Customer Reviews

We Owe You Nothing, Punk Planet : The Collected Interviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In America's TV Nation, where reading is often considered dangerous (and for the most part, undesired), the books that are repeatedly shoved down our throat (like "Dope-rah's Book Club," as my witty friend Jack says) are ones that are... for the most part, really saying nothing that we haven't heard before.

I mean it when I say, this is not one of those books. "We Owe You Nothing" is a collection of 25 of the best interviews from Punk Planet magazine. Voted "Best Zine of 2000," in the Alternative Press Awards (sponsored by the Utne Reader), the stories of these musicians, writers, filmmakers, political activists, et.all are, simply put, some of the most incredible you may ever read. You'll see something in many of them that the mainstream media never wants you to see, never wants you to comprehend, understand, or read.

The truth.

These interviews are of the highest quality, and make for enlightening, entertaining, uttely enjoyable, envigorating reading. Once you get done with We Owe You Nothing, you'll know something valuable: that your life is up to you to define, that you can find art and revolution in the last places most would look, and that it's time for everyone to wake up just a little more, and become deeper in tune with the world around us.

My only complaint is that it all ended too soon. Clearly, it's far more deserving then five little stars on a computer screen, or my words about it. This book belongs in your hands, because once you're done reading, it's words, ideas and wisdom will surely seep into every one of your actions.

You could do much worse in your purchases, but it would be hard to do much better. We Owe You Nothing, on every level is sets out to acheive, totally, totally delivers.

Beng familiar with the fanzine version this book took the interviews from since their first issue, I did not initially think this book would be that good. But coming from someone still involved in punk and hardcore and indie rock, I gotta say the interviews are quite good, and the subjects interviewed are some of the most important and best known.

The entire book is made up of interviews from past fanzine issues but I think interviews are great historical documents and should be more appreciated.

Punk Planet the fanzine doesn't blow me away but this book is really very good. Any indie music fan should have this on his/her bookshelf. No joke.

This book does a great job of introducing the major thinkers and doers in the punk underground from the last 10 years (and beyond). Well worth the money and the read, both for vetrans of the underground and people just learning about it for the first time. So many ideas, you have to read each interview a few times to really grasp it all. Great work guys!

This is a truly amazing and inspiring collection of interviews. From Kathleen Hannah, Noam Chomsky, Jello Biafra, Thurston Moore, and many more known and unknown personalities, this book should work to revitalize your spirit to live, to dare, to create. Aside from Frank Kozik (who, while interesting, is not very inspiring) the people included in this anthology are vital, engaged artists, writers and just regular people who share some remarkable stories, fascinating insights. If your interested in real life political issues, what it means to create and sustain a culture, to be involved in communities or just interested in the human experience, I highly recommend this book.

If you are into all of the "I'm so hip and crusty" stuff that the guy who trashed the book is into, then no, you won't like this, I suppose, because you have your own microscopic view of "punk" and will dislike anything that doesn't fit into it, but maybe you should still read this collection anyhow. It might help.

There's some good stuff in this book. One day, if the human race is still around and its historians are remotely interested in popular music of the late twentieth century, it may prove extremely valuable. For the time being, however, it's only indispensable to followers of the people interviewed or dyed-in-the-wool punks or punk fans -- and if you fall into one of the two categories, you'll be glad you bought it. Too bad Punk Planet is gone.

Where the (corporate published) This Band takes a narrative approach to telling the story of punk (and thusly giving us more of an insight into the author himself instead of the bands and people he's "profiling"), We Owe You Nothing lets the bands and people speak for themselves. What emerges is an honest, filter-free look into the punk underground.

Additionally, while This Band stops at the early 90s, creating an artificial feeling of "it ended", We Owe You Nothing looks forward into the present and future of punk (while still remaining rooted in its history) by talking with contemporary bands and non-musical figures whose continued influence make punk a growing, dynamic, changing entity. Azzerad's book doesn't even come close.

there are a few good interviews in here (jello biafra, ian mackaye, etc.). other than that it's pretty boring, unless you really dig corporate indie rock. there really isn't much on pre-90's punk and there's a section dedicated to chumbawamba. get this and read the good interviews then pass it along to someone else.

The majority of interviews are with performers and bands that established themselves in the 1990's. More importantly, the majority of interviews are with bands that were already circling the perimeter of corporate-sponsored "indie-rock". With the exception of Jello Biafro were never given any real insight into the workings of truly underground, hardcore political punk. Where were the interviews with MDC, Nausea, Toxic Reasons, Youth Brigade, Lydia Lunch, Foetus, Filth, Gangrene, the Squat or Rot crowd etc.? Daniel Sinker does a good job covering middle-class University-friendly phenomenona like the Riiot Grrl movement - but does little in the way of real research. Sinker missed the boat by about a decade and what we're given is his interpretation of what "punk rock" is.

I recommend this book to anyone who knows anything about Punk Rawk if you are a poser stay away... it's very Dangerous and unsafe. to all others welcome to the land of Techni-Color Cavaders and Pussycat Swingers...