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Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Rolling Stone * BookPage * Amazon * Rough Trade
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence
“[A] riveting and inspiring history of punk’s hard-fought struggle in East Germany.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A thrilling and essential social history that details the rebellious youth movement that helped change the world.” —Rolling Stone
“Original and inspiring . . . Mr. Mohr has written an important work of Cold War cultural history.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Wildly entertaining . . . A thrilling tale . . . A joy in the way it brings back punk’s fury and high stakes.”— Vogue
It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin, and it ended with the collapse of the East German dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery. The buzz-saw guitars, the messed-up clothing and hair, the rejection of society and the DIY approach to building a new in their gray surroundings, where everyone’s future was preordained by some communist apparatchik, punk represented a revolutionary philosophy—quite literally, as it turned out.
But as these young kids tried to form bands and became more visible, security forces—including the dreaded secret police, the Stasi—targeted them. They were spied on by friends and even members of their own families; they were expelled from schools and fired from jobs; they were beaten by police and imprisoned. Instead of conforming, the punks fought back, playing an indispensable role in the underground movements that helped bring down the Berlin Wall.
This secret history of East German punk rock is not just about the music; it is a story of extraordinary bravery in the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history. Rollicking, cinematic, deeply researched, highly readable, and thrillingly topical, Burning Down the Haus brings to life the young men and women who successfully fought authoritarianism three chords at a time—and is a fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution.
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence
“[A] riveting and inspiring history of punk’s hard-fought struggle in East Germany.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A thrilling and essential social history that details the rebellious youth movement that helped change the world.” —Rolling Stone
“Original and inspiring . . . Mr. Mohr has written an important work of Cold War cultural history.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Wildly entertaining . . . A thrilling tale . . . A joy in the way it brings back punk’s fury and high stakes.”— Vogue
It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin, and it ended with the collapse of the East German dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery. The buzz-saw guitars, the messed-up clothing and hair, the rejection of society and the DIY approach to building a new in their gray surroundings, where everyone’s future was preordained by some communist apparatchik, punk represented a revolutionary philosophy—quite literally, as it turned out.
But as these young kids tried to form bands and became more visible, security forces—including the dreaded secret police, the Stasi—targeted them. They were spied on by friends and even members of their own families; they were expelled from schools and fired from jobs; they were beaten by police and imprisoned. Instead of conforming, the punks fought back, playing an indispensable role in the underground movements that helped bring down the Berlin Wall.
This secret history of East German punk rock is not just about the music; it is a story of extraordinary bravery in the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history. Rollicking, cinematic, deeply researched, highly readable, and thrillingly topical, Burning Down the Haus brings to life the young men and women who successfully fought authoritarianism three chords at a time—and is a fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2017
158 people are currently reading
6108 people want to read
About the author
Tim Mohr
25 books45 followersTim Mohr was a New York-based translator, writer and editor. Early experiences working as a deejay in Berlin led Mohr to a career as a translator of German literature and as a chronicler of the Berlin music scene. Later in life, Mohr worked with celebrity musicians like Paul Stanley as a close collaborator, helping them to write the stories of their lives. His translation work was nominated for multiple prizes and awarded the Best Translated Book Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
June 13, 2020
A very different take on East Germany and what went on behind the wall. Punk rockers, and the intense scrutiny they were under to reform. Major, a young woman, fell in love with the music of the sex pistols, their angry words and hardcore sound. Dressing the part of a punk rocker, she soon found herself under the scrutiny of the police. Interrogated and serving prison time. Soon the movement spread, more and more dressing the part, starting punk rock bands and meeting in basements in various locations.
Quite interesting reading. The formidable anger commitment of these young people who wanted to live their lives their way. Not under state control, but able to freely choose. We meet others in this group and hear their stories. Some of their parents were punished, losing their jobs, their reputations due to the actions of their children. Eventually they prevailed and the wall came down.
Quite interesting reading. The formidable anger commitment of these young people who wanted to live their lives their way. Not under state control, but able to freely choose. We meet others in this group and hear their stories. Some of their parents were punished, losing their jobs, their reputations due to the actions of their children. Eventually they prevailed and the wall came down.
August 12, 2018
(3.5 out of 5 stars) This was a unique kind of book about the part that punk rock played in firing people up as to bringing down the wall in Berlin. Author Tim Mohr used his many sources of current and former punk rockers to share how the movement got going, how it differed from other countries, and how it evolved. Most people back then tried very hard to fit in living in East Germany, as it made life less difficult. You didn’t want to get snitched on to the authorities and questioned for hours if you stood out too much. Music can evoke change to a degree. My thanks to Goodreads giveaways and the author Tim Mohr for the free ARC of this book for my fair review.
Algonquin Books
Pub: Sept. 11th, 2018
Algonquin Books
Pub: Sept. 11th, 2018
September 4, 2019
If, like me, you are hungry for a time you’ll never know, books like this will suck you in so easily, transporting you to scenes you couldn’t have imagined.
I admire the kids who, almost 40 years after the separation of Germany, and 20 years after the erection of the Berlin Wall, realize that the government has all of their fingers in their business, their futures quite literally dictated for them— and they’ve had enough. Slowly the punk culture grows in pockets throughout the DDR (East Germany), goaded on by the scene in Poland and intermittent access to Western radio playing the likes of the Sex Pistols and more. On top of how they chose to cut their hair and tear their clothes, they backed up their appearance with action. They’d congregate and protest in Berlin, and rock out in allied churches despite the Stasi crackdowns— and many of them went to jail for speaking badly against the country, often wasting away in “pretrial detention” centers, or being shipped off to the army or to West Germany, expatriates.
The balls on these teenagers were immense. Some agreed to be informants to save friends from more jail time, and in so doing blacklisted themselves. Others wouldn’t stop being who they are in public despite reoccurring arrests. And ultimately, they would never shut up about how unjust the system was, writing songs calling out the corruption and building a community to overcome the oppression. So cool.
I admire the kids who, almost 40 years after the separation of Germany, and 20 years after the erection of the Berlin Wall, realize that the government has all of their fingers in their business, their futures quite literally dictated for them— and they’ve had enough. Slowly the punk culture grows in pockets throughout the DDR (East Germany), goaded on by the scene in Poland and intermittent access to Western radio playing the likes of the Sex Pistols and more. On top of how they chose to cut their hair and tear their clothes, they backed up their appearance with action. They’d congregate and protest in Berlin, and rock out in allied churches despite the Stasi crackdowns— and many of them went to jail for speaking badly against the country, often wasting away in “pretrial detention” centers, or being shipped off to the army or to West Germany, expatriates.
