on recommendation from a fellow Latarnian, i picked up this "oral history" of Punk music.
i had previously read Leg's similar approach on the porn industry-The Other Hollywood-and enjoyed it immensely. both books are not so much written as sculpted. hundreds of interviews edited together to form a linear "plot," the participants telling their own stories. it's a unique approach that works really well.
however, where The Other Hollywood is truly exhaustive, covering everything from illegal mob-run peep booths, the Mitchell bros and Deep Throat to the change to video the first AIDS scare and ending up with the mutli-billion dollar industry of today...Please Kill Me sorta just covers stuff that happened on a couple blocks in New York and the Sex Pistols (but mainly while they were in NY)
they also spend a lot of time on Andy Warhol and his crew which is a whole different scene, while neglecting popular and influential bands from the area. The Misfits and The Cramps in particular. that's not to mention that NO West Coast bands made the cut.
that aside, it's a great read. i still don't like The Ramones (aside from Sniff Some glue) but they are fun to read about. Dee Dee especially is full of stories. Iggy Pop would have been fun to hang out with, and there's some really shocking violent bits that will have you on the edge of your seat.
it's a great read, even if i did skip through all the Patti Smith crap.
i had previously read Leg's similar approach on the porn industry-The Other Hollywood-and enjoyed it immensely. both books are not so much written as sculpted. hundreds of interviews edited together to form a linear "plot," the participants telling their own stories. it's a unique approach that works really well.
however, where The Other Hollywood is truly exhaustive, covering everything from illegal mob-run peep booths, the Mitchell bros and Deep Throat to the change to video the first AIDS scare and ending up with the mutli-billion dollar industry of today...Please Kill Me sorta just covers stuff that happened on a couple blocks in New York and the Sex Pistols (but mainly while they were in NY)
they also spend a lot of time on Andy Warhol and his crew which is a whole different scene, while neglecting popular and influential bands from the area. The Misfits and The Cramps in particular. that's not to mention that NO West Coast bands made the cut.
that aside, it's a great read. i still don't like The Ramones (aside from Sniff Some glue) but they are fun to read about. Dee Dee especially is full of stories. Iggy Pop would have been fun to hang out with, and there's some really shocking violent bits that will have you on the edge of your seat.
it's a great read, even if i did skip through all the Patti Smith crap.
