Out of the Basement: From Cheap Trick to DIY Punk in Rockford, Il, 1973-2005

by David Ensminger

Out of the Basement tells the story of underground music (and mainstream rock that sometimes rose out of it) in post-industrial Rockford, Illinois. This is a bracing, candid, democratic, and cutting edge portrayal of a rust belt city full of rebel kids making DIY music despite the odds. It combines oral history, brutally honest memoir, music history, and a sense of blunt poetics to capture the ethos of life in the 1970s-2000s, long before the Internet made punk accessible to small towners. From dusty used record stores and frenetic skating rinks to dank basements and sweat-piled gigs to the radical forebears like the local IWW chapter, the book follows the stories of rebels struggling to find spaces and a sense of community and their place in underground history.

Genres: Nonfiction, How To, Crafts, Art, Reference, Self Help, Music

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts of this are awesome! I love the idea, just not the execution. While I understand the editor's approach, the book is very hard to read, and I would recommend double-checking any and all advice presented.

[Spike Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty decent compilation of DIY guides compiled from a multitude of zines. It's pretty hit and miss. Some of the things in there are so stripped down and basic, it's more of a jumping off point than an actual guide. Others are just bizarre. Why anyone would go through the process of making their own dildo and strap-on harness is something so far beyond my ken as to be mind-boggling. Others have flaws, errors or omissions in them that cause some major headaches or sickness, and yet others are so bound by scenesterism and ideological concerns that they overlook non-punk resources that would allow them to do it better and more efficiently (i.e., sometimes it's worth it to invest in buying the right parts and supplies when they're not all that expensive rather than kludging something from spare and dumpstered parts that won't work anywhere near as good and possibly fail catastrophically if you're not very careful). Still, I rate this as a three star must-have, because some of the projects inside you're not going to find resources on anywhere else (like DIY solar composting toilets, how to turn your own bodily waste into fertilizer safely, cleanly and cheaply, making bike trailers from spare parts, etc) and others are just a good resource in general for odd gaps in your own personal library (I have no books on how to make ropes and cords from wild plants, frex).

In my eyes, I think that a person concerned with what to do when they have little money to survive would do best from drawing on both sides of the ideological spectrum (DIY punk anarchists and right-wing survivalists) in order to have a well-rounded approach on what to do when TSHTF, whether it just be an individual catastrophe or a general societal decline. Do yourself a favor and get this book, just use it with a grain of salt.

[kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Making Stuff & Doing Things is a compilation of zine articles on how make / do / achieve various things: how to make your own books; where to dumpster; how to play guitar; herbs; etc. It's a fascinating and intriguing snapshot of a period of Punk history where guidance and knowledge sharing were happening in a manual way via word of mouth or hand-drawn articles published in 'zines mailed out to subscription lists.

I did struggle with some of the articles, dated as some were and illegible (due to the effects of bad copying) as others were. Ultimately, it's not likely one I'll keep readily at hand. Does that make me a bad punk?

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book quite a bit! It’s a great starting point for DIY ideas and information for so many subjects. I love the format and getting to read from so many different authors.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 2 out of 5]

An underground DIY book and the title should tell you that. These are useful little tools if you are the type of person ready to throw yourself into something and figure it out on your own. These type of DIY resource intsrtuctions are often just good starting points for the introduction of an idea, the rudiments of making say, a bicycle powered washing machine, and inspiration. The instructions to build something or do a task in this book aren't enough if you are the type of person who needs to be shown something and need another person there to ask questions of or figure it out with.
I haven't tried anything in here, but I am one of the second type of person I described so getting instructions out of books doesn't work that well for me. I do know that the recipe for homebrew is woefully inadequate and will likely lead to disaster. I figure that goes for the rest of the book's ideas.
So, treat it as a cool something that's just a starting point, a jumpstart to ideas--and then do more research or find a mentor.
I put it in science because why shouldn't I?

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the whole book, but I'm currently revisiting Matte Resist's articles on gardening. The book is really inspiring, makes you feel like you can DIY too. Great cut & paste zine aesthetic (as most if not all the articles were culled from zines), and a wide variety of stuff. Make your own sex toys. Grow your own food. Ways to catch flies, bind books, play guitar chords, and lots, lots, LOTS more.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of how to do things, I am about to make so much homemade wine, you'll think it's prohibition again.

[Me · Rating 1 out of 5]

In exchange for an honest review, I received this book free of charge through GoodReads. This is a collection of zines with thousands of contributors offering tips, instructions, and advice on whatever skill they knew well. Since many of these entries were submitted in hand-writing, they are reproduced that way in the book. It makes it very difficult to read and the font can be extremely small in the photocopied instructions. The emphasis is on thriving on little and the topics are diverse, covering how to make your own toothpaste, how to make beer, how to fix a harmonica, how to make a bikini out of bandanas, how to make a wallet out of tape, and the strangest IMO, how to pee standing up if you’re a female. Basically, there are some good tips in this book, but there are so many that are strange such as “how to unstink your socks” after wearing them more than 3 days. It seems like without this book, you could still just look up this “advice” on the internet and be just the wiser.

[Huckleberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how the book was compiled from various zines, and there is a lot of actionable stuff here. Microcosm publishes a lot of excellent writing that might not otherwise see the light of day.

[Nikoline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't researched the book enough so it's my own fault I expected something more. It has some fun stuff in it that I will definitely use. It gets a lower rating, because it is hard to read it because of the different fonts.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but the health advice is suspect.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did find this book informative in certain aspects (such as composting) there was a lot of conflicting information.

