A Cultural Dictionary of Punk, 1974-1982 (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At a cursory glance, Rombes's compendium has the form of a dictionary, covering punk bands from the Adolescents to the Zeroes, but scratch the surface and you'll discover a profoundly weird document, where the notion of punk expands to include discussions of Angela Carter, Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo and Barry Hannah—although even Rombes (Ramones) admits the last is stretching the point. The tone veers from the academic to the confessional: How can you hesitate about a song that has saved you more than once from the black depths you are prone to fall into? Rombes asks in an entry concerning the British band Wire. There are several forays into the fictional, including stories about imagined versions of Patti Smith and Joey Ramone, as well as entries written by Ephraim P. Noble, who is almost certainly a fictional alter ego. If it were touted as a definitive guide to punk culture, the dictionary's omissions would be glaring—but this is something altogether different: a personal investigation into the significance of punk rock, an attempt to inject critical studies with a big dose of chaos and anarchy and thereby create a compelling cultural narrative. (July)
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Review

"An expansive, erudite, and hugely entertaining guide through the dark alleys and glittering byways of punk in music, film, literature, politics, fashion A Cultural Dictionary of Punk is essential reading for anyone fascinated by one of the most influential artistic movements of our time." --Liz Hand, author of Generation Loss

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Continuum; 1 edition (July 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826427790
• ISBN-13: 978-0826427793
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,565 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected... Better!, July 27, 2009

By	B. Gavigan "Nimble Venetian" (Venice, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From the title I expected a comprehensive list of bands and perhaps some essays. Many of the bands I expected to find were absent and the list is far from comprehensive. HOWEVER, THIS BOOK IS MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT I EXPECTED. Instead of a dry listing of bands and influences - the contents of the book are woven together around the authors experience. He is very honest about it being his experience and it reminded me of my own discovery of punk in the 1980's. Those first songs, delivered via crappy cassette tape, changed my world. The author has spent enough time thinking about those early days to offer some fascinating insight.

Forget about reading this book from cover to cover in a linear fashion - it's impossible. I found myself jumping from topic to topic which seems appropriate for the subject. Strangely enough there is no glossary in the back which forces you to explore the book without a road map. I believe this was the authors intent and it works. The deeper I went the more hooked I became.

Punk is getting old. The early music isn't discussed much these days and it's time to go back a take a second look. The late 70's and early 80's were a strange time. I was young when I was introduced to punk music and I wasn't aware of many of the cultural events that nurtured the explosion of sound and emotion that emerged. But like so many others I instantly understood the music and connected with the energy.

This is an excellent book. I was reminded of many great bands and I discovered a handful of bands I had never heard of. Never saw that coming...