Books: The Punk Reader

Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag

By Henry Rollins

247 pages. 2.13.61 Publications

ROE Rating:

Lead singer Henry Rollins lets us in the van as he recalls the 6 years he spent fronting the seminal punk band Black Flag from 1981 to their break-up in 1986. Relying on the journal he maintained from 1983 until 1986 as well as recollections from the hundreds of gigs prior to 1983, "Get In The Van" is only for the most hardcore Black Flag or Rollins fans. Literally every journal entry for the 3 year period is included and the reading, while sometimes humorous and interesting , can get a bit tedious. For example:

"12.10.84 Nashville, TN: In the truck with a flashlight. Played okay tonight. Voice giving me trouble. I have a lump in my throat-literally. It's gross. Every time I swallow I can feel it. Makes me feel cancerous. Lots of drunks tonight acting stupid. I hate drunks."

You get the picture. The book details all the fights, bad shows and strange characters the band meets along the way. Rollins, at times a bit too much of a whiner for me, lets us into "The Shed", a tool shed he lived in for several years and where he did much of his writing. Unfortunately, the story of the band coming together along with the trials and tribulations of the road get a bit bogged down in the minutiae. The first forty or so pages are an interesting read as the band comes together and hits the road for the first time together. Beyond that, the highlights are in there, you just gotta get through a lot of muck to enjoy them. Suggest you get this one only if your trying to kick that ambien habit or are looking for a good book to fill out the bookshelf in the bathroom.

The Dark Stuff: Selected Writings on Rock Music 1972-1995
By Nick Kent
343 pages. Da Capo Press

ROE Rating

Regarded as one of the most influential music journalists of the 1970's, Nick Kent takes 19 profiles he had written for music magazines New Musical Express, Spin and The Face, among others, edits and rewrites them to form his first book "The Dark Stuff". Representing a veritable who's who of screwed up, drugged out and self-absorbed musicians throughout the 25-odd year period, "The Dark Stuff" is a fascinating read. Some of Punks elder statesmen are represented, with chapters covering The New York Dolls, The Smiths, The Pogues, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, among others.

One of the best chapters follows Kent traveling with the Sex Pistols during their doomed U.S. Tour of 1978. Kent had a long history with the members of the band. A musician himself, Kent played in several bands in the pre-Punk London scene and had played with several of the band members prior to taking the Pistols name. After becoming a journalist Kent was attacked in a London night club by a bike chain wielding Vicious and the future "Jah" Wobble, purportedly at the direction of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. This attack would result in Kent being victimized repeatedly throughout the remainder of the 70's as Vicious-worshipping punks sought to imitate their idol. Touring with the band now 2 years later, Kent vividly details Vicious and the circus that surrounded him and the band.

Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess

By Danny Sugarman

407 pages. William Morrow and Company

ROE Rating:

Born of privilege in Beverly Hills, Danny Sugarman found himself, at the age of 12, opening fan mail for The Doors. Striking up an instant friendship with Doors leader Jim Morrision, Sugarman would go on to become the bands manager and, ultimately, another victim of excess and the rock & roll lifestyle. "Wonderland Avenue" tells the story of Sugarman's struggles to break free from his unapproving parents, the unlikely bond he would share with Morrison and his band mates and his struggles to move on after Morrison's untimely death.

The first half of the book reads like any coming of age story, where Sugarman details his time as a youth, suffering from what was most likely ADD and coming to find the Doors music. The second half is like most life-in-the-fast-lane tales as Morrison dies, Sugarman being left to try and gain a foothold in the recording industry and struggles to find his next fix. A long and strange cast of characters come and go, ultimately leading him to manage the career of Iggy Pop when Iggy was at his lowest. While it's a fascinating look at the underbelly of the LA music scene in the 70's, ultimately you can only read about somebody puking or wrecking a car so many times before it becomes a bit redundant.

Sugarman would eventually get straight, marry the former Fawn Hall (she of Iran-Contra fame)and ultimately succumb to lung cancer at the age of 50 in 2005.

The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists

By Amy Wallace and Handsome Dick Manitoba
313 pages. Backbeat Books

ROE Rating:

Following in the long line of "Book of Lists", started by the author's father Irving Wallace, this volume runs the Punk gambit. From people, fashion, sex to religion, "The Punk Rock Book of Lists" is a hilarious look at everything you did and did not want to know about Punk Rock. With the help of Dictators lead singer Handsome Dick Manitoba, Amy Wallace uses various players from the Punk scene to detail it all. Some of my favorites:

10 Things That Made Memphis Punk (from local scenester Eric Friedl)

10 Most Truly Offensive Punk Rock Song's

The 8 Worst Set of Punk Rock Teeth

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: 5 Punk Rock Almosts That Would Have Changed The World (who knew Johnny Rotten wanted to join Devo?)