Safety In Numbers: My Journey with L.A. Punk Rock Gangs 1982-1992

by Adam Wilson

"A great story of a lost world. Having seen that world disappear in recent years, it was quite a treat to go on this journey. One of a time and place long gone, but not forgotten. Long before the Disneyfication of modern day Hollywood, it was a run down and left behind wasteland, dangerous, lively, unbounded and free. Where the disenfranchised outcasts, rejected children of the dysfunctional working class, came to find their place, their peace of mind. Roving the tattered shadows and crooked sidewalks of the boulevard, drinking, raising Hell for Hell's sake, looking for action, music, love, inebriation, acceptance, and family, while the rest of the world droned on in mind-numbing normalcy. Adam Wilson's first-hand account of life as a punk in the streets of Los Angeles, the gangs that stuck together for unity, solidarity, and what little they had to fight for, is a powerful and unsung testimonial, well worth reading. Learn what LA was really made of. Read his all telling tale, an honest and open account of a time and place, not likely to ever see the light of day again." ~Christiaan Angelo Pasquale

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2016

Reviews

[Jerry Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. A humanist POV memoir on the LA punk rock gang scene of the 80's. What I like about Adam's take on this is that he shows humility and vulnerability and doesn't puff up his bravado or gloss over his shortcomings. It's a warts and all kind of memoir. It also shows the slow slide into violence and addiction. It started as friends sticking up for each-other at shows and so they wouldn't get beaten up by other gangs, and then just slowly devolved into actual gang life, rife with shootings, stabbings, drugs, and theft. It's funny how the slow death of LA HC scene mirrors that as well. I got a real understanding of how everything fell apart and that's exactly what I was looking for.