If you find yourself consulting the book for something specific but are unsure please do your own research! I'm sure there are as many "punk rock" websites as the 'zines in this book but you do need to remember to consult both sides. For instance I am 90% sure garlic should not be given to our four legged pets nor shoved up in certain cavities, it is important to consult the correct doctors with degrees about who can eat what and what infections you might make yourself prone to in the 'shoving things up places' sections.

This book is also an excellent time piece to the early 2000s and late 90s era as well if you are interested in possibly getting a peek into that time if you never experienced it or didn't remember it clearly.

I also want to add that this book has many different fonts and styles because of how the anthology is made up and while I appreciated them for my ADHD I will say that the lack of uniform style could be jarring for those not used to it or those with eye issues or problems.

Overall it is a good jumping off point for anything in particular that you may want to do but it is important to do your own research and find your own way to it.

[J.E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book to learn more hobbies, such as candle making, printing my own book, and DIY hobbies as the title suggests. However, I feel that the book was severely mistitled. Most of the book is about the author’s anarchical beliefs. Had I know this when I bought the book, I would have given much higher rating but when the book is title “How to do everything - DIY” and only 1/5th of the book is really about DIY, something doesn’t add up…

Don’t get me wrong - the general message is great! Political opinions aside, this book has some solid advice on how to be a lifelong learner, encourages you to study topics you are not familiar with, and question your existing beliefs. It tells you everything one should know before graduating high school. But how about change the title to “Anarchist’s Handbook - DIY to Building a Thriving Community & Other Practical Advice”?

- Printing is mushy, too small to read easily. Bad editing…

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

As it says: Cool collection of DIY from sewing basics, herbal pet care, making zines, peeing standing up (for ladies), composting, dumpster diving safely, alternative menustral products, basic car maintenance, activism, foraging.... On and on, really cool resource! Some sections were hard to read though!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle version not well done

It looks like the pages are scanned picture files instead of text. Excess white space around each page. Can't increase the font. Zooming in is clumsy. Also covers subjects that do not actually involve making stuff or doing things, fyi.

[Leila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok... this one was radical, leftie and good.
I get that it's a collection of resources from zines to radical health etc. This means that they had very good advice, but it also had comments about capitalism, squatting and other measures. So if you are bothered by these topics you might have issues with the book.
There were some pages difficult to read since it was mainly a collage of magazine clips, zines and handwritten notes.
It is a fast read, and I guess you can get quite useful ideas. In my case, I will copy/take what interested me (toothpaste recipe, changing car's oil and pet's care) and leave it be. I don't see myself grabbing it again.

[Marcy Graybill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book you need to buy and keep in your bathroom. It's perfect for sitting down and reading an essay and then moving on. There are sections on how to juggle, what to pack for a Punk Rock Tour, and even on how to select menstruation products or a cock ring. Fascinating information.

[Scott Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wide variety of easily accessible DIY. Articles are complied almost like a scrapbook and some hand writings and font sizing can be difficult to read. Actual information almost certainly superceded by internet articles, but useful for introductions to topics you may not have considered before

[Zach Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the collection and proliferation of DIY through zines before the internet was widely available. This is a great book for inspiring your next DIY adventure!

[Liz]

Not exactly what I was expecting. Not sure how to rate it because of that.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were some interesting things in it, and it had a rebel feel, it was physically hard to read (varying fonts,sizes, and some poor scans) and it didn't provide me with much new information.

[Zoe (inactive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ah yes, took it of my shelf again to show my partner how to do a massage to help relive menstrual cramps. This book has everything. guess I should really try my hand at making wine someday soon.

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love it, for real, this is the book i ve been searching for for 5 years

[Andrew Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to browse

[Kim Compton-Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely something everyone needs on their shelves!

[Fatima Sarder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has a lot of general, DIY things. Some of the paragraphs were outright unreadable.

[Lemon Twist · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an accumulation of knowledge; I was super excited about the egg substitute.

If you haven't read this book your missing out.

[Danika Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool ideas, good idea for a book. Great jumping off place. Fun read, quick to skim and get a general idea.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book had a lot of good information in it, I wasn't impressed with the way it was presented. A majority of the content was previously published articles in magazines, newspapers, etc. and then COPIED and pasted into book layout. Which means many of the pages are in such tiny print I needed a magnifying glass to read them. Personally, nothing is worth reading through a magnifying glass for any length of time. I would have thought the content would have been retyped and presented in normal format for a book instead of columns like a newspaper.

So while the content might have been compiled with a lot of good information, it wasn't presented well. Therefore I could only give it two stars.

Save your money, most of this information (if not all of it) can be found on the internet for free. And just in case you're thinking this book would be great for kids, be forewarned there is some very explicit sexual content (instructions) in it. Great for adults, pre-adolescents, not so much.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like the English punk scene born of a boom to bust economy opposed to the majority of the American punks that felt a responsibility to fight back against Reagan, Capitalism and yuppie scum.

I think when most people think of Mid-Western punk, Hüsker Dü and any plethora of Chicago bands come to mind, but there was so much more. That's what this book showcases in a short 95 pages.

I feel their pain. Coming from Lancaster which is 1/1.5 hours from Philly, about the same from DC/Baltimore and about 3.5 hours from NYC...we're a small town with great bands and just kind of viewed as a small show venue on the way to another big gig. It's hard to find an identity(especially when the closest success was LIVE) but we're fiercely proud of OUR scene...and that was what spoke to me.

It was a great read exploring the ups and downs of a small town and their struggles and successes.