Despite Everything [Paperback]

Aaron Cometbus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

Initially a showcase for underground music reviews, Cometbus has evolved to include interviews, essays, short stories, and reader forums. Covering everything from travel adventures to dumpster diving, Cometbus forms a literary soundtrack for the lives of its readers. Despite Everything contains dozens of photos, illustrations, and the best material from all 48 issues of Cometbus, one of the original punk zines. "One of the finest examples of self-publishing in the United States today.... [Cometbus] could be the best-loved zine ever." — San Francisco Bay Guardian

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp of San Francisco (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867195614
• ISBN-13: 978-0867195613
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars catch the wave of wanderlust, August 6, 2002

By 

A. Pai - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Despite Everything (Paperback)

aaron cometbus is a punk[s] punk. he scrounges for food in dumpsters, scams his way around the US on greyhound, slips in and out of punkhouses and seems to live off nothing more than coffee and cigarettes. he has the eye of a sociologist and the soul of a poet and the haircut of a fool. inside this book you will find sly analysis of cooperatives, cliques, anarchy, imperialism, political philosophy, and also riotous tales of drunken revelry, crazy scavenger hunts, touring with green day, history of berkeley, hobos, and above all an amazing incendiary PASSION, for exploration and observation and questioning of the status quo. if cometbus has meant anything to me over the years it has meant a curiosity about society that stems from true love of people (not "the people", but people as individuals), & the promise of a life that doesn't revolve around wage slavery or greed or a desire for consumer electronics. i don't live such a life, nor do you; but "despite everything" proves it is possible. if nothing else, the cometbus omnibus will make you want to take a detour the next time you walk past an alley.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, February 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Despite Everything (Paperback)

Even writing a review of this book seems a little strange to me. I can't imagine what Aaron would say about someone writing a review of his book in the service of a big company, but I guess this is a venue to get the word out and let people know what a great experience reading Cometbus is.

If you're a person like me who has radical beliefs and politics, but who also enjoys living a quiet, straight-laced, lifestyle; if you worry about things, and have episodes of social anxiety, and if you're a worrier in general and like to stay at home and hang out with your close group of friends and sometimes have trouble meeting new people or think people enjoy being left alone, than this book can sometimes make you feel bad about your life choices and the decisions you've made. This happens mainly b/c Aaron just went out and lived this crazy hand-to-mouth existence in the service of experiencing the world and the people in it, challenging the very existence of social norms as a concept. And that's why the book is so great. It's filled with great stories and anecdotes and is totally imbued with this sense of freedom and wonder. The world that Aaron lives in is so real and vibrant, populated by people dealing with real struggles and real issues. And Aaron is totally tapped into his own empathy and sympathy for those people. He totally loves life, and is lucky for it. And readers are lucky that he put it on paper over and over again in Cometbus.

This book, like the 'zine, is, IMO, a classic piece of American writing, and hopefully, someday, it will get more recognition. It is a document of an ethos and way of living that is still totally marginalized in our society. And Aaron challenges his readers to confront how their own lives keep them from seeing that world and experiencing it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Legendary Cometbus, October 4, 2002

By 

Alisa (Florence, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Despite Everything (Paperback)

I first came across an issue of Cometbus two years ago. The man is a genius. I read one page and I was hooked. Aaron Cometus has a serious lust for life, and his genuine wonder is evident in every page he handwrites. Already a legend in the "fringe" culture, he has such a fascinating life and lives off of so little that you can't help but be drawn into his writing. Despite Everything is a tome, weighing in around 500 or so pages, and packed with large excerpts from almost every issue of his zine. Some of my favorites include "Punk Rock Love is..." Touring with Green Day, and Traveling to Europe. Anyone who is a fan who hasn't picked up a copy yet should buy one, right now, and while you're at it, get a few copies for your friends. (they'll love you for it).