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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Fun to read, some of the parts seem, not uninspired, but long. I suggest watching the decline of western civilization part 1 if you want a literal picture to go along with it.
This is an incredibly enjoyable audiobook. Even for me, despite my disgust with the ease with which Boomers got everything (and then destroyed it for future generations).
Great book, read it pretty quick. Loved hearing about the California punk scene during this time. Great read for punk history aficionados!
Well constructed collection of essays from those who were there. I was anticipating more historical insight, but was still taken aback by the well written and varied essays.
I really wish this book had been available years ago. There are so many great bands that came out of the LA scene, but I had very little idea how that all fit together. One of the most interesting revelations for me was the pre-hardcore relationship between the early LA punk scene and the "roots" scene. Reading this (or, listening, as the case may be) reminded me how little time I've spent giving bands like Los Lobos their due consideration, though it's clear they were a part of this community, too. One note: if you're able to, I'd highly recommend listening to the audiobook. The individual contributions are read by the authors themselves and nothing quite like hearing Mike Watt or Jane Wiedlin telling their stories in their own voice.
A fantastic retrospective of the L.A. Punk scene by the people who made it. As a Midwestern kid who was only 11 in 1977, I was always drawn to the Punk ethos but too far removed from it both geographically and socially to understand exactly how all of the pieces fit together. The Go-Go's were a Punk band? Under the Big Black Sun is a fascinating description of what Punk was and what it became.
I preferred the follow up book that explored this movement in more depth with a broader look at the community. Some of the same narrators even seemed to have improved their skills between the two books.
Totally rad. I love these oral history books- and it was especially great on audio- because I get to learn more about a time I didn't get to live through myself, and straight from the mouths of the people who were at the center of it. Most of the recollections weren't very pretty, but that's punk.
I think the biggest takeaway I have from reading perspectives about punk music in the late '70s is that everything was really mellow and inclusive and cerebral until hardcore dudes showed up and fucked it all up. Whoops.