The balls on these teenagers were immense. Some agreed to be informants to save friends from more jail time, and in so doing blacklisted themselves. Others wouldn’t stop being who they are in public despite reoccurring arrests. And ultimately, they would never shut up about how unjust the system was, writing songs calling out the corruption and building a community to overcome the oppression. So cool.
October 24, 2018
How to make a Cold War era Punk:
Find one "rage filled" teen
Expose to Sex Pistols (time will vary)
Leave alone in dark place w/ scissors for up to a day
The insights in to the lives of individuals chronicled here, starting in roughly 1977, and the very real threats they faced were interesting, but the writing style detracted from a cohesive story making it hard to get through. The formulaic nature of the introduction of new people, and how punk culture influenced them was repetitive and I found myself glossing over their "transformations". In case you're wondering, it goes something like: "X" is an angsty teen, X is filled with rage, X listens to punk music for the first time, X cuts their hair and "makes it messy on purpose", rips their clothes, and emerges a fledgling punk, ready to seek out others. The rinse-recycle-repeat nature of this procedure slowed the story, and the quotations used in early dialog felt out of place.
Many of the chapters also felt like a serial podcast in nature, with strange endings. One I can think of off hand ended with "they only needed a band" and the first sentence of the next chapter was "they decided to form a band". Once again, breaking up the story. The operation of the East German government and how the punks attempted to lessen the likelihood of being picked up while in public places was interesting, as were all the things they could get arrested for (i.e. how dangerous life really was for them), but a large chunk of the middle of the book was simply a repeat of people getting picked up by the Stasi multiple times and then returning to places they were squatting.
While I'm glad I read it, because I did learn a few things, I'm not sure I would recommend it to friends.
Find one "rage filled" teen
Expose to Sex Pistols (time will vary)
Leave alone in dark place w/ scissors for up to a day
The insights in to the lives of individuals chronicled here, starting in roughly 1977, and the very real threats they faced were interesting, but the writing style detracted from a cohesive story making it hard to get through. The formulaic nature of the introduction of new people, and how punk culture influenced them was repetitive and I found myself glossing over their "transformations". In case you're wondering, it goes something like: "X" is an angsty teen, X is filled with rage, X listens to punk music for the first time, X cuts their hair and "makes it messy on purpose", rips their clothes, and emerges a fledgling punk, ready to seek out others. The rinse-recycle-repeat nature of this procedure slowed the story, and the quotations used in early dialog felt out of place.
Many of the chapters also felt like a serial podcast in nature, with strange endings. One I can think of off hand ended with "they only needed a band" and the first sentence of the next chapter was "they decided to form a band". Once again, breaking up the story. The operation of the East German government and how the punks attempted to lessen the likelihood of being picked up while in public places was interesting, as were all the things they could get arrested for (i.e. how dangerous life really was for them), but a large chunk of the middle of the book was simply a repeat of people getting picked up by the Stasi multiple times and then returning to places they were squatting.
While I'm glad I read it, because I did learn a few things, I'm not sure I would recommend it to friends.
November 20, 2018
3.5 stars? I enjoyed this (despite the self-conscious prose and bad pacing), and the DDR punk scene sounds Serious. I have a very clear picture in my head of some Berlin punks circa 1984 that I still think about a lot. That said, I wanted a much more sophisticated historical/political analysis than this provided. I definitely believe that the Honecker regime was scared of the punks, and that the Stasi consistently failed in their crackdowns because they were like, "oh man, if only we can find The One Punk In Charge Of Things and arrest that person! Then we will defeat punk!!!" Which obviously is ludicrous. But I really needed a paragraph or two every once in a while about what the hell else was going on, unless we're to believe that punks were solely responsible for the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dismantling of the Iron Curtain.
November 18, 2018
Say it, speak it, shout it out loud.
The punk ethos has always been about DIY from the ground up. True, it is also about rebellion- and in a politically oppressive environment that stifles freedom of expression, that rebellion rages like fire.
Burning Down the Haus explores the punk movement in East Berlin prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It is a stirring story of young punks who believe it best to destroy what is destroying you. People who strive to build the change they want to see in the world. Those who are moved to action by a strong beat.
The punk ethos has always been about DIY from the ground up. True, it is also about rebellion- and in a politically oppressive environment that stifles freedom of expression, that rebellion rages like fire.
Burning Down the Haus explores the punk movement in East Berlin prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It is a stirring story of young punks who believe it best to destroy what is destroying you. People who strive to build the change they want to see in the world. Those who are moved to action by a strong beat.
October 1, 2018
I'm practically a target market for this book.
20-odd pages in, I'm afraid the author is checking off quite a list of my pet peeves. On p.10, on the "first punk in East Berlin",
This was 1977 in East Berlin. Teens really said "what the fuck"? There's no attribution for the source of the "quote", that I can see.
There are also listings of the east Berlin suburbs that each of the punks came from, that have little connection to the other activities in the book so far. Now I have some idea of where Pankow, Kopenik, Treptow etc are, but why is this interesting?
Then on p.38:
No umm shit.
After numerous similar and interminable details of East German punk teens growing up in mostly unhappy homes, gossip about streets and neighborhoods and tenuous connections, and outbursts of "rocker dude" prose, there are good stories and valuable information. But that's a high price to pay.
20-odd pages in, I'm afraid the author is checking off quite a list of my pet peeves. On p.10, on the "first punk in East Berlin",
What the fuck is this, she wondered, fascinated by their ripped clothes and sneering faces.
This was 1977 in East Berlin. Teens really said "what the fuck"? There's no attribution for the source of the "quote", that I can see.
There are also listings of the east Berlin suburbs that each of the punks came from, that have little connection to the other activities in the book so far. Now I have some idea of where Pankow, Kopenik, Treptow etc are, but why is this interesting?
Then on p.38:
Shit was getting out of hand.
No umm shit.
