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Punk 365
Thirty-plus years ago a dark rumble of noise gurgled up from the Lower East Side of New York City, made its way across the Atlantic to Great Britain, zigzagged back over the pond to the West Coast, and exploded. Its name—Punk. In Punk 365 , the most provocative photography documenting the performances, the looks, and the attitude has been gathered together, revealing reverberations that continue to shake up the status quo.
Here we see it Pre-punk pioneers, the Stooges, the New York Dolls, the MC5. New York’s harbingers of change, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Richard Hell & the Voidoids. London’s anarchists, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Slits. The West Coast’s anti-Beach Boys, X, the Germs . . .the list goes on. By the mid-1980s, from the Replacements to Bad Brains, the sound transmogrified into everything from garage punk to hardcore. Punk 365 has them all, including more than 300 different artists by the most talented photographers who captured the scene, including Bob Gruen, Roberta Bayley, Jill Furmanovsky, Stephanie Chernikowski, Godlis, Janette Beckman, and more.
Here we see it Pre-punk pioneers, the Stooges, the New York Dolls, the MC5. New York’s harbingers of change, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Richard Hell & the Voidoids. London’s anarchists, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Slits. The West Coast’s anti-Beach Boys, X, the Germs . . .the list goes on. By the mid-1980s, from the Replacements to Bad Brains, the sound transmogrified into everything from garage punk to hardcore. Punk 365 has them all, including more than 300 different artists by the most talented photographers who captured the scene, including Bob Gruen, Roberta Bayley, Jill Furmanovsky, Stephanie Chernikowski, Godlis, Janette Beckman, and more.
744 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 1, 2014
I've been reading a couple pages at a time of Punk 365 for the past six months. It's fun to dip into it every few days and take a trip down memory lane. I became aware of punk just as it was evolving into hardcore and being superseded by New Wave. I still have a torn rotator cuff from slam dancing at some grungy little dive back in late '79.
There are a lot of great photos from that time which show you exactly how crappy those places were. Half the time there was no one in the place while the rest of the time the crowd was always way beyond a safe capacity. Which was sort of punk in a nutshell, really: full throttle or idling.
The only thing this book doesn't evoke is the smell of the era. All those clubs smelled of stale beer, weed, cigarettes and vomit, and by the early '80s there was also the faint but omnipresent metallic tang of blood. By then I was out of the scene.
The book does sort of lose the plot towards the end when it starts talking about pop stars who have only the most tangential connection to punk. I mean, there was always a serious pop sensibility to the movement, but it never included the likes of Madonna. But for the most part it does cover a nice range of the scene from the early '70s to mid-90s.
I also quite liked how so much information was packed into such a small space, getting across not just the flavor of the punk attitude but little dollops of information. Sometimes these nuggets would pay off many pages later as the other shoe dropped, so you get a nice sketch of a band's arc.
Overall, definitely worth the time.
There are a lot of great photos from that time which show you exactly how crappy those places were. Half the time there was no one in the place while the rest of the time the crowd was always way beyond a safe capacity. Which was sort of punk in a nutshell, really: full throttle or idling.
The only thing this book doesn't evoke is the smell of the era. All those clubs smelled of stale beer, weed, cigarettes and vomit, and by the early '80s there was also the faint but omnipresent metallic tang of blood. By then I was out of the scene.
The book does sort of lose the plot towards the end when it starts talking about pop stars who have only the most tangential connection to punk. I mean, there was always a serious pop sensibility to the movement, but it never included the likes of Madonna. But for the most part it does cover a nice range of the scene from the early '70s to mid-90s.
I also quite liked how so much information was packed into such a small space, getting across not just the flavor of the punk attitude but little dollops of information. Sometimes these nuggets would pay off many pages later as the other shoe dropped, so you get a nice sketch of a band's arc.
Overall, definitely worth the time.
September 11, 2013
Some interesting photos, albeit far from all punk-related, but the lack of any educated copy editor results in some shockingly bad captions accompanying the images, from banal musings to irrelevant cut & paste quote jobs to endless factual errors. Truly embarrassing, this resembles nothing so much as a junior high school project, with writing to match.
December 27, 2025
The intro by Richard Hell is the best prose I've read by him.
What's remarkable about this book is how half the pages are populated by bands I've never heard of. Without the aura of my memories, those images lack resonance and don't connect. It makes me realize how invisible most human beings are. We pass through time but make no discernible dent in history, art, or memory. Perhaps there is fear in that awareness, but there's also freedom there. Invent yourself. Be who you wanna be. Nobody cares. So have fun while you can.
What's remarkable about this book is how half the pages are populated by bands I've never heard of. Without the aura of my memories, those images lack resonance and don't connect. It makes me realize how invisible most human beings are. We pass through time but make no discernible dent in history, art, or memory. Perhaps there is fear in that awareness, but there's also freedom there. Invent yourself. Be who you wanna be. Nobody cares. So have fun while you can.
