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ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
I love Greil Marcus and punk rock, but this book sort of stalled in the middle and never really regained its momentum. The kind of thing that probably works well in the critical/culutral studies elective of your BA degree.
naleagdeco's review against another edition
5.0
What a bastard! [a:Greil Marcus|33221|Greil Marcus|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg] sucked me in with 70s punk trivia and turned out to be an introductory text on Dadaism, Situationist International and the May '68 riots that shaped contemporary France.
But, if this book as anything to say, it shaped punk too. By bookending philosophy with punk histories it convinced me that listening to protest music was not enough; it uncovered a philosophy that demonstrates the true danger and disruptive joy that should have informed the instruments and ears of everyone under the punk tag. Assuming, of course, that all punks were academic at heart.
The book is definitely rewarding but, given its spirit, tends to gleefully confound the reader just as its focus organization once did.
The question is: being not a punk but mere punk listener 20 years too late, how do I take my new understanding of SI, '68 and continue their good work in business casual and the grocery?
But, if this book as anything to say, it shaped punk too. By bookending philosophy with punk histories it convinced me that listening to protest music was not enough; it uncovered a philosophy that demonstrates the true danger and disruptive joy that should have informed the instruments and ears of everyone under the punk tag. Assuming, of course, that all punks were academic at heart.
The book is definitely rewarding but, given its spirit, tends to gleefully confound the reader just as its focus organization once did.
The question is: being not a punk but mere punk listener 20 years too late, how do I take my new understanding of SI, '68 and continue their good work in business casual and the grocery?
booksnpunks's review against another edition
I really didn't like the way this was written, and it seemed to be all over the place with no actual structure to it's discussions. Couldn't see myself finishing it anytime soon. Not rating it because I only got about 150 pages in.
mattycakesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I think I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it prior to reading John Higgs' "Stranger Than We Can Imagine," which I think said what Marcus was trying to say far more coherently and readably. Still a very interesting book, though.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. It not only exposed me to so much history, but wove together all these different movements and ideas to show that those of us with interests and ideas that are out of the mainstream are not alone. A groundbreaking, breathtaking book. I read it when it first came out in 1989 and just bought it for my Kindle for the sole reason that I can now have it with me wherever I go (I'm keeping my print copy but it is a little big to lug around).
vivdavis's review against another edition
3.0
I understand why Lipstick Traces is brilliant and, moreover, important, but the fact that Richard Hell doesn't even make it into the index is a major red flag. Love the writing, just not always the scholarship.
stewarthome's review
1.0
A COSMETIC UNDERGROUND
The emphasis Marcus places upon personalities ultimately nullifies any sense of individuality which his subjects might possess. The links drawn between free spirit heretics and members of the Lettriste, Situationist and PUNK movements, are forged without acknowledgement of the fact that the former lived in feudal communities while the latter were attempting to effect change within industrialised societies. Since the mental sets and social networks of individuals living under capitalism are fundamentally different to those shared by members of a feudal community, comparisons between the two are specious.
The device used to link these diverse individuals and movements is the metaphor of the medium; Johnny Rotten is a passive creator whose body is taken over by what Marcus describes as 'the voice,' but which we might just as well call the muse, or God – because it's a higher authority. In his description of the last Sex Pistols concert, Marcus portrays Johnny Rotten as a puppet whose actions are controlled by an occult force:
"As in other moments on the same stage on the same night, as in so many moments on the singles the Sex Pistols put out over the previous year, he seemed not to know what he was saying. He seemed not to be himself, whoever that was, once more he was less singing a song than being sung by it."
With the concept of 'the voice,' a hidden authority which (dis)organises the world, Marcus abandons any need for a rational explanation of the events he describes. Such a mode of discourse has more in common with the simple faith of a priest, than the considered reflections of a critic or historian; it is a creed which, with its refusal of difference, does a gross disservice both to the post-war avant-garde and the PUNK music Marcus claims to love.
Read the full review here: http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/cranked/append.htm
The emphasis Marcus places upon personalities ultimately nullifies any sense of individuality which his subjects might possess. The links drawn between free spirit heretics and members of the Lettriste, Situationist and PUNK movements, are forged without acknowledgement of the fact that the former lived in feudal communities while the latter were attempting to effect change within industrialised societies. Since the mental sets and social networks of individuals living under capitalism are fundamentally different to those shared by members of a feudal community, comparisons between the two are specious.
The device used to link these diverse individuals and movements is the metaphor of the medium; Johnny Rotten is a passive creator whose body is taken over by what Marcus describes as 'the voice,' but which we might just as well call the muse, or God – because it's a higher authority. In his description of the last Sex Pistols concert, Marcus portrays Johnny Rotten as a puppet whose actions are controlled by an occult force:
"As in other moments on the same stage on the same night, as in so many moments on the singles the Sex Pistols put out over the previous year, he seemed not to know what he was saying. He seemed not to be himself, whoever that was, once more he was less singing a song than being sung by it."
With the concept of 'the voice,' a hidden authority which (dis)organises the world, Marcus abandons any need for a rational explanation of the events he describes. Such a mode of discourse has more in common with the simple faith of a priest, than the considered reflections of a critic or historian; it is a creed which, with its refusal of difference, does a gross disservice both to the post-war avant-garde and the PUNK music Marcus claims to love.
Read the full review here: http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/cranked/append.htm
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