After numerous similar and interminable details of East German punk teens growing up in mostly unhappy homes, gossip about streets and neighborhoods and tenuous connections, and outbursts of "rocker dude" prose, there are good stories and valuable information. But that's a high price to pay.
April 19, 2019
Im not quite sure how to review this book. It is equal parts interesting, boring, political, and Idealistic. You start to get bored with the ad nauseum stories of disenfranchised youths who discovered the sex pistol and starting cutting their hair, but at the same time the political history of the east with the church from below and its predecessors are information I never even heard of until this book. Its a strange book.
So pros:
Good political history of east Germany told from the aspect of the punk counter culture.
chilling tales of the Stasi and its gestapo type measures
Cons:
Individual histories get repetitive.
The author leans far to the left but that does fit the subject.
Sometimes names and dates get muddled.
Worth the read but I wouldn't necessarily seek it out unless you are interested in the politics of East Germany before the DDR fell or punk rock in general.
So pros:
Good political history of east Germany told from the aspect of the punk counter culture.
chilling tales of the Stasi and its gestapo type measures
Cons:
Individual histories get repetitive.
The author leans far to the left but that does fit the subject.
Sometimes names and dates get muddled.
Worth the read but I wouldn't necessarily seek it out unless you are interested in the politics of East Germany before the DDR fell or punk rock in general.
August 2, 2025
This book made me want to plot out a YA novel about East Berlin punks.
February 2, 2020
(3.5/5)
As a student of German language, history, and culture from high school through college, I thought this book would provide more insight into the cultural and political mood during the punk revolution. It does provide glimpses of the cultural and political but each chapter is more like a vignette of a particular person’s life or a group’s life. There’s nothing wrong with that but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
The writing can be enthralling at points and then a little lack luster and basic at others. I found it a little difficult to keep up with all of the story lines but you get the general sense of where you are in the progression of the overall story.
I think this book is very relevant to today’s world though, oddly enough. With the world becoming increasingly closed off to the “other,” this book is heartening. A group of people who speak up, engage the corrupt system, and keep pressing despite physical and emotional trauma should be inspiration to us all.
“Wenn Unrecht zu Recht wird, wird Widerstand zur Pflicht.”
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty.-
As a student of German language, history, and culture from high school through college, I thought this book would provide more insight into the cultural and political mood during the punk revolution. It does provide glimpses of the cultural and political but each chapter is more like a vignette of a particular person’s life or a group’s life. There’s nothing wrong with that but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
The writing can be enthralling at points and then a little lack luster and basic at others. I found it a little difficult to keep up with all of the story lines but you get the general sense of where you are in the progression of the overall story.
I think this book is very relevant to today’s world though, oddly enough. With the world becoming increasingly closed off to the “other,” this book is heartening. A group of people who speak up, engage the corrupt system, and keep pressing despite physical and emotional trauma should be inspiration to us all.
“Wenn Unrecht zu Recht wird, wird Widerstand zur Pflicht.”
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty.-
November 17, 2019
Don't die in the waiting room of the future.
Wenn unrecht zu recht wird, wird widerstand zur pflicht:
When injustice become law, resistance becomes a duty.
I feel a bit conflicted about this book.
On the one hand, I thought the topic was fascinating: the combination of music and politics, how punk rock was a cry against the complacency that the East German government was trying to enforce and how it gave people the confidence to resist injustice. I definitely learned some interesting facts, like the role that the churches played in facilitating the punk rock community (who knew?!).
On the other hand, though, I would not say that it was the best writing. The chapters felt quite repetitive at some point, following a similar story line over and over again, and constantly introducing new people, making it hard to keep up.
Overall, I did enjoy it though, so would probably give it 3.5 stars.
Wenn unrecht zu recht wird, wird widerstand zur pflicht:
When injustice become law, resistance becomes a duty.
I feel a bit conflicted about this book.
On the one hand, I thought the topic was fascinating: the combination of music and politics, how punk rock was a cry against the complacency that the East German government was trying to enforce and how it gave people the confidence to resist injustice. I definitely learned some interesting facts, like the role that the churches played in facilitating the punk rock community (who knew?!).
On the other hand, though, I would not say that it was the best writing. The chapters felt quite repetitive at some point, following a similar story line over and over again, and constantly introducing new people, making it hard to keep up.
Overall, I did enjoy it though, so would probably give it 3.5 stars.
November 28, 2020
This book is niche interest. Suffice to say, if you are interested in the fall of the Berlin Wall and latter 20th century German history, you will get on well with this . It's East German history, but not as we know it. It starts off with repressed, bored teens who are completely dissatisfied with their life within the confines of the Berlin Wall and by word of mouth, stumble upon punk as an outlet for all that ails them. It becomes an essential way to express their individuality, under a conformist dictatorship and eventually becomes their way to protest the system and change if from within.
The book is part anecdote, there is a wide range of interesting characters who were prominent DDR punks, tales of Stasi brutality and part social history. I was very intrigued about the role the East German church played in protecting the punks and giving them a platform to protest. My favourite thing about the book was watching over time how the punks were able to rebel more and more and became fearless of the Stasi punishments. It is also told in quite an exciting way.
The book did drag at times, the punks and their nicknames were confusing and thought there is a distinct thread running through with the story of several punks, it's starts to get more fragmented as time goes on. There are several churches and cities involved , due to the nature of the movement and East Germany. Ultimately, the reader knows that they will be rewarded with the fall of the Berlin Wall for persisting . The ambiguity of that success is also examined. This is an exciting book about real life rebellion!
The book is part anecdote, there is a wide range of interesting characters who were prominent DDR punks, tales of Stasi brutality and part social history. I was very intrigued about the role the East German church played in protecting the punks and giving them a platform to protest. My favourite thing about the book was watching over time how the punks were able to rebel more and more and became fearless of the Stasi punishments. It is also told in quite an exciting way.
The book did drag at times, the punks and their nicknames were confusing and thought there is a distinct thread running through with the story of several punks, it's starts to get more fragmented as time goes on. There are several churches and cities involved , due to the nature of the movement and East Germany. Ultimately, the reader knows that they will be rewarded with the fall of the Berlin Wall for persisting . The ambiguity of that success is also examined. This is an exciting book about real life rebellion!
