The Velvet Forum

Can anyone recommend a GOOD book covering the American side of Punk? England's Dreaming is fine, but it focuses on The Pistols and the U.K. I'm looking for something covering the early days of CBGBs through say '78-'79.

You should go for "Please Kill Me" (all the gossip in first person) and "From the Velvets to the Voidoids" (all the musical references). Both are published by Penguin and they are usually available at amazon. Obviously, the book "Punk", with the articles from the fanzine who gave the movement its name, it's another must have.

That Voidoids book looks like it's really expensive, any idea why? Also, does it go past proto-punk and into depth on U.S. punk? I'd like something to take me up to post-punk types like Joy Division.

The book seems to be out of print and the high prizes are from used copies. It's sad, I think that's exactly the book you're looking for. It starts with VU and finishes with that excellent band Richard Hell and Robert Quine had. It doesn't cover post punk, but post punk in the US isn't like the British one. You should try to get something else on the No Wave (check on the net, there's no book about it) and/or hardcore. Also, the three books I suggested are from New York punk mostly, but there are others about LA punk.

Thanks. I'm not super into hardcore or LA punk in general but "no wave" sounds like it might be worth investigating. I definitely know the basics of the road to punk from VU onward (MC5, Stooges, Modern Lovers, NY Dolls, etc.), but the book sounds like it might be what I'm looking for. The Voidoids weren't formed until fairly late in the early punk era right?

I forgot to mention: some info about No Wave (definitely worth investigating!) is available at "Confusion is next", a book by Alec Foege about Sonic Youth. The Voidoids were Richard Hell's project after The Heartbreakers.

What I should get now is England's Dreaming...

It's good so far, I'm about half way through. Although it talks about bands like The Damned, The Clash, etc., it does so in their relation to the Pistols. Still, it's entertaining and it's solidifying my opinion that Sid Vicious was a worthless idiot.

Technophallus wrote:it's solidifying my opinion that Sid Vicious was a worthless idiot.

Lydon said it best when he called him "a coat hanger."