy to read, as John makes an amazing use of the words -everything he tells seems to be amusing!
   
   It isn't wll-written, in the sense that John has written everything that would come to his mind, but I find it more real like that. I guess you'll agree.
   
   To sum up, highly recommended ;)



5. 
   I think one reason I liked it was that Johnny Did Not Glamorize or Glorify anything. He writes about himself in a natural, almost maybe "humble" way, which anyone can appreciate in a writer's story.
   
   
   His childhood is revealed and detailed wonderfully, and what an Interesting Childhood he had ! His "rat catching" stories,childhood thoughts, preoccupations and feelings are refreshing to read and learn about.
   
   The photos are intriguing and very "for real". Don't expect professional, glossy ,Glam photos. He's displayed the "REAL"
   
   
   Great book for people looking beyond The Sex Pistols, behind the stage persona and interested in john Lydon for himself.
   
   I love this book and writing style because it captures him authentically and genuinely.
   
   You needn't be a "Sex Pistols" fan to enjoy this unexpected biography.
   
   Highly recommended for any readers !

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.

5 comments about The Ramones' Ramones (33 1/3).

1. A complete picture of the period they represented...1975. The author has not gone into the "gossip" fluff about the group, but has stuck to the facts. Really good research. Very good read.



2. Barely a third of the book's 106 pages are devoted to an in-depth discussion of the Ramones' debut album, "Ramones." The rest of the book is devoted to the early history of the punk movement in the US (and New York City in particular) and a fairly academic discussion of what the term "punk" meant in the mid-70's versus what it came to mean later.
   
   This book is an interesting read, but I'm giving it a 3-star rating because, unlike many other titles in the 33 1/3 series, it is NOT primarily focused on the album it is devoted to.



3. Ramones by Nicholas Rombes is an excellent book for many reasons. Perhaps least of which is that I not only learned something about the Ramones debut, Ramones, but about the origins of punk rock itself. My interest in punk began with my first encounter as a third-grader back in 1987 when a friend and I made a hand-held tape recording of my older brother's of Dead Kennedys's Plastic Surgery Disasters record. That formative experience largely helped shaped what punk has meant to me since then. But, reading Ramones by Nicholas Rombes has provided me a critical history about the four kids from Forrest Hills, Queens whose first album became a flashpoint for punk rock and ultimately has deepened my understanding of what punk is.
   
   The historical, economical, and cultural background Rombes provides puts the Ramones first album in perspective. The Ramones were not a group of flag-burning anarchists nor did they conform to some romanticized, neo-Marxist concept of the people's musicians. No, Rombes explains, the Ramones, who grew up in suburban New York City listening to Elvis Presley, watching B-movies, and reading comic books, actually wanted to make the pop music of 1970s radio better. To improve it, the Ramones spent considerable money, time, and creative effort to faithfully record their first record. Their approach to music was not at all chaotic or destructive as punk rock clichés might suggest. Rombes compellingly argues that contemporary understandings of punk generally misunderstand the origins of punk by extending contemporary ideas concerns backward in time to the mid 1970s. This is an insightful perspective that I never quite would have had if I had not read this book by Nicholas Rombes.
   
   Ramones very well might be probably the first and last academic book on punk music that I will read and rightly so because most anything else would be a disappointment. Ramones by Nicholas Rombes is neither unnecessarily intellectual nor naïve about its subject. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in contemporary music because chances are if you've heard it on the radio, then it's indebted to the Ramones.



4. I love the concept and execution of this book series. In this version the whole NYC scene is portrayed as a movement and kind of an action adventure game for bored suburbanites. The book allows the reader to know exactly what the times and city's ideas were that allowed these brash "children" to become outsider "adults." The book glazes over the bg of the individuals for either history or lack of history of the members. There is no mention of Dee Dee's prostitution etc. just cliff notes of their basic life and upbringing, reinforced as a persona when they actually start to turn the bowels of the bowery on it's head. The writer explains punk and it's meaning more often then the band but the reader needs to know this and all it's levels of complexity to fully understand why these 4 men were so important. If it was just a straight fact bio of the group their importance at a time of ELP and arena rock might not have been so obvious.
   A brilliant documentary on what it means to be punk. Not a leather jacket not a tatooed face or a pierced lip but an idea to do what you what when you what the way you want and let the coroner sort em out.



