“Why are you still banging on about punk rock?” someone asked me recently. “That stuff’s been dead for over forty years, hasn’t it?”
Dead? Really? Well, maybe dead in the sense that a vampire is dead, i.e., it’s a creature of the night and shuns the sunshine.
But – leaving aside the fact that The Damned are still alive and performing – the strain of rebellion that characterized much of the movement is still with us. It has simply evolved, in much the same way that punk itself had its roots in garage rock (and the availability of cheap guitars!). One only has to watch the news to see that the spirit of anarchy and struggle against the System continues.
So maybe it’s time to re-visit those days of stripped-down, anti-establishment music. Though, for some of us, we’re not really paying a visit to the a part of us never really left it to begin with.
‘Punks’ is another fine collection by Brenda Perlin of photographs, articles, musings, interviews and reminiscences from the days of anti-establishment anarchy. (Though one could argue those days are still with us.) For those of us who remember those times – even if only through the mists of alcoholic inebriation – it serves as a memory-jogger, as well as being an easy read in bite-sized chunks. There are also some modern utterances on the ‘napalm bomb’ of COVID, which might give you food for thought. Great stuff.
The much-awaited sequel to the punk series does not disappoint. Interesting stories with fabulous pictures. A page-turner. I could not put the book down.
The DIY Punk ethos pervades this book of short stories. Brenda Perlin's presentations of punks in their own words is fascinating. She also sprinkles her own vignettes throughout the book. Unsung and unlikely heroes lurk around every corner and every page turn. Highly recommended!
Another wonderful collection of punk rock themed short stories from Brenda Perlin and her cohorts. Like its predecessors, Punks takes you on a nostalgic trip back in time to the early days of punk by the people who lived it. A fun read, and highly recommended.