Customer Reviews

Search and Destroy 1-6: The Complete Reprint (Vol 1)

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This is a reprinting of an amazing San Fransico 'zine from the late Seventies. There is incredible, otherwise unavailable coverage here of many obscure West Coast Punk groups, with helpful scene reports from around the US and the world, essays on early Punk culture and politics, and impressive artwork and photos. The interviews are unique and far from obvious, providing insights into the personalities (and record collections!) of many important musicians. Impressive interviews with Pere Ubu, Dev-o (before they signed to WB), and the Screamers, among many other groups. This book also provides a detailed look into the S.F. and L.A. Punk scenes (who partied where with whom and what happened). I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the wild west Coast Punk culture of the late Seventies. Flaws? No info on the Deadbeats, Pink Section, The Units, or Los Microwaves (though it has pictures of Pink Section and the Units in #'s 7-11).

This book is fabulous primary source material for those interested in the emergence and maturity of the punk subculture. Jon Savage's book (England's Dreaming) tells the history of the scene nicely, but THIS reprint gives some real insight into the attitudes and motivations of the kids who were involved, and adds the American perspective. Some of the characters from the 70's punk scene were just into looking cool and partying, and some were really interested in music or politics, but the common theme here is youth's feeling of alienation from the rest of society. The more things change, the more they stay the same.