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Destroy: The Definitive History of Punk
Book by Gibbs, Alvin
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 19, 2026
While the author does have a very credible background and the book provides a very good (although sometimes a little unstructured) overview of just about everything Punk, it is not without flaws.
A lot of the time the book remains rather uncritical about certain aspects (involvements of Skinheads in the scene, the unthoughtful violence of some "outfits" (as he very brittishly calls them), etc.)
He is also very biased (although not indirectly) towards certain bands or musicians, framing Iggy Pop as this Messiah for example only because he was his idol who he later played for and putting other bands he does not like down, writing them off as just "repeating clichés" etc.
What also left a sour taste in my mouth is how he speaks about some women and their bodies in this, calling Beki Bondage too fat for a skirt she was wearing (when i could not even find any photos or evidence of her ever being so much as slightly overweight).
However, it has provided me with some insight of the unromanticized sides of the scene (and especially its labels and managments)
Funfact: When I took this book as a second hand buy with me on a plane in my carry-on-luggage, it got flagged for Explosives. One can dream...
A lot of the time the book remains rather uncritical about certain aspects (involvements of Skinheads in the scene, the unthoughtful violence of some "outfits" (as he very brittishly calls them), etc.)
He is also very biased (although not indirectly) towards certain bands or musicians, framing Iggy Pop as this Messiah for example only because he was his idol who he later played for and putting other bands he does not like down, writing them off as just "repeating clichés" etc.
What also left a sour taste in my mouth is how he speaks about some women and their bodies in this, calling Beki Bondage too fat for a skirt she was wearing (when i could not even find any photos or evidence of her ever being so much as slightly overweight).
However, it has provided me with some insight of the unromanticized sides of the scene (and especially its labels and managments)
Funfact: When I took this book as a second hand buy with me on a plane in my carry-on-luggage, it got flagged for Explosives. One can dream...
December 15, 2019
This was anything but definitive.I knew there would be a UK lean, and even with that, there was mention of the NYC scene that was simmering at the same time. And while there was great attention paid to the the pre-punk bands and their contributions, but then major bands glossed over.
June 30, 2007
Probably the only book you should read on punkrock...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews