The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists [Paperback]

Amy Wallace (Author), Handsome Dick Manitoba (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists features over 200 of the funniest, craziest lists from the Most Offensive Songs to Stupidest Band Names, from Punk Sell-Outs to Fashion Don'ts culled from historical archives and generated by celebrity guests. Contributors include rock stars and punk luminaries, from members of Guns N' Roses and the Ramones to Little Steven Van Zandt, Nick Tosches, Lenny Kaye, Debbie Harry, and every other big-name punk from the last 30 years of rock history. Wicked caricatures, by noted underground artist Cliff Mott, of punk rock stars are peppered generously throughout the book, which is already being hyped as the most fun music book of all time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books; First edition. edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879309199
• ISBN-13: 978-0879309190
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Awesome for bathroom, but NYC biased, September 14, 2010

By 

mikemc402 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists (Kindle Edition)

I picked up a copy of this about a month ago at the John Varvatos store (formerly CBGB's) in New York City. I needed a cool souvenir and this was sitting right on the front counter- last one! I skimmed through it a few times over the past month or so and there are some great lists, but yesterday I read it cover to cover and was a little disappointed for severeal reasons.

I'll start with the "Bad" first... (but there is lots of good stuff too- so please read all!!!)

One thing that stands out in almost every list is that it's very NYC biased. Don't get me wrong, some of the best punk rock of all time came from the Big Apple, but it's certainly not the only city to produce great punk music. They did mention "The Germs" quite a bit, but that's about the only California punk band that was represented in most of the book. Out of about 300 pages, I don't think they mentioned Social D or Operation Ivy once, and when they mentioned Rancid and NOFX, they mostly made fun of them. I'm not claiming these are the greatest bands of the genre by any means, and I'm from the midwest so it's not a personal thing- I just think there were so many obvious lists and stories that barely looked passed the Manhattan Skyline. (Please don't turn this into a EC vs WC punk feud- I just picked those bands b/c they were the first ones I thought of... and we saw what happened to Biggie and Tupac) The west coast bands they do mention, I think are more grunge / alternative than anything- the Butthole Surfers, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr are mentioned at least 50 times combined, but not one mention of Mike Ness?! Are you kidding me?

Another thing I noticed throughout the book is the massive amounts of quotes from other books. Some parts are almost literally pages from other's work. I've read "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeil, and I felt like I re-read a quarter of the book when flipping through the lists. There are some great stories that are definitely worth re-reading (The NYDolls touring the south, Iggy's antics, Joey Ramone's hitchhiking), but again- it's very NYC biased. They also quote VERY heavily from Shane Magowan and John Lydon's autobiorgraphies, which are interesting, but might be old news for some readers. (One of the authors - Amy Wallace even confesses to the over-quoting toward the end of the book!)

At times the book is a little *too* obscure for the casual reader. Punk beginners probably would not know 85% of the bands they're talking about. And even people that are well-versed in the genre will undoubtedly have a few times while reading where they ask themselves "Wait? Who?!"

Now for the GOOD!

There are so many great stories told in the lists of this book. For someone like me, that absolutely loves random music trivia- it was perfect. One of the best lists was something along the lines of "12 things Steve Jones stole". The guy completely robbed Jagger, Bowie and Mick Ronson among others- plus stole clothes to look like Rod Stewart!

Another great thing about a book like this is that it makes you want to learn so much about the bands they're talking about. Half the time I was "reading" it, I was actually on YouTube looking up random Johnny Thunders or Dictators clips and on Wikipedia finding out about the Nihilistics. I'm sure this book will do the same for anyone that's a music fan. In fact, I would argue that price tag of the book and shipping can easily be justifies if the reader gets into even *one* band they didn't know about previously.

The Artwork. It's amazing. I can't think of his first name, but that last name is Mott and he truly is an awesome artisit! He even does one of the lists!

Overall, I'd give the book about a 7/10. As a bathroom book, it's perfect- cool pictures, lots of quick information, and you can just flip to another page if the list you're reading is too obscure, or uninteresting. After all, HDM moved his desk into this bathroom to write some of these. The downsides are that if you've read "Plesae Kill Me", "Our Band Could be your Life", "A Drink with Shane Macgowan" and Johnny Rotten's atuobiography- you've already got about half of the book covered. Also, they basically ignore the west coast.

I say, "Buy It". Plus - it will look super cool on the back of your toilet or on your coffee table. You never know - Aunt Mable might see it and start asking you "Now, who are these 'Dead Boys' fellas I was reading about?" - Totally Punk Rock.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When I stop laughing, I'll be able to type....., January 15, 2011

By 

Ramrod - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists (Paperback)

Where the heck do I start? This book was highly recommended as, get this,BATHROOM LITERATURE. Since I spend as much time in the bathroom as the next idiot, I decided to buy it..not ONE, but TWO copies. Hey, I have 4 bathrooms, pal. So I was shocked to find out it isn't just hysterically funny, but rich in Punk Rock history as well. One of the authors is Handsome Dick Manitoba, who himself is an underground legend in the world of all things punk and rock and roll, and apparently has an opinion about EVERYTHING. The man is a scream, flat out. Amy Wallace, co conspirator here, is a writer of some renown, and appears to be bucking for a Nobel Peace Prize for wading into the insanity within these MANY pages. If you have ANY interest in punk rock, from a historical stand point as well as a 'oh shut up and get to the good stuff' standpoint pick this up...you'll laugh your @ss off. PLUS, the print is extra large so you can continue to read through the inevitable tears from reading of the antics of everyone from Joey Ramone thru Kurt Cobain. BUY IT...The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FUN FUN FUN READER FOR YOUR BATHROOM BOOKSHELF, October 25, 2008

By 

Cool Papa Bell - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists (Paperback)

I put this book in my bathroom "bookshelf"...Each morning, while having my coffee, I read 2 or 3 or 5 or 6 pages, and have been highly entertained for months...The very accomplished writer Amy Wallace(from the orignal Book Of Lists family, The Wallaces), put this together with Punk Rock Icon, Bar Owner, Radio Host, Handsome Dick Manitoba.Along with GREAT drawings by Cliff Mott and a forward by Danny Fields, this is a steal in terms of how much pure fun it is, and how entertaining it is. Sometimes funny, sometimes silly, many times irreverant, and occasionally downright serious, The Official Punk Rock Book Of Lists is the "Feel Good Hit Of The Year"..And....An inexpensive XMAS present, to boot!

Not sure about the anger involved in the review :"Has Been-Never Was"....How angry can one get about a book this light?...A personal vendetta, perhaps?