February 16, 2025
This feels like a haphazard collection of photos they happened to have access to put together by someone who vaguely heard of punk. I was confused by the organizational structure that was not parallel nor consistent within the sections and surprised at both some of the inclusions and exclusions.
December 15, 2019
Fun coffee table book, but sort of out of order. Read Please Kill Me first, and then flip through these photos as a companion piece.
March 26, 2012
Punk 365 By Holly George Warren
Foreward by Richard Hell.
I am totally thankful to Jet for giving me this
book at Xmas it is a real treat.
Finally a great coffee table book on Punk
featuring in a series of books of 365 photos on
one subject such as say the Civil War or Golf
Courses so naturally on to Punk.
It covers it from it's origins with the Velvet
Underground and Stooges MC5 through to
Dgeneration in 1992 but written and published in
2007, so the bios and information on the
whereabouts of the various punks featured is
bang up to date.
Loads of great shots of everyone from patti
Smith through to Pylon and the Nervus Wrecks all
taken by snappers including Bob Gruen and Jill
Furmanovsky, Jenny Lens and Stephanie
Chernikowski among others.
Great to see cool shots of Jayne County, Lydia
Lunch and on the section in the 80's a buch of
bands I saw around the time the photos were
taken, but sadly none that I could say were from
shows that I actually saw. The closest they get
is a very early photo of Crime And The City
Solution taken at the Electric Cinema, I believe
that was the second british gig they played and
the first was at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden
the night before when they opened for I think
either Nick Cave or Sonic Youth, still any book
that brings back those sorts of memories is a
big hit with me!!
Foreward by Richard Hell.
I am totally thankful to Jet for giving me this
book at Xmas it is a real treat.
Finally a great coffee table book on Punk
featuring in a series of books of 365 photos on
one subject such as say the Civil War or Golf
Courses so naturally on to Punk.
It covers it from it's origins with the Velvet
Underground and Stooges MC5 through to
Dgeneration in 1992 but written and published in
2007, so the bios and information on the
whereabouts of the various punks featured is
bang up to date.
Loads of great shots of everyone from patti
Smith through to Pylon and the Nervus Wrecks all
taken by snappers including Bob Gruen and Jill
Furmanovsky, Jenny Lens and Stephanie
Chernikowski among others.
Great to see cool shots of Jayne County, Lydia
Lunch and on the section in the 80's a buch of
bands I saw around the time the photos were
taken, but sadly none that I could say were from
shows that I actually saw. The closest they get
is a very early photo of Crime And The City
Solution taken at the Electric Cinema, I believe
that was the second british gig they played and
the first was at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden
the night before when they opened for I think
either Nick Cave or Sonic Youth, still any book
that brings back those sorts of memories is a
big hit with me!!
January 31, 2008
it's got killer photos. if you love rock n' roll history like your life depends on it then this is indispensable. if you love good photography but hate rock n' roll you'll STILL love this, the photos are really that good. there's too many great ones to mention but personal faves include Iggy Pop onstage in moccasins, John Cale with a bowl cut and a bass, the Bad Brains, and every one that has Paul Simonon from The Clash. that guy is the SHIT!
March 20, 2016
Excellent photographic overview of the 1970's punk scene ,from the famous to the more obscure.It has an insiders type feel as it was edited by a woman who was heavily involved in the scene at that time.
As a huge Pistols fan, I can't help but wishing that they had been given the same amount of coverage as the Ramones.
That and the puzzling latter inclusion of several artists that have nothing to do with punk prevent me from giving the book a full 5 stars.
As a huge Pistols fan, I can't help but wishing that they had been given the same amount of coverage as the Ramones.
That and the puzzling latter inclusion of several artists that have nothing to do with punk prevent me from giving the book a full 5 stars.
January 4, 2008
some odd additions (and omissions) but this is 700+ pages of some really amazing photos.
January 9, 2008
Not exactly "reading," but nice photos from back in the day.
January 18, 2008
I absolutely love this book. Of course I love photos, old photos, old photos of shows from when it all started. I love the layout of photos on the right and a small amount of text on the left.
January 19, 2008
Amazing photographs from the NY, LA, and London Punk/Post Punk scenes from 1973-1989.
February 1, 2008
The last section gets a little off-subject, in an effort to tie punk to pop, at the expense of missing a few (pretty important) figures.
September 8, 2009
Great overview.
It'd be my "coffee table book," if I was the type to have a coffee table.
It'd be my "coffee table book," if I was the type to have a coffee table.
December 30, 2010
Whenever I want to listen to something new, I check this book for inspiration.
November 9, 2015
I thought it was wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews