We Got Power! Hardcore Punk Scenes From 1980s Southern California

by David Markey, Jordan Schwartz, Henry Rollins (Contributor)

In 1979, punk was over… but by 1981, hardcore was born.

As teenagers in 1981, David Markey and his best friend Jordan Schwartz founded We Got Power, a fanzine dedicated to the first-generation hardcore punk music community in their native Los Angeles. Their text and cameras captured the early punk spirit of Black Flag, the Minutemen, Social Distortion, Red Cross/Redd Kross, Suicidal Tendencies, the Descendents, White Flag, the Last, the Gun Club, Saccharine Trust, Sin 34, Nip Drivers, Circle One, M.D.C., Big Boys, Youth Brigade, D.R.I., the Butthole Surfers, Firehose, and many others at the height of their precocious punk powers.

In the process, the duo’s amazing photographs also captured the dilapidated suburbs, abandoned storefronts, and dereliction of the early Reagan era—a rubble-strewn social apocalypse that demanded a youth uprising! Never before seen except in crude fanzine form, these detailed and richly narrative photos are now collected to present an intimate portrayal of a uniquely fertile creative moment.

Featuring essays by David Markey, Jordan Schwartz, Jennifer Schwartz, Henry Rollins, Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, Louiche Mayorga, Cameron Jamie, Pat Fear, Steve Humann, Tony Adolescent, Jack Brewer, Jula Bell, Mike Watt, Sean Wheeler, Joe Carducci, Daniel “Shredder” Weizmann, and Janet Housden.

Genres: Music, Punk, History

306 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

DAVID MARKEY was born December 3, 1963, in Burbank, CA. He made his first film at the age of 11 and published a neighborhood newspaper at 12. In 1980, he became involved in the local underground music scene. He helped form Sin 34 in 1981, and captured the punk scene in the Super 8 film The Slog Movie. Markey was a part of We Got Power fanzine from 1981 to 1983, then kept the name alive through his We Got Power Films. He cowrote and directed Desperate Teenage Lovedolls in 1984. He photographed, edited, cowrote, and directed Lovedolls Superstar in 1986. Also that year, his band Painted Willie toured with Black Flag for six months, a period depicted in his film Reality 86’d. Later, he traveled with Sonic Youth and Nirvana across Europe to make 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Markey has directed music videos for Meat Puppets, fIREHOSE, Shonen Knife, Mudhoney, and Pat Smear, and collaborated with visual artists Cameron Jamie, Raymond Pettibon, and Kim Gordon. In 2005, he accidentally discovered he was adopted, leading to work on the autobiography Dark Circles. Markey directed the documentaries The Reinactors; Dinosaur Jr. Bug (Live) at 9:30; and the Circle Jerks film My Career as a Jerk.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really informative and inspiring. It has many different points of view on the same topic; hardcore punk rock.

[Erik Carl son · Rating 5 out of 5]

History made visceral.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3½ stars.

[David Louie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the essays and photos are great, but they need an editor. Could be 1/3 the size.

[Mills College Library]

306.10979 M3458 2012

[EB Fitzsimons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of vignettes and visuals from the West Coast scene.