March 10, 2020
Recommended by a good friend who told me that I need to break out into unfamiliar subjects. Quite frankly the cover made me think he'd gone off his rocker. Totally not a book I would have considered without his recommendation. I'm sure this is why he suggested it. It turned out to be a shockingly great recommendation. This is really not about punk rock. It is instead more a book about life in East Germany before the fall of the wall.
I'm endlessly thankful for having had the chance to be assigned to Germany with the U.S. Army twice. For this reason I may have enjoyed this book more than others because quite frankly I love all things that are Germany.
Several takeaways:
1) We all know life in the DDR sucked. This point should be stressed and perhaps restated. Life in the DDR sucked.
2) This entire subject is something I knew nothing about. There were clearly many major moving parts leading up to the protests of the final years of the DDR.
3) From the perspective of year 2020 it might be easy to believe everyone knew during the protests that the wall was about to come down, Germany would be reunified, all of Europe would grow closer and more prosperous. None of this was known in 1989. More importantly, not everyone in the crowds had the same vision. Not everyone wanted a unified Germany. Not everyone wanted capitalism. Life is complex.
4) Germany is an amazing and dynamic country.
I'm endlessly thankful for having had the chance to be assigned to Germany with the U.S. Army twice. For this reason I may have enjoyed this book more than others because quite frankly I love all things that are Germany.
Several takeaways:
1) We all know life in the DDR sucked. This point should be stressed and perhaps restated. Life in the DDR sucked.
2) This entire subject is something I knew nothing about. There were clearly many major moving parts leading up to the protests of the final years of the DDR.
3) From the perspective of year 2020 it might be easy to believe everyone knew during the protests that the wall was about to come down, Germany would be reunified, all of Europe would grow closer and more prosperous. None of this was known in 1989. More importantly, not everyone in the crowds had the same vision. Not everyone wanted a unified Germany. Not everyone wanted capitalism. Life is complex.
4) Germany is an amazing and dynamic country.
September 8, 2023
I never thought Reagan's posturing had anything to do with the fall of the Berlin wall. It turns out it had a lot more to do with a determined group of young people who heard bands like the Sex Pistols on western radio and decided they were not going to accept the watered-down, officially-sanctioned youth culture.
Of course, being a punk in East Germany in the early eighties took a lot of guts because it entailed regular harassment and beatings from the police and jail time for minor things like spray painting a wall. Strangely, the Lutheran Church joined forces with the punks. Many church leaders were aging hippies, and though they hated the punks' music, they had no love for the police state. Church buildings had a sort of "diplomatic immunity" and the police could not enter and break up the shows which were held there.
The other striking thing was that most of the DDR punks had no interest in emigrating to the "West." Many were given a chance to just leave and they refused. They wanted to smash the system. However, they truly hated capitalism and were disappointed after reunification because developers kicked them out of their squatted buildings.
Of course, being a punk in East Germany in the early eighties took a lot of guts because it entailed regular harassment and beatings from the police and jail time for minor things like spray painting a wall. Strangely, the Lutheran Church joined forces with the punks. Many church leaders were aging hippies, and though they hated the punks' music, they had no love for the police state. Church buildings had a sort of "diplomatic immunity" and the police could not enter and break up the shows which were held there.
The other striking thing was that most of the DDR punks had no interest in emigrating to the "West." Many were given a chance to just leave and they refused. They wanted to smash the system. However, they truly hated capitalism and were disappointed after reunification because developers kicked them out of their squatted buildings.
January 3, 2019
The scope of this book is very specific - if you're looking for a history of East Germany in the 80s this isn't it. Mohr gives the reader access to so many detailed stories of individuals (namely punks), how they organized, survived (the Stasi was bigger than the Nazi SS), spread their ideals and gained strength. Teenagers who weren't afraid to stand out during a period of government enforced conformity, and demand more rights from what was really a dictatorship, or fascism in another form, hiding behind a communist name. Their stories also dispel any myths that capitalist cultures have that the fight in East Germany was about access to commercial goods - for so many the fall of the wall was all about a fight for autonomy and open thoughts and expression.
Fun book fact - all Stasi files are now open to the public, and you can read your file and find out who was informing on you.
Fun book fact - all Stasi files are now open to the public, and you can read your file and find out who was informing on you.
August 20, 2023
An incredible and inspiring story.
July 12, 2018
This book doesn't come out until September 2018, but I saw this ARC (advanced readers copy) at work and decided to give it a read. This book is a little difficult for me to rate. I think the history of the East Berlin Punks is something everyone should know about because their punk was different from the rest of the world's in that it was a movement that actually forced change to happen. However, the writing itself is what's keeping me from giving it a higher star-rating.
I'm a person who usually enjoys vulgarity, but while reading at times, I felt like Tim Mohr tried too hard to sound hard - if that makes sense - using language that tries to be edgy, but when it competes with everything else that is going on in this history, it just sounds childish. There also seemed to be a bit of repetition with how he ended each of his chapters that sounded a bit corny as well, often ending with statements that left things open-ended. "It was the end of such and such, or was it?" This is a moment in past history, it shouldn't be open-ended unless it's present history. Sometimes chapters would end in mentioning something that sounded important to the history, but was never mentioned again, or if it was, it was barely touched on chapters later in a single sentence. There also wasn't a lot of referencing throughout. Mohr wrote this book based on recorded interviews with the many punks who survived that time, but he almost wrote this as a story, which if you're not making references to the recordings it makes it sound almost unbelievable. If anything you get a taste of what these people went through, but I want to read their interviews about their experiences. Without it, where is the emotion? You can write "they were filled with rage" all you want, but I want to be able to feel it. There were also some inconsistencies with using German and English. Sometimes the German is translated, sometimes it isn't. When I read, I don't want to stop reading, but there were times I felt like I had to in order to look up what was said. It got slightly irritating.
Now as for the history itself, I think it's a very important history. When I first saw or heard of "punk," I was in high school in the 2000s. I was drawn to it because in the small town where I went to school, there was a pocket of non-conformity. Initially, I saw it as a fashion statement, but it was literally making a statement and it has since developed in my mind as a sort of philosophy. Reading this book only proved that point. The East Berlin Punks were anti-sexist, anti-racist, that whole bit, and that is how I understood punk. The difference though, between what was happening in East Berlin versus the rest of the world was that the punks were not just a philosophy, but a movement. You can be anti-sexist, anti-racist, etc., but what are you going to do about it? Well, the East Berlin Punks did it. Their music taught their people a thing or two about how their government was manipulating them and the propaganda they were being fed. We get glimpses of that in other punk music as well, but the East Berlin Punks demanded change and made the change. The rest of the world seemed to just acknowledge what was wrong. They also taught each other how to handle police. What to do when being detained. What to say while being interrogated. While many people from East Berlin were given the option to emigrate after caught not conforming, the Punks stayed. No matter how beaten or torn up by the police and government, they would not censor themselves or their cause. They were a network of sorts, often setting their contacts straight in order to embarrass the hell out of the government whenever they stepped out of line with the people, or to keep the racist Neo-Nazi Skinheads from giving punk a bad name. They voted and taught others how to vote on ballots, which eventually led to them proving election fraud. And through their contacts, they made it known.
I learned a lot about their history, but I wish I could know more. I saw some connections with what the East Berlin Punks were doing, which were akin to the Civil Rights movement where the people were taught how to protest peacefully, what to do when taken into custody, that sort of thing. There is so much of that going on even today with all the protests against hatred and I wish connections were made in the book.
But it is simply a history. In my opinion - not very well written, but still history. And it's an important history to be aware of because you can connect it to the present.
I'm a person who usually enjoys vulgarity, but while reading at times, I felt like Tim Mohr tried too hard to sound hard - if that makes sense - using language that tries to be edgy, but when it competes with everything else that is going on in this history, it just sounds childish. There also seemed to be a bit of repetition with how he ended each of his chapters that sounded a bit corny as well, often ending with statements that left things open-ended. "It was the end of such and such, or was it?" This is a moment in past history, it shouldn't be open-ended unless it's present history. Sometimes chapters would end in mentioning something that sounded important to the history, but was never mentioned again, or if it was, it was barely touched on chapters later in a single sentence. There also wasn't a lot of referencing throughout. Mohr wrote this book based on recorded interviews with the many punks who survived that time, but he almost wrote this as a story, which if you're not making references to the recordings it makes it sound almost unbelievable. If anything you get a taste of what these people went through, but I want to read their interviews about their experiences. Without it, where is the emotion? You can write "they were filled with rage" all you want, but I want to be able to feel it. There were also some inconsistencies with using German and English. Sometimes the German is translated, sometimes it isn't. When I read, I don't want to stop reading, but there were times I felt like I had to in order to look up what was said. It got slightly irritating.
Now as for the history itself, I think it's a very important history. When I first saw or heard of "punk," I was in high school in the 2000s. I was drawn to it because in the small town where I went to school, there was a pocket of non-conformity. Initially, I saw it as a fashion statement, but it was literally making a statement and it has since developed in my mind as a sort of philosophy. Reading this book only proved that point. The East Berlin Punks were anti-sexist, anti-racist, that whole bit, and that is how I understood punk. The difference though, between what was happening in East Berlin versus the rest of the world was that the punks were not just a philosophy, but a movement. You can be anti-sexist, anti-racist, etc., but what are you going to do about it? Well, the East Berlin Punks did it. Their music taught their people a thing or two about how their government was manipulating them and the propaganda they were being fed. We get glimpses of that in other punk music as well, but the East Berlin Punks demanded change and made the change. The rest of the world seemed to just acknowledge what was wrong. They also taught each other how to handle police. What to do when being detained. What to say while being interrogated. While many people from East Berlin were given the option to emigrate after caught not conforming, the Punks stayed. No matter how beaten or torn up by the police and government, they would not censor themselves or their cause. They were a network of sorts, often setting their contacts straight in order to embarrass the hell out of the government whenever they stepped out of line with the people, or to keep the racist Neo-Nazi Skinheads from giving punk a bad name. They voted and taught others how to vote on ballots, which eventually led to them proving election fraud. And through their contacts, they made it known.
I learned a lot about their history, but I wish I could know more. I saw some connections with what the East Berlin Punks were doing, which were akin to the Civil Rights movement where the people were taught how to protest peacefully, what to do when taken into custody, that sort of thing. There is so much of that going on even today with all the protests against hatred and I wish connections were made in the book.
But it is simply a history. In my opinion - not very well written, but still history. And it's an important history to be aware of because you can connect it to the present.
December 4, 2020
Feeling as though their paths were too regimented and planned down one trajectory, punk rock resonated in the minds of inquisitive East German youth and opposition thinkers. In this book, you learn about the slow, yet long-term influence punk rock had on the lifespan of East Germany's socialist dictatorship, while also gaining historical, political, and socio-cultural context. You read about the detailed accounts and experiences of revolutionary punks, like those in the band Namenlos, who were sent to prison for two years because of their opposition song lyrics and image, or those who started the Church from Below to educate people on punk and anarchist philosophy, or the efforts they made to prove the falsification of the DDR's 1986 general election. Punks were viewed and labeled by the Stasi as enemies of the state because of their crazy hair, ripped up clothing, and bottom-up revolution philosophy. The events that you read about, like the political re-education camps punks were sent to, like the amount of people who agree to be Stasi informants which made it hard to trust anyone, like the 48 hour interrogations punks went through on a regular basis, are hard to imagine as an existing reality if it isn't your own. The punks didn't want to leave to go to the capitalist West Germany. They wanted to change the leadership of their own nation—which they believed was being run into the ground. One of the most interesting pieces for me was the relationship between the Lutheran church and the outsiders. Who would've expected religious institutions to be hosting punk events?
Overall, this is a fascinating, detailed, informative, thought-provoking story about the mental strength and perseverance of passionate punks who's growth and persistence changed the course of their country's history.
Overall, this is a fascinating, detailed, informative, thought-provoking story about the mental strength and perseverance of passionate punks who's growth and persistence changed the course of their country's history.
August 17, 2019
Tim Mohr brings us the story of the East German punk rockers. Those brave souls who risked imprisonment and beatings for penning anti-government lyrics to the aggressive rasp of punk. BUT you don't have to be a punk or even that interested in punk music to enjoy Burning Down the Haus.
Mohr is not giving you the rundown on the music here. He delivers a compelling history book on what life was like for the youth of the GDR. Those kids were not to know the clock was ticking on the State as they battled hard to fight it using lyrics and chords.