5. Rombes' book jumps in hard without a beat count and doesn't let up until his fingers are bleeding. This isn't a history book about the Ramones' first album (it's not supposed to be), nor is it a flaky fan tribute . It's an idiosyncratic riff on how the band got into the head of the writer. And the writer, thankfully, is a gifted poet and historian. If this book is academic at times, it's about as punk as academic can get without being pretentious. Smart readers will understand that Rombes hasn't given us an in-depth analysis of the first album -- he's given us a fresh performance of it.

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

1. 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!



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. Mr. Fournier's book came to my mailbox with great anticipation. A feeling not unlike the time of many summers past when buying records directly from SST back in the early 1980s. I can distinctly remember getting Double Nickels on the Dime via mail order, having previously lost my mind on the first full-length What Makes a Man Start Fires. Double Nickels killed me, and continues to do so to this day (though I still don't understand wtf is up with SSTs reluctance to properly issue all tracks from the double LP in it's entirety... some day maybe.) To say that the Minutemen changed my life would be an understatement. From all of the press accolades, I venture to say that Mr. Fournier and I are in the same boat. He even teaches a course on punk rock (warning flag in hindsight). Expectations thus = high.
   
   In my corndog years back in the logging hills of northern California (Pedro north anyone?), I was an SST devotee. I bought everything. Even though Black Flag had been the initial taste, I quickly gravitated toward the Minutemen with their first single, Paranoid Time. I ordered everything that was available, and lived for the updated flyer of available titles that came with each purchase. (It's cool to look back inside those records and see the still primitive paste up approach that would eventually fade away as the 80s wore on.) I suspect there are many out there that share this experience of pre-easy access to anything and everything. Mail order ruled the day. I (mistakenly) assumed that Mr. Fournier came from the same time period, and would be weaving more of a hands-on personal account along the way of his discovery of the record that also blew my ears off on first listen.
   
   I should have done more research.
   
   Having been burned before with the 33 1/3 series (granted, a lot of these folks are not writers, so you take what you get), I resurfaced hope and figured there was no way to get this book wrong. There is no easier way to put it than that. It's interesting, but just doesn't work. I don't want to ding Mr. Fournier for his enthusiasm, nor his interesting anecdotal research, but I take something away from this book that leaves me hopelessly unsatisfied. I can't fault a guy for loving the Minutemen, no matter what time in life one discovers them. The songs are dissected and explored in a straight track-by-track fashion, but in such a way (that for me), the lack of context of having been there during the time period in which they were written and released really grates on my brain. It's all too academic. For all of their genius, complexity and intellect, the Minutemen were simple and pure. There was no hubris to sort through, no formulaic baggage. I find the latter to be my biggest stumbling block with this book: there is a struggle to break free from the thesis of musicological academia, yet it remains tethered to it's structure. In the end, you'll read this as "old, grey-muzzle, bitter-guy review," and I suppose you'll be right because it's completely my own issue. I expected to connect with someone revisiting the greatness of this record having experienced it's context in real time, rather than through the lense of everything else that followed in it's wake. Writing about great music (great art of any medium) is always a risk, so I do offer kudos to Mr. Fournier for trying to capture the spirit and story in the most passionate and informative way he can. I was just bummed.
   
   So kids, check the used book stores. You should be able to find my copy in near mint condition for a quarter or so, or... better yet: buy the album and then go start your own band.

5 comments about Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood.

1. Nina Antonia is a fantastic writer. I read through the 200+ pages in a day.
   
   What I most enjoyed about this book is that it made Johnny out to be human - something no other press/media outlet acknowledged. Throughout the 80's he struggled valiantly against his addiction, only to fail. But never for a moment did he stop missing his children, regretting the time he spent away from them. This book doesn't try to sanitize his life. It details the depths of his addiction, his failures and lost opportunities. However, Nina also talks about the hope that he found later in life.
   
   There are dozens of photos throughout the book - my favorite of which is a picture of a sober-looking Johnny and his girlfriend pushing their child in a stroller. It says a lot about the man: However strung out and wasted he could get, in his heart he was just a normal guy. It's too bad he became a parody of the thing his "fans" wanted him to be.
   
   He was one of the very last of a breed of Rock 'N' Rollers that we will never see again and a presence as powerful as his will be sorely missed.
   
   We miss you, Johnny.



2. I heard this book mentioned in the new documentary about Arthur Killer Kane, "New York Doll". I had Antonia's book about the Dolls and thought they were fortunate to have a biographer who was a very good writer. Same here. I am glad that someone made a record of the tenderness and vulnerability that had to be at the heart of this artist. Like Frank, Marilyn and Elvis, he wore his heart on his sleeve and we were privileged to be there for it. One of the very few guitarists from whom you can hear a few seconds and know instantly who it is.
   
   You should see that DVD, and also "Thunders, Kane and Nolan", a concert in 1987 when, I believe, Johnny was comparatively clean. That is the only Dolls reunion you will need.



3. This book is useful for anyone interested in this seminal and influential figure of the American rock music underground. However, the author has the annoying habit of repeating accepted 'truths' that should be related with some scepticism. Case in point; "Jerry Nolan saw Elvis...". Many people simply do not believe junkie Jerry's stories (in one interview he spoke of an informal discussion with Jimi Hendrix, only the time and place he provided were clearly after Hendrix' death). I think Jerry Nolan was the world's greatest rock drummer, but when writing a book, careful presentation of material is in order.
   This book also completely omits an index, making reference difficult or impossible. And yes, a book on Johnny Thunders does deserve an index, despite what you might otherwise think.
   Hopefully these flaws will be repaired in any future editions of the book.



4. I had the original pressing from the late 80's or whenever it came out-got this version for my sister for Christmas--a great book and accounting of one of my fave guys JT. This is an updated verion as well-my only complaint is the part about when myself and Andy Babiuk (we are in The Chesterfield Kings) brought Johnny up to Rochester, NY to record an album-the reporting is accurate-and the track "Critic's Choice" is the last thing he recorded in the United States, or for that matter anywhere in a real studio--problem is Nina interviewed someone else--and they stated that he was incompatible with us, and we were impatient with him-NOT TRUE. We got along fine musically and socially-the problem was with the guy who owned the studio. He was screwing with JT, Johnny got miffed and the session only yielded one complete song and a batch of unfinished stuff. Nina-CALL ME THE NEXT TIME YOU UPDATE?? Greg Prevost/Outasite/Chesterfield Kings



5. Great photos throughout the book. Some good info but not enough detail. BUT you do get to know Johnny a little better and there's enough life story there. Buy it.

5 comments about Skinhead.

1. First of all this book is not written as some far in depth account of skinheads, it is a photo journal. Knight is a talented photograher and this book should be put into spectrum as an art book, who's subject is an almost lost subculture. Do not buy this book if you want a grand tale of the non-racist skinhead movement and evolution. Also when looking at the photos be prepared to keep an open mind, past preconceieved notions. If you like the book check out Gavin Watsons Skins, a very similiar book, less writting but more photographic talent. Also if you want more knowledge on the truth behind skinheads, try reading Spirit of 69, a Skinhead bible.
   In rebuttle to another reviewer, all skinheads are NOT nazis now and there is a growing rebirth of the non-racist subculture.



2. Besides the very few pictures in this book, some depicting the racist stereotype, this book was a waste of money. If you are really interested in learning about skinhead 'culture', you should buy Spirit of '69.



