Blank Generation

33⅓ Main Series #92

by Pete Astor

To wander the streets of a bankrupt, often lawless, New York City in the early 1970s wearing a T-shirt with PLEASE KILL ME written on it was an act of determined nihilism, and one often recounted in the first reports of Richard Hell filtering into the pre-punk UK. Pete Astor, an archly nihilistic teenager himself at the time, was most impressed. The fact that it emerged (after many years) that Hell himself had not worn the T-shirt but had convinced junior band member Richard Lloyd to do so, actually fitted very well with Astor’s older, wiser self looking back at Blank Generation. Richard Hell was an artist who could not only embody but also frame the punk urge; having seeded and developed the essential look and character of punk since his arrival in New York in the late 1960s, he had just what was needed to make one of the defining records of the era.

This study combines objective, academic perspectives along with culturally centred subjectivities to understand the meanings and resonances of Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ Blank Generation.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

139 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are certain albums that are out there that I feel there is a great need to write or talk or read about. Without a doubt Richard Hell and the Voidoid's amazing "Blank Generation" album is one of them. First of all, I always love the Richard Hell .... everything. I love is two novels that's floating out there in various bookstores around the world, and I'm crazy about the marks he left on NYC culture Him, Tom Verlaine (and all of Television), New York Dolls, Patti Smith, The Ramones, and even some of the lesser talents from CBGBs I think are essential to our culture. I shutter to think what life would be like if he wasn't on this planet, and this is chiefly the reason I ran to Skylight Books this afternoon to buy this book.

Its author Pete Astor, who is a musician and teacher, sounds very much like that profession - both of them. He gets into the gear and certain aspects of the recording that is kind of nerdy to me, but then, why not. If it ended there, then this book wouldn't be that interesting to me. But as one reads on, he gives equal notice to the words and the literature of the NYC punk set - and Hell as one can gather, was at ground zero, due to his interest in poetry. What Hell is so great at is that he could use film, sound, and words that can be put in a package that is totally him - Richard Hell. He's a great stylist, who can even take a Sinatra classic and make it his own. Astor recognizes all the angles that makes Hell and his band so special. Also it is nice (and rightfully so) to give credit to the Voidoids in how they shaped Richard's vision into this beautiful set of songs that's "Blank Generation."

I suspect that I am around the same age as Astor, and being an observer from a distance of the NYC punk scene, I was always rooting for Hell to come through. I was slightly disappointed when he left Television, and crushed he left Heartbreakers before making an album. So when he finally made "Blank Generation" it was "ah at last" type of moment for me. And in the end I think it worked out best this way. I think Hell needed the room to allow his songs to breathe - and I think he would have been too confined with respect to the vision of Verlaine and Johnny Thunders. Nevertheless this is another nice book by an author who understands his subject matter.

[Frank Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the wonderful little books from Bloomsbury in their 33 1/3 series that offer in-depth analysis and review of "classic" and historically important records, Blank Generation by Pete Astor is a gem! Filled with many behind-the-scenes facts that went into the recording of what to my mind (and apparently Astor's as well) is one of the most creative, inspiring, energizing and liberating album to come out of what was labelled "punk." Or, as Astor's opening puts it: "Richard Hell was the one for me."

First, there is "the look." Hell's image and persona was "glamorous, elegant and damaged and signposted a universe of possibilities and I wanted in," writes Astor and it's as if he took the words right out of my mind. I admit I had a crush on Hell from the moment I first saw his photo. And when I got to see him perform, he seemed the embodiment of what I wanted to be. That I got to live in his neighborhood (the East Village) and rub elbows with many in the CBGB world excited me no end. That I actually got to meet him when he wrote a song for a film I had co-written the story for was one of the more surreal moments of my life lived in the Lower East Side: the director and me sitting in Hell's kitchen while he made us pop corn!

Reading Astor's book about Hell's masterpiece I am delighted to find out things that I had no idea of back in the late 70s. For instance, I knew Ivan Julian was a brilliant, young guitarist only 22 years of age, but I didn't know that he had toured with the British soul group, The Foundations and that he took a twisted and deranged version of the chord structure from their big hit, "Build Me Up Buttercup" to create the brilliant dystopian love song, "Betrayal Takes Two." Astor dives into the cultural matrix, including the technology that shapes the medium of records as well as looking at the sophistication of Hell's lyrics which can often be overlooked.

Here again, an example from the aforementioned "Betrayal Takes Two:"
"... at the climax of the verse, the unpleasantness and dysfunction of the relationship is manifested in 'the cut on your arm where the blood is still fresh' and it is very clear that this is a love song not concerned with any idealized situation..."

"The second verse articulates a destructive love where the participants continue to lose themselves in being together, where, 'the feeling gets stronger, two times emptiness.../We'll embrace that much longer, make more of a mess."

I could go on and on but the real joy of reading this book is to read a page or two and then listen to the songs Astor mentions (those that had any influence upon Hell, positively OR negatively).

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I went from one of the best books in this series I've read (J Dilla's Donuts) to one of the worst. Let me say first, my opinion might have been colored slightly by a previous reader of my copy, who highlighted or underlined every grammar or factual error in the book - of which there were quite a few, given the usual high quality of this series. I don't think Astor is a bad writer, I just don't think he was able to figure out what kind of book he wanted to write. His personal history with the music? A cultural history of the NYC punk scene? A deep dive into the lyrics? Nuts and bolts of the recording process? The influence of the Romantic poets that inspired Hell's poetry and lyrics? All of these get touched on, but in a frustratingly shallow way. Given the length of these books, I'd rather have just read him go really deep on just one or two of these areas.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could tell by the reviews that a lot of people didn't like this book, but I thought it was a great overview of a time period that I kinda sorta knew about (because I grew up right outside of the area, and right after the time period), without knowing all of Richard Hell's biography. So for me, placing things in a historical perspective works, and I liked it.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

One-and-a-half stars.

[Елиана · Rating 4 out of 5]

good for what it is, and fun to read! love how it fit in my purse for the subway

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

In yet another step in the continued downfall of this series, and even stranger as it's written by someone I admire, about an album I admire. Despite all that, I found it troubling that the book hardly even approaches a discussion on the album itself. It's mostly a lot of self-congratulatory language flogging, rather than an approach to understanding or loving the album. There is a section towards the end about the lyrics and the word approach, mostly relating to poetry. If you don't like to complete a series, you can skip this one.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this series, but this is a bit of a dud. The copy-editing is atrocious, with missing words, typos ("and" instead of "an") and other errors that make me wonder if anyone read it before it went to print. Beyond that, it felt as if the author knew he had one shot to get all of his ideas out into the world, and decided to shoehorn in a bit about Hell and this album to make it work for the series. Disappointing.

[keatssycamore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Gives me what I'd most want from books in this series which is a straightforward, not overly jargoned or overly complicated, mix of points about the album from perspectives including music theory, technical facts about recording, album's cultural context and personal significance to the writer.

[Tony Mize · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m here to say Richard Hell’s memoir “I dreamed I was a very clean tramp” is a far better intro to his art than this pompous history of pop lecture, riddled with misspellings, factual errors, and repeated pointless digressions into the history of vinyl.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

mixing personal history with many interesting facts about Richard Hell, and Blank Generation, this is one volume that's worth checking out.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and scholarly discourse on the history of Richard Hell as a poet, lyricist, musician, and aesthete - but without being boring or pedantic.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good writing about a very good album. A perfect example of the 33 1/3 series getting it right.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Astor stays focused on the album, the book is very informative and interesting.