Scan barcode
lastyearsgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
A bunch of assholes take drugs and fight and have sex and bitch about each other, and occaisonally make music
eeriemusick's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
ladymirkwood's review against another edition
5.0
Make no bones about it, 'Please Kill Me' is sleazy, gossipy fun. A chronological history of the American pre-punk/protopunk years in interview form, there are plenty of fantastic trashy anecdotes to interest even the most casual music fan.
From Dee Dee Ramone to Bebe Buell, the variety of talking heads covers members of Andy Warhols 'Factory', The New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground. With so many contributions from the scenes movers and shakers, the book builds a fascinating and vivid portrait of Seventies New York, replete with drugs, groupies, and bitching galore.
The fun does becomes muted in the latter part of the book which charts the scenes decline, along with some of it's stars, which is sobering and rather sad, especially the deaths of Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan.
An amazing piece of musical history, all the more valuable as a few more faces have slipped away in the years since 'Please Kill Me' was published.....
Lou Reed, however, is still miserable sod.
From Dee Dee Ramone to Bebe Buell, the variety of talking heads covers members of Andy Warhols 'Factory', The New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground. With so many contributions from the scenes movers and shakers, the book builds a fascinating and vivid portrait of Seventies New York, replete with drugs, groupies, and bitching galore.
The fun does becomes muted in the latter part of the book which charts the scenes decline, along with some of it's stars, which is sobering and rather sad, especially the deaths of Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan.
An amazing piece of musical history, all the more valuable as a few more faces have slipped away in the years since 'Please Kill Me' was published.....
Lou Reed, however, is still miserable sod.
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
A fun genre, splicing together everyone's wild words. Who did what at Johnny Thunder's funeral? Who really had the idea first to call it punk? Who slept with whom and who shot up in the bathroom while it happened? It's kaleidoscopic chisme, and the authors were very good at it.
But the subject matter? Oh punk. Oh half-formed nihilism, which still cares so much about image and prestige and machismo. Oh misogyny and fascination with Nazi memorabilia. Oh empty and vapid whiteness. Oh drugs and drugs and drugs. What a waste. What a complete waste.
Does this make me a conservative and suburban mom? Kids those days!
But the subject matter? Oh punk. Oh half-formed nihilism, which still cares so much about image and prestige and machismo. Oh misogyny and fascination with Nazi memorabilia. Oh empty and vapid whiteness. Oh drugs and drugs and drugs. What a waste. What a complete waste.
Does this make me a conservative and suburban mom? Kids those days!
mariawie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Death, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Deadnaming, and Blood
Minor: Car accident, Vomit, Rape, Cancer, Sexism, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Excrement, Terminal illness, Police brutality, and Mental illness
m_henchard's review against another edition
2.0
Ymmv depending on whether you care about these bands. I do not—except for Television, and even there most of the focus is on musically incompetent pan-flash Richard Hell.
abbyravioli's review against another edition
Not my cup of tea. Wanted to learn about the history on punk music, all I got was a bunch of quotes about partying from dudes that desperately want to be seen as cool.