3. You know, I'm glad that I bought the book and I have to say, It was really better than I had expected. It does have some really nice illustrations (that you may have seen around the internet) that detail the skinhead fashion particular to the year. It is the best source I've seen yet on the early skinhead style.
   The unfortunate thing is that contrary to the illustrations, the photos seem to be more often of the mid 70's and early 80's, and rarely of the earlier 60's skinhead fashion that I had hoped for. Most of the skins in these photos are in jeans, and not a lot of the dressier "hard mod" side of things. As mentioned in another review there are unfortunately several racist "sieg heil" photos, and only one black skinhead photo. And let's face it, I think in a skinhead book we all want to see some black skinheads.



4. Lets face it, spirit of 69 retails at 600 bux. This book gives a very good look at the 80's revival and a good history of our culture. Not as good as '69, but none the less, a cheaper alternative.



5. Goes through the clothes worn, classic blue beat ska 45's. You know, that sort of thing. A few great snapshots from the 60's, and some 80's too. If you're a skinhead and are in the know, this book's not going to bring about any new revelations. Its still cool to have. And why not pick up a copy now that Amazon sellers have it as cheap as $7 and under?
   
   And freshies... stop whining about this nazi stereotype. We get it, we've heard it, its annoying.

5 comments about Legend of a Rock Star: A Memoir: The Last Testament of Dee Dee Ramone.

1. I read this book in one day! To me, this book was like a long version of one of his best songs, but with such a sad ending. Through this book, and in his own words, I got the impression that DeeDee knew that his time on this earth was short.
   
   Rest in Peace DeeDee Ramone.



2. This is not an autobiography!!! or even Biography.. Its a diary of one of his tours plus a little on Joeys death.. Its amusing as Dee Dee always is.
   It Also contains a great discography of Ramones and Solo Dee Dee. Any Dee Dee fan will get a laugh out of this.. Enjoyable and worth a read.



3. Everyone who loved Dee Dee would want to read this.



4. personally, i was 13 when my slick friend got me into the ramones and i never think of them as 'punk', punk is the sex pistols and mohawks, they were just hard rock, further i don't think dee dee was a 'rock star', though he with joey/johnny were super influential to those who were into it, his book, then, is for those who are up for a short quick read about mostly the last year or the last europe tour, which is not all that poetic, though interesting to hear what a band of his level does when they tour there, i don't think it was particularly revealing of the person, i imagine he is, though it has moments, it was worth finishing especially as it IS short.



5. It was really great book, almost I felt like I have a conversation with him.
   Go on tour with him, and talk about fame with him.
   
   I would keep reading this book.You might be do the same.

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 Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed.

1. This is a well researched biography of Iggy's life from young childhood to today. I have followed his music since 1969 and his life makes a great story. It is clear that the author is not from Detroit, as there are a few misakes, like referring to Hudson's as a record store, but all in all, it is well worth a read, and includes some awesome pictures.



2. Bowie was obsessed with him. Martin Scorsese tries to insert his unique ambience in to his films. The entire punk and grunge subcultures universally credit him with their progenesis, an honor the man himself openly mocks and disdains. The first time I saw him he appeared on stage like a tornado of flailing arms, legs and other appendages (like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil). The fourth time I saw him, during the second song (a hard, fast, heavy 'Loose') I was absolutely mesmerized by the amount of energy emanating from the stage, and fully understood what he meant by 'Raw Power'...he was practically levitating, hydroplaning on that loud, tight riff as he sneered out the lyric. Later during that same show he went in to the shadows by the side of the stage while his band jammed 'Street Crazies' up to a frenzied enough level that he could step in with the vocal. I will NEVER forget the look in his eyes as he watched them from the wings... unseen by most of the audience. He looked possessed...frightening...very much like the 1982 picture, the same year I saw this concert, of him in the Haiti jungle that appears in Trynka's book, only more like a stalking lion (a closer likeness is the cover of the 'Run Like a Villain' single, which also appears in the booklet with the deluxe re-release of 'Zombie Birdhouse').
   
   Iggy Pop is both the Van Gogh and the Mary Shelly's Frankenstein of rock as an art form. Beyond the obvious allusion to Van Gogh's one-off self mutilation, Iggy has been tormented by (probably more than one) mental and emotional disorders and ailments intermittently throughout his life. This has not only been given regular expression in his work, but is a byproduct of his often dark, hyper-Freudian / apocalyptic view of both himself and the world. Anyone even remotely interested in Iggy cannot help but be intrigued (as Trynka clearly is) by the dichotomy of his feral intelligence, articulation, and vast learnedness/'literateness' when contrasted with his bizarre, inexplicable drug or mental illness (or both) induced behaviour, which is so self defeating and destructive. In that way he is not unlike Jim Morrison, whose theatrics and performance innovations (as Rolling Stone put it) Iggy long ago "eclipsed". And Iggy survived himself.
   
   I make the illusion to Frankenstein because, unlike a split personality where neither one is cognizant of the other, Jim Osterberg's created alter ego Iggy Pop was a very deliberate device or tool he fashioned as a vehicle through which he could give expression to a side of his nature and creative vision that is present in every true artist, but repressed by society and the fear of insanity. I considered 'Jekyll and Hyde', particularly given how the transformative 'drug' of choice (music) caused Jim to lose control over Iggy's emergence in other arenas of his life, but Frankenstein is better because the story includes that dynamic as well as the more distinct autonomy between the two beings that is evidenced by Osterberg's intellect and refinement...even gentleness...versus Iggy's malevolent, insolent, out of control monster let loose on an unsuspecting audience in the form of music and antics (I saw him several times in his hay day). Iggy Pop is, in fact, James Osterberg's ultimate artistic expression and...like another literary character I can't quite put a finger on (perhaps Chekov's protagonist in "The Duel")...the two have learned to live with each other's diametrically opposite 'weaknesses'. In fact one's weakness is the other's strength, and vice versa. Like a creative 'thorn in the side' for each half of the complete being.
   
   On a superficial level, there is no-one with better instincts for a great riff, and in terms of artistic integrity in rock no rival except perhaps Neil Young or John Lydon. For undiscernible but unmistakably resonant mystical sound bytes in a lyric he has no rival except Dylan. As a symbol of rock music's essence he has only one superior...Keith Richards and possibly the 50's era Little Richard.
   
   I go in to this detail because Paul Trynka 'gets' Iggy. His clear design of presenting 'two' protagonists who are concurrently each other's antagonists is brilliantly appropriate. Some critics have called it a hook, device, gimmick, and in so doing betray their ignorance of the subject matter because Trynka instinctively knew (or came to realize in his research) that there is no other way to tell the story.
   
   The only criticisms/disappointments I have (more musical detail of recording sessions and tours, and spotty chronological arrangement) can be completely withheld in light of a.) the concurrent release of Richard Adams' more technical review of Iggy's career via 'The Complete Iggy Pop', and b.) the fact that this would've diluted Trynka's fascinating portrait of the man and his monster. Together these two books give as complete an overview of both the artist and his output that anyone could possibly need.
   
   Very well done Mr.Trynka. I wish you'd been the chosen co-writer of Keith Richards upcoming (2010) autobiography.



3. Some rock stars fade away. Some self-destruct at a young age. Some kept on chugging away despite it all, and are still going today (see: David Bowie and Mick Jagger).
   
   But a few seem to be truly indestructible -- they bounce back from anything, whether it's drugs, madness, or their own genius. And in Paul Trynka's "Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is a pretty brilliant look into the chaotic life, influence, and constant ups and downs of one such rocker.
   
   Pop was born Jim Osterberg, to some slightly quirky parents in 1950s Michigan. And Ann Arbor turned out to be the perfect place for him to bloom into a musician -- he became part of the Stooges, a fledgling band that gained and lost contracts like underwear. And they soon developed a reputation for two things: raw, wild, powerful punk, and a tendency to have really wild'n'violent concerts.
   
   And Iggy's own life was just as volatile -- a cocktail of drugs, sex, creative eruptions, and extremely volatile personal life. But as the Stooges fragmented over time, Iggy's own life began seesawing between order and chaos, the bottom of the barrel with the rock'n'roll heights. And even now, as the godfather of punk rock, he spills over with wild energy and creativity.
   
   The core of "Open Up and Bleed" is that Jim Osterberg and Iggy Pop are almost like two different people, like a demon possessing someone's body and making him wreck his life. As Trynka -- and many people he interviewed -- put it, Osterberg is intellectual, polite, clever man, while Pop is a force of self-mutilating destructive chaos.
   
   It actually makes a lot of sense. And Trynka's detailed, intricate recountings get a lot of information from many people who knew Pop -- some fondly, some angrily, and thankfully there's no whitewashing of his personal flaws. But the author really makes you feel and see why Pop/Osterberg is such a powerful presence in rock'n'roll, since he poured his body and soul into his work.
   
   And Trynka strikes a nice balance between his work and personal life, outlining marriages, drug problems, possible mental issues (is he or is he not bipolar?), and his repeated rises from the ashes. Despite all the chaos, he also focuses on the quieter parts of Pop's life, such as domestic bliss with Wife No. 2. And occasionally we even get a funny story, such as the "peanut butter sandwich on Iggy's chest anecdote.
   
   One of the best parts of the book is his ongoing friendship with David Bowie. The past bond between these two men is the sweetest part of the book, especially when Bowie and Pop joined forces musically. It's a bit sad when they drift apart.
   
   Trynka also paints a dark, gritty portrait the burgeoning punk scene of the time, as well as the proto-punk ferocity of the Stooges -- they were SO groundbreaking and raw that the record companies didn't know what to do with them. It took decades for them to be appreciated for what they truly were, and for Iggy Pop to be appreciated as a musical pioneer.
   
   "Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed" is not just a biography of a brilliant musician, but a portrait of the rapidly-changing music scene that he first bloomed in. Definitely a must-read for rock'n'roll fans.



4. For the most part, I am very impressed by the seeming double checking of facts by the author. He often provides quotes that give differing viewpoints from people who were actually there or who were participants in a situation or event. WHAT WORRIES ME, however, is his quote from the bass player for New Order stating that "Metallic K.O." was playing on the turntable when Ian Curtis hanged himself in his parents home. WRONG IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   Where you been, Paul Trynka? New Order admitted 2 decades ago that Curtis most likely died from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication (for, I believe, diabetes). It may have been a suicide, but it is unlikely. And he certainly did NOT hang himself!!!!! That is the fantasy/legend out of which New Order claimed its fame, which is why they didn't dispel the rumor until they had become quite successful without Curtis. They fessed up in a video has been internationally released (documentary called, I believe, "Ceremony" -- I taped it from TV in the 1980s) and admitted to some extent they should be ashamed of the way they exploited Curtis' death.
   
   Such a glaring error makes me question the validity of other "facts" in the book. I like to think this is the only one, but who knows?



5. Great book, long overdue. It really fills in the gaps on all the "lost" eras of the Stooges. Even if you're not a fan, you should read this. You'll be amazed at the tales of ordinary madness.
   
   Still waiting on Ben Edmond's book about the MC5.
   
   Check out Mighty High...In Drug City.

1 comments about Schism: New York Hardcore Fanzine.

1. All three issues of the seminal New York hardcore zine, originally written and compilld by Alex Brown (Side By Side & Gorilla Biscuits) and Porcell (Youth Of Today & Judge). Herein, you'll find interviews with the likes of Agnostic Front, Bold, Dan Nasty, Project X, SSD, Gorilla Biscuits, Side By Side, Slapshot, Supertouch, Warzone and more. Plus of course, hundreds more photos than you can point a finger at. This new anthology includea all three of the original zine in their entirety, plus written reflections on those golden years from the authors and contributors, and over 70 never before seen printed photographs of bands from that era. Classic late 80s hardcore at its finest. See you in the pit!