I have learned a lot about the GDR from reading the book, including:
-- Most of the punks wanted to reform the GDR and not seeing it disappear into a United Germany.
-- The Punk scene was rife with Stasi informers, some of whom played with the major bands.
-- Bands could get a license from the government to play gigs though they were generally viewed as sell-outs by other punks.
-- GDR youths could be sent to prison if they refused to work. If the Stasi wanted to imprison someone they could have them fired and then nick them for being unemployed which was a crime in the GDR.
-- Some bands were allowed to play in West Berlin but they did not stay there, they came back to the GDR even though they could easily have escaped.
-- Some of the parents of the first generation of East German punks lost their jobs because of their children.
And so on. I have several pages of notes which includes facts about the GDR I was not aware of. Blog post and podcast episode on the Radio GDR podcast coming soon!
If you are fascinated by the history of East Germany, especially around the youth culture. Then don't die in the waiting room in the future and go buy Burning Down The Haus!
Mohr is not giving you the rundown on the music here. He delivers a compelling history book on what life was like for the youth of the GDR. Those kids were not to know the clock was ticking on the State as they battled hard to fight it using lyrics and chords.
I have learned a lot about the GDR from reading the book, including:
-- Most of the punks wanted to reform the GDR and not seeing it disappear into a United Germany.
-- The Punk scene was rife with Stasi informers, some of whom played with the major bands.
-- Bands could get a license from the government to play gigs though they were generally viewed as sell-outs by other punks.
-- GDR youths could be sent to prison if they refused to work. If the Stasi wanted to imprison someone they could have them fired and then nick them for being unemployed which was a crime in the GDR.
-- Some bands were allowed to play in West Berlin but they did not stay there, they came back to the GDR even though they could easily have escaped.
-- Some of the parents of the first generation of East German punks lost their jobs because of their children.
And so on. I have several pages of notes which includes facts about the GDR I was not aware of. Blog post and podcast episode on the Radio GDR podcast coming soon!
If you are fascinated by the history of East Germany, especially around the youth culture. Then don't die in the waiting room in the future and go buy Burning Down The Haus!
August 10, 2020
I love punk and I love East German. A lot of the bands I listen to are listed in this sourcebook. But this book has a definite narrative and it repeats it ad nauseum.
Read
March 3, 2023Fascinating.
September 13, 2024
Giving this a four-star review overall because I know the research took a ton of effort and was generally very well done and thorough. To be the most fair and accurate, I'll break the review into two parts: (1) research, and (2) narrative/readability.
In terms of research, I'd give this book a strong 4.75/5. There was a ton of information that I wouldn't even know where to begin to find, especially the background information on the Stasi and what they did and did not know. There was a great deal of detail in setting the stage initially and providing context to the Stasi state in East Germany at the time of the book, as well, and plenty of comparative analysis with bordering countries.
My only issue with the research was that towards the end, and sometimes throughout the book, it was all presented in a one-sided fashion. The conclusion reads as some triumph of autonomy and anarchy without providing further context. What were the actual living conditions? Did they do more than just steal resources and utilities to survive? Why was that such an accomplishment? How is the jump from squatting after the wall fell to some punk rock and anarchist victory rationalized? It just seems like much of the concluding chapters glosses over any potential negatives and displays a one-sided championing of squatters living in a forgotten and abandoned area of a city.
In terms of narrative and readability, the story was very mediocre, probably around a 3/5. Just because it was well-researched, doesn't mean the story was easy or a pleasure to read. The whole thing was written like a thesis, which makes sense with the amount of research that went into it, but utilizing the omniscient third-person point of view in what was largely an oral history from the characters that made up the story made the actual people incredibly difficult to relate to or connect with.
The people should've been the stars of the show, with as much protesting and trouble they got into plus the courage and audacity and bravery to stand up to the government consistently. Don't get me wrong, there are an abundance of instances and examples of this in the book, but it fell into the trap of "telling not showing." Writers and professors alike will always drill into students' and other writers' heads to "show not tell" to entice readers, but this was a ton of telling.
It's not all Mohr's fault, as he was dealing with complex material that also added a language and translation barrier. If there were a way to translate these interviews he conducted and kept them as quotes and oral accounts rather than just translating and using that information to tell readers, I think it would've allowed us to relate to the real people better and provide more insight into certain information.
There were times where Mohr would drop a piece of knowledge out of nowhere, and as readers we just had to trust and assume it was true because he was writing in omniscient third. If it was a claim made in an interview and explained how that fact was discovered down the road, that would've been helpful.
Regardless, it is a very niche area of punk rock history and history in general, and I greatly respect Mohr for his dedication to the research, his quality of research, his work ethic, and overall ability to convey all of this information in a readable, consumable manner.
It was a slog and took quite a bit of time for me to read, but I did come away feeling like I learned a lot about an area of history I was previously unfamiliar with, and I think that's vastly important, so I don't want to be too harsh with the review. All in all, a 4.0/5.0.
In terms of research, I'd give this book a strong 4.75/5. There was a ton of information that I wouldn't even know where to begin to find, especially the background information on the Stasi and what they did and did not know. There was a great deal of detail in setting the stage initially and providing context to the Stasi state in East Germany at the time of the book, as well, and plenty of comparative analysis with bordering countries.
My only issue with the research was that towards the end, and sometimes throughout the book, it was all presented in a one-sided fashion. The conclusion reads as some triumph of autonomy and anarchy without providing further context. What were the actual living conditions? Did they do more than just steal resources and utilities to survive? Why was that such an accomplishment? How is the jump from squatting after the wall fell to some punk rock and anarchist victory rationalized? It just seems like much of the concluding chapters glosses over any potential negatives and displays a one-sided championing of squatters living in a forgotten and abandoned area of a city.
In terms of narrative and readability, the story was very mediocre, probably around a 3/5. Just because it was well-researched, doesn't mean the story was easy or a pleasure to read. The whole thing was written like a thesis, which makes sense with the amount of research that went into it, but utilizing the omniscient third-person point of view in what was largely an oral history from the characters that made up the story made the actual people incredibly difficult to relate to or connect with.
The people should've been the stars of the show, with as much protesting and trouble they got into plus the courage and audacity and bravery to stand up to the government consistently. Don't get me wrong, there are an abundance of instances and examples of this in the book, but it fell into the trap of "telling not showing." Writers and professors alike will always drill into students' and other writers' heads to "show not tell" to entice readers, but this was a ton of telling.
It's not all Mohr's fault, as he was dealing with complex material that also added a language and translation barrier. If there were a way to translate these interviews he conducted and kept them as quotes and oral accounts rather than just translating and using that information to tell readers, I think it would've allowed us to relate to the real people better and provide more insight into certain information.
There were times where Mohr would drop a piece of knowledge out of nowhere, and as readers we just had to trust and assume it was true because he was writing in omniscient third. If it was a claim made in an interview and explained how that fact was discovered down the road, that would've been helpful.
Regardless, it is a very niche area of punk rock history and history in general, and I greatly respect Mohr for his dedication to the research, his quality of research, his work ethic, and overall ability to convey all of this information in a readable, consumable manner.
It was a slog and took quite a bit of time for me to read, but I did come away feeling like I learned a lot about an area of history I was previously unfamiliar with, and I think that's vastly important, so I don't want to be too harsh with the review. All in all, a 4.0/5.0.
October 3, 2020
To my knowledge, this is the first English language publication on the subject of Punk in the DDR (there are quite a few in German). Mohr knows the language and has done extensive research, taking in Stasi surveillance and interrogation records and dozens of interviews with key Punk protagonists. While early sections of the book are very much micro-histories, based on individual incidents in alienated teenagers' lives, it gradually (and not completely smoothly) shifts gears into a much wider social and political history. One strength of the book is that it tries to cover the impact of movement in smaller places such as Weimar, although sometimes the sheer level of anecdotal detail seems disproportionate. It's a serious book on a serious subject, but the style can be quite flippant and grating. Perhaps it's an attempt to emulate the Punk spirit, but given the German subject matter it comes across as an awkward transplant. The anecdotal passages are written in a novelistic and sometimes slightly cartoonish American style.
"Jana and Mita went back out of the bar again, angry, with no matches.
It's so fucked up.
Jana and Mita smashed in the front window of the bar.
Then they ran."
The stylistic shifts in gear from this to subtle discussions of church politics or the motivations of informers ("snitches") can be crashing. Some readers will related more to the anecdotal sections and some (myself included) to the more analytical sectors. The price of admission is the rough and abrupt crossings between these. Sitting in between them are useful but brief discussions of Punk lyrics, quoted in German and English.
Mohr shows how the consequences of the actions of his rebel heroes are still visible in contemporary Berlin. While on the one hand he describes the actions of the system ("dictatorship") in a way that fits generic Western interpretations of it, he also describes the subtleties and unexpected loopholes that existed within it. He's also clear about how many of those involved were uninterested in or even hostile to Western media or political support and opposed the "annexation" (a term very rarely used by Western authors in relation to German reunification). Mohr tracks a rapid shift in slogans and mentality among the most radical Punks from "Wir sind das Volk" (we are the people) to "Deutschland muss sterben" (Germany must die). Reading it in autumn 2020 is also interesting because of its discussion of how rapidly the system eroded from within and lost confidence in its own actions.
Punk is a more ambivalent phenomenon that many like to admit (including Mohr) and so perhaps it's appropriate that a book on the subject will leave some readers feeling ambivalent. Despite some grating elements (and after all Punk is meant to be grating), there's much to enjoy and much to discover for non-German audiences new to the subject.
"Jana and Mita went back out of the bar again, angry, with no matches.
It's so fucked up.
Jana and Mita smashed in the front window of the bar.
Then they ran."
The stylistic shifts in gear from this to subtle discussions of church politics or the motivations of informers ("snitches") can be crashing. Some readers will related more to the anecdotal sections and some (myself included) to the more analytical sectors. The price of admission is the rough and abrupt crossings between these. Sitting in between them are useful but brief discussions of Punk lyrics, quoted in German and English.
Mohr shows how the consequences of the actions of his rebel heroes are still visible in contemporary Berlin. While on the one hand he describes the actions of the system ("dictatorship") in a way that fits generic Western interpretations of it, he also describes the subtleties and unexpected loopholes that existed within it. He's also clear about how many of those involved were uninterested in or even hostile to Western media or political support and opposed the "annexation" (a term very rarely used by Western authors in relation to German reunification). Mohr tracks a rapid shift in slogans and mentality among the most radical Punks from "Wir sind das Volk" (we are the people) to "Deutschland muss sterben" (Germany must die). Reading it in autumn 2020 is also interesting because of its discussion of how rapidly the system eroded from within and lost confidence in its own actions.
Punk is a more ambivalent phenomenon that many like to admit (including Mohr) and so perhaps it's appropriate that a book on the subject will leave some readers feeling ambivalent. Despite some grating elements (and after all Punk is meant to be grating), there's much to enjoy and much to discover for non-German audiences new to the subject.
July 4, 2018
"Don't die in the waiting room of the future" ....a punk slogan.
The Dictatorship of East Germany under Erich Honecker was repression at its worst in the 1970-80's. You were JAILED if you did not report for work. Simply wearing a T-shirt or saying ANYTHING at all out loud that contradicted or complained about the Government was grounds to be interrogated for hours/days, being beaten and jailed. Just DRESSING differently....would land you in a police station. The STASI, modern version of the Gestapo and SS, were everywhere, and had snitches literally EVERYWHERE, (over 80,000 IM's they were called) . Either you became an informant or ended up in jail yourself....not much of a choice!
Into this climate the punk movement in East Germany emerged in the late 1970's, as young kids first heard rebellious music like the Sex Pistols and dared to look, dress and think differently. They paid a horrific price, but most survived, and the movement spread slowly at first and later became real social change in 1990 when the Berlin Wall Fell and East Germany was incorporated into the West.
I really learned a lot about the politics of Germany and their society, as well as their grassroots lifestyles and social norms. The Punk Movement in Germany was different than that in England or the USA. This book was like a history of how it began and changed in time. The sheer volume of information and detail about those days and how the Punks made themselves prominent, despite the toll that took, was most impressive.
As literature the book was weak.....as a social and historical document it was strong. The stories of individual pioneers in the Punk movement were interesting, and my heart broke to read what they were subjected to because of hatred, intolerance and fear. It's the SAME STORY OVER AND OVER, THAT REPRESSION, IGNORANCE, FEAR and CORRUPTION ARE DEADLY, BUT CAN BE OVERCOME.
