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FLY
Ever wondered what living in a Melbourne squat was like in the 1980s? FLY is a raw and vivid insight into that grungy underworld.
Rejected by suburbia for being a freak, Agro runs away to find acceptance in the hardcore punk scene, where mates and music are everything. Moving from squat to squat she and her friends battle thugs, prostitute rings, police raids, bikie gangs and thieving speed addicts. Despite the bleakness of their lifestyle they live by a code of loyalty, one that is all important and separate from the world that rejected Agro. In her desperate struggle for acceptance she is drawn back to her violent past. Only this time being a freak is no disadvantage.
Full of pitch black humour and gutsy love, FLY has all the ingredients for a classic Australian novel, with a dash of Monkey Grip, a dollop of He Died With A Felafel In His Hands and a sprinkling of Puberty Blues.
The beginning to a disturbingly real saga that slams to a genuine Melbourne beat with real bands, real venues and real attitude FLY is an empowering story of hardship, strength and finally acceptance. Its unique description of punk culture comes from one who lived and believed it.
Rejected by suburbia for being a freak, Agro runs away to find acceptance in the hardcore punk scene, where mates and music are everything. Moving from squat to squat she and her friends battle thugs, prostitute rings, police raids, bikie gangs and thieving speed addicts. Despite the bleakness of their lifestyle they live by a code of loyalty, one that is all important and separate from the world that rejected Agro. In her desperate struggle for acceptance she is drawn back to her violent past. Only this time being a freak is no disadvantage.
Full of pitch black humour and gutsy love, FLY has all the ingredients for a classic Australian novel, with a dash of Monkey Grip, a dollop of He Died With A Felafel In His Hands and a sprinkling of Puberty Blues.
The beginning to a disturbingly real saga that slams to a genuine Melbourne beat with real bands, real venues and real attitude FLY is an empowering story of hardship, strength and finally acceptance. Its unique description of punk culture comes from one who lived and believed it.
260 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 8, 2015
"The cross on the wall had a near naked guy nailed to it. He looked dead. I wasn't sure why they'd have him hanging in here. If there was only one thing I didn't need reminding of, it was that our supposed creator had designed a world where his own son would be tortured and murdered, it didn't fill me with hope."
FLY is an all access pass into the Melbourne 80s punk scene. It follows the life of Agro, a 15 year old girl struggling to grow up and find her place in her harsh Adelaide surroundings. Beaten and abused she picks up and leaves following the only love she has, Punk music, all the way to Melbourne. There she squats in empty houses eventually meeting a small group of punks who take her in under their wing. Not a very wise group of individuals though points for survival in the Gritty Melbourne underworld. The thing I loved most about the book was its insight into 80s Melbourne punk life and Melbourne locations and venues of the 80s.
FLY is an all access pass into the Melbourne 80s punk scene. It follows the life of Agro, a 15 year old girl struggling to grow up and find her place in her harsh Adelaide surroundings. Beaten and abused she picks up and leaves following the only love she has, Punk music, all the way to Melbourne. There she squats in empty houses eventually meeting a small group of punks who take her in under their wing. Not a very wise group of individuals though points for survival in the Gritty Melbourne underworld. The thing I loved most about the book was its insight into 80s Melbourne punk life and Melbourne locations and venues of the 80s.
October 15, 2017
Great book set in the '80s punk scene of Melbourne, Australia. It's a scene of squats in Collingwood and Brunswick, alcohol, drugs, punk band concerts in St Kilda.
February 5, 2020
Brilliant read. I couldn't put it down. Having lived in Melbourne during the 80s on the periphery of the punk scene this book took me back evoking memories of a crazy time.
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October 15, 2020Well written and kept my attention throughout. I know it is fiction but believe much of it may be true.
June 24, 2020
Gets under your fingernails, drags a thin foam mattress into your heart and nods off in it.
September 20, 2017
A copy of this found its way into my hands. It's pretty great. It's a loose memoir/fiction novel set in the Melbourne punk scene of the late 1980s.
Annie (aka Agro) flees Adelaide at the young age of fifteen. She's determined to be a punk and the locals don't understand her, so she takes the train to Melbourne. She slips smoothly into the punk scene, and soon is squatting with two friends, Dee and Mel. The story is a mixture of annecdote and what feels like a lightly sculpted narrative.
Annie makes for an interesting lead character. She's saving up money to have cosmetic surgery, in order to conceal a scar across her torso. Ironically it was this scar that helped steer her into the punk scene, where being a freak is something to be proud of. I thought this apparent contradiction in her character gave the book an edge over similar stories.
In order to make quick money she travels back to Adelaide sporadically in order to buy marijuana by the pound. It seems like a long way to go for marijuana, and one of the characters remarks that weed is harder to score in Melbourne than heroin. This is just one of several concepts in the novel which I found vaguely incongruous. However, a lot can change in twenty-five years... who knows maybe it really was like that in the 80s.
I actually preferred the narrative sections of this book, as opposed to the annecdote sections. The narrative sections have a strong Romper Stomper vibe, and I think this book could be adapted into a good movie. I also liked some of the descriptive passages, which tend to celebrate the punkness. Here's one example: "Little black turds littered every surface and made my room smell like a mouse cage. I felt my earlobe. All my earrings were missing and flakes of dried blood coated my fingers. The sign of a good night."
The narrative could be improved and the loose ends tied up. But then it wouldn't be punk.
review first appeared at: http://bench-press.blogspot.com.au/
Annie (aka Agro) flees Adelaide at the young age of fifteen. She's determined to be a punk and the locals don't understand her, so she takes the train to Melbourne. She slips smoothly into the punk scene, and soon is squatting with two friends, Dee and Mel. The story is a mixture of annecdote and what feels like a lightly sculpted narrative.
Annie makes for an interesting lead character. She's saving up money to have cosmetic surgery, in order to conceal a scar across her torso. Ironically it was this scar that helped steer her into the punk scene, where being a freak is something to be proud of. I thought this apparent contradiction in her character gave the book an edge over similar stories.
In order to make quick money she travels back to Adelaide sporadically in order to buy marijuana by the pound. It seems like a long way to go for marijuana, and one of the characters remarks that weed is harder to score in Melbourne than heroin. This is just one of several concepts in the novel which I found vaguely incongruous. However, a lot can change in twenty-five years... who knows maybe it really was like that in the 80s.
I actually preferred the narrative sections of this book, as opposed to the annecdote sections. The narrative sections have a strong Romper Stomper vibe, and I think this book could be adapted into a good movie. I also liked some of the descriptive passages, which tend to celebrate the punkness. Here's one example: "Little black turds littered every surface and made my room smell like a mouse cage. I felt my earlobe. All my earrings were missing and flakes of dried blood coated my fingers. The sign of a good night."
The narrative could be improved and the loose ends tied up. But then it wouldn't be punk.
review first appeared at: http://bench-press.blogspot.com.au/
April 11, 2014
I enjoyed reading this as it gave me insight into people I have only observed from their appearance and never known. The plot was sufficient to keep me reading, and I wanted to know more about what made Annie tick. There were two areas that bothered me though: the prose contrasts with the dialogue so I feel the first person is two people, and there is inconsistency about Annie's concerns for her physical appearance. Annie doesn't sound like the kind of girl who would describe a setting so potently, yet now and again this would happen, for example, "sweat lubricated every inch of our sardine aligned bodies" (p119) and "I liked the cracks. They seemed to have lived a life." (also p 119). Maybe if it had something extra at the beginning i would know she had that ability to express so well, and I would feel more comfortable with the duality. If she cares so much about her appearance why doesn't she attend to the tooth? I get to meet the author tomorrow so I will ask! Met the author, wonderful person, who explained the tooth is an emblem of achievement that fits her punk sense of belonging.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews