Spoke: Imágenes e historias de la escena punk de Washington, DC

by Scott Crawford

Praise for the film Salad Days:

"Acts not only as a musical primer but as a monument to a moment: when punk was both a way to find kinship with like-minded oddballs and a tool for fighting issues like racism and economic disparity."
-- Rolling Stone

"An enlightening documentary."
-- New York Times

"A sharp exploration into what made DC punk tick, and how it continues to inspire."
-- MTV News

The Washington, DC, punk music scene gave birth to influential bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi. Here that scene is portrayed in its purest form: an oral history by the creators themselves, including nearly 200 photographs capturing the power and spirit of this politically progressive corner of American underground music.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the DC punk and hardcore scene from the early 80s to the early 90s. Granted, I'm somewhat sentimental about this scene as it coincides with my college years in Virginia, but there's a great deal to admire here with gorgeous photos and cogent oral histories. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer, especially for lesser known (but no less important) bands on the Dischord catalog like Soulside. However, it's intended as a companion piece to Crawford's documentary Salad Days and not a comprehensive study on the scene. Highly recommended nonetheless.

[Alemitrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't seen the film "Salad Days" so I'm reviewing the book and only the book. I read the Kindle edition. 25 bands with one chapter for each. 90 interviewees. Many good black & white photos. Each chapter features a brief summary of the band followed by photos and fragments of interviews with band members and other people who knew the band or went to their shows. The interview fragments are structured in a focussed, logical way, like a conversation, with many related or referring to previous ones. Many of the interviewees appear in several bands or several chapters and know many of the others. You get a feel for the community the book describes. The chapters are brief and the material is engaging. Often the chapters seem to end abruptly. Most of the bands have music available on streaming and it is fun to build a playlist and listen to the music while reading the book, I only knew a few of them so I learned a lot. I am now enjoying listening to the playlist in random order and seeing if I can guess the bands based on my reading of the book. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous all too brief overview of the DC Punk scene of the 1990's and a selection of some of the major bands involved in that scene.

The entries are short, in the oral history style, and give some insights to what was going on and the attempts by these bands to make their voices heard beyond DC.

My only gripe is that I wish sections on some bands were longer and more detailed. Some bands deserve books of their own!

[Misty Ballenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the history of Punk. I'm leaving this one on my coffee table for others to discover and enjoy.

[Gon Zalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imprescindible para mi biblioteca punk

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The punk scene in the DC area was at its zenith in the 80s, and Scott Crawford was there. "Spoke" is his well-documented account of that time, bursting with details about the bands who fronted the scene (and even some who didn't). The info comes from the musicians themselves, as well as fans who saw the shows, and the book is amply laced with photos. Scott Crawford has done an excellent job with "Spoke," and anyone remembering this scene (or anyone wanting to know about it) should put this book high on their to-read list. It's a companion piece to the film documentary "Salad Days | A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)."

[Ginny Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Scott Crawford's film Salad Days and I LOVED this book!!!

[Robert Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott focuses on a time and place, and coveys what it was like. I saw the first era of bands profiled in Spoke, and I played in one of them: Government Issue. I left the D.C. area in 1983, a year before Scott started going to shows as a 12-year-old, and so I appreciate reading about how the scene evolved. Some people say that the book does not fully cover the music scene in and around Washington, D.C. The same has been said about Scott's documentary, Salad Days. But that misses the point: Scott set out to make a film and a book that's a labor of Scott's love. So there's no point in asking why so-and-so's band was not included. Spoke is well produced, and contains incredible photos, band histories and anecdotes. If you took part in the scene, or just loved the music that came out of it, get this book. I believe you'll value owning it.

[Angela Castille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am late to the East Coast punk scene and really enjoyed reading the history of the DC bands. I will be viewing the documentary as soon as possible as I would love to hear more of the music.