But not easily, and not always quickly. Things did change and get better....by the early 1990s. This book stands as a record of a political and social revolution. Literally teenagers started the change that would blossom in 15 years. The names of band members and the endless evolution of the Punk Bands themselves was amazing, but impossible to remember or keep straight. The music was the release and the universal bonding agent. The raw energy and violent expression of the punk bands was a primal scream for justice and freedom. It was heard.
The Dictatorship of East Germany under Erich Honecker was repression at its worst in the 1970-80's. You were JAILED if you did not report for work. Simply wearing a T-shirt or saying ANYTHING at all out loud that contradicted or complained about the Government was grounds to be interrogated for hours/days, being beaten and jailed. Just DRESSING differently....would land you in a police station. The STASI, modern version of the Gestapo and SS, were everywhere, and had snitches literally EVERYWHERE, (over 80,000 IM's they were called) . Either you became an informant or ended up in jail yourself....not much of a choice!
Into this climate the punk movement in East Germany emerged in the late 1970's, as young kids first heard rebellious music like the Sex Pistols and dared to look, dress and think differently. They paid a horrific price, but most survived, and the movement spread slowly at first and later became real social change in 1990 when the Berlin Wall Fell and East Germany was incorporated into the West.
I really learned a lot about the politics of Germany and their society, as well as their grassroots lifestyles and social norms. The Punk Movement in Germany was different than that in England or the USA. This book was like a history of how it began and changed in time. The sheer volume of information and detail about those days and how the Punks made themselves prominent, despite the toll that took, was most impressive.
As literature the book was weak.....as a social and historical document it was strong. The stories of individual pioneers in the Punk movement were interesting, and my heart broke to read what they were subjected to because of hatred, intolerance and fear. It's the SAME STORY OVER AND OVER, THAT REPRESSION, IGNORANCE, FEAR and CORRUPTION ARE DEADLY, BUT CAN BE OVERCOME.
But not easily, and not always quickly. Things did change and get better....by the early 1990s. This book stands as a record of a political and social revolution. Literally teenagers started the change that would blossom in 15 years. The names of band members and the endless evolution of the Punk Bands themselves was amazing, but impossible to remember or keep straight. The music was the release and the universal bonding agent. The raw energy and violent expression of the punk bands was a primal scream for justice and freedom. It was heard.
January 24, 2020
While promoted as focused on the intersection of punk rock/punkers and the fall of the DDR this is about so much more. It is a really fascinating study of how these men and women, just kids really (although I was their age during the time frame of this story – sigh, what did I do?) who took their fear and anger and used the punk ethos to create an underground society that for a brief moment overtook the control of mainstream society in East Germany and brought down a state. In the process the punks created an historic preservation movement, an urban re-design, forced a change in church-state relations and urged a genuine effort at a gender, sex orientation and class equitable community. All this while also fighting the growing influence of the neo-Nazi skinhead movement in Germany. There is so much going on in this book and author Tim Mohr does a wonderful job building the stories and connecting the pieces. A great read.
If you do read it a lot of the bands can be found in grainy video on YouTube. I found it fascinating to listen to the music while reading this book.
If you do read it a lot of the bands can be found in grainy video on YouTube. I found it fascinating to listen to the music while reading this book.
June 16, 2020
This is exactly the kind of history book I like - a small microcosm of people and culture and the role they played in the grander scale of history. Mohr paints, in great detail, what life looked like for punks in East Germany, particularly East Berlin, during the late 1970s and '80s. The level of personal detail about the individual punks is to be commended, as we get a very real sense of their distinct personalities. I found the narrative compelling, and I was particularly interested to learn the perspectives of people who didn't want to defect to West Berlin, but instead wanted to make their own country better.
Burning Down the Haus, in parts, almost reads more like a love letter to punk rock in East Berlin. Mohr's writing style is casual at best, inexperienced at its worst. For the most part, this book reads like it was an article written for a high school newspaper. Mohr relies heavily on rhetoric, cursing, and conversational style to convey the attitude of punks; occasionally, however, it impedes his argument and makes the book feel a bit campy. I also wanted a bit less of the personal biographies (because there are far too many) and perhaps a bit more political, economic, social context in East Germany outside of the punk sphere.
I enjoyed this book; I wanted to like it more than I did.
Burning Down the Haus, in parts, almost reads more like a love letter to punk rock in East Berlin. Mohr's writing style is casual at best, inexperienced at its worst. For the most part, this book reads like it was an article written for a high school newspaper. Mohr relies heavily on rhetoric, cursing, and conversational style to convey the attitude of punks; occasionally, however, it impedes his argument and makes the book feel a bit campy. I also wanted a bit less of the personal biographies (because there are far too many) and perhaps a bit more political, economic, social context in East Germany outside of the punk sphere.
I enjoyed this book; I wanted to like it more than I did.
January 17, 2024
A very enjoyable book on the realties of being a punk in the former DDR in the early 1980s. This is a much more visceral history book than other accounts of the history of East Germany. After reading this one is left in no doubts about the realities of totalitarian oppression. The focus of the book may be punks, many of whom regardless of the oppression that they suffered did not simply want to see the DDR subsumed by capitalism, but one is in no doubts that other minorities suffered similarly. Shame about Wotan.
April 24, 2020
Loved this! I wish I’d read it before visiting Berlin last fall, as this week it explained a few things we saw. This story is inspiring on several levels! I was a teenager in the 1980s and I appreciated Punk - what little I knew about it - and I similarly sympathized with what was happening in East Berlin. I still remember my feelings when the Wall fell in the fall of 1989, but this brought new detail and heart into it.
May 17, 2023
Interesting book, a bit more history than I expected, but makes sense. Somewhat difficult to follow along with, especially as an audiobook, with all of the German words and places. I've often though how the punk rock world I came up in in the early 00s was so safe compared to 20-25 earlier, but that was just compared to the gangs and violence. Jail and dictatorship makes hardcore seem so much more hardcore.
November 11, 2018
Excellent reference for a whole host of events otherwise only documented in German-language primary sources. Not going for 5 stars because occasionally the narrative voice wavered between a dispassionate relating of the events and a rock journalist's borderline-gonzo fuck-the-man tone. Made the book feel like it was split between two goals, so to speak.
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