Reddit reviews Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil. I went through a phase of being a "hardcore punk" as an early adolescent - this book made me appreciate the music a lot more but the "culture" a lot less.
Also, much later, I read Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning". I always hated philosophy and was miserable when I was forced to take it in college, but this is the one book I did not sell after the end of the course, and reread multiple times. It is overwhelming and sad but really gives a touching and life-changing account of the beauty of the human spirit, even in situations of utter horror.

Proto: The Sonics - psycho-sonic

Punk: the stranglers-no more heroes, the buzzcocks-another music in a different kitchen

Seconded:
The monks, television, the stooges, velvet underground, mc5

I'd also recommend delving into post punk though that's probably pretty inevitable when you're already interested in the transition from proto to punk

if you're looking to really get into the nitty gritty I'd recommend the book please kill me: the uncensored oral history of punk by Legs McNeil

I'd also recommend the book [Please Kill Me] (http://www.amazon.com/Please-Kill-Me-Uncensored-History/dp/0802142648) . It really put an insiders view on everything more than I'd ever heard.

I can imagine that seeing that live on TV at age 10 would be a very formative experience. I started buying Stooges demos and reissues on vinyl and there are just so amazing songs that never had a proper recording.

Have you read Please Kill Me? Great Iggy and The Stooges stories in there.

I also highly recommend watching the Henry Rollins story about Iggy that's linked in the comments.

[Jonathan Richman] (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Richman) (lead of the Modern Lovers) went on into a solo career. Fun fact: He is the guitar player in [There's Something About Mary] (http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0129387/)

Have you ever read [Please Kill Me] (http://www.amazon.com/Please-Kill-Me-Uncensored-History/dp/0802142648)?

You should read the book Please Kill Me.

I just finished reading Please Kill Me and it gave me a totally renewed respect for The Stooges. The Clash, Dead Kennedys, the Sex Pistols, etc., but Iggy & the Stooges are my new favorites.

Scorn! Scorn!


Hmm...how about the history of punk or 11/22/63

A couple of great sources on the birth of punk are are these two:

(USA) Please Kill Me

(UK) England's Dreaming

update:

Tokyo Vice wasn't as yakuza-centered as I hoped it would be, but was still worth reading. Apparently it's being made into a movie. Most books by journalists lose something in the translation to celluloid (The Men Who Stare at Goats comes to mind), but hopefully there's enough of a narrative here so that it will work out OK.

Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. by Rob Delaney - Most comedians' debut books are just autobiographies with a prevailing theme. This one's an ex-alcoholic memoir. Some pretty funny stories, but if you're not a fan of his comedy I wouldn't expect this to convert you. If you like his comedy, you'll like this book.

I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids, by Jen Kirkman - similar to the above in that it's a comedian's first book with the prevailing theme that's explained in the title. But unlike Delaney's book, this confronts outdated taboos in a refreshing way.

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain - I'm not quite halfway through this and already wish it were ten times longer. Lots of great stories told from multiple points of view so as to expose biases, which makes the stories that much richer. I got this as an ebook but kinda wish I had a hard copy since it's the kind of book I imagine you can pick up at pretty much any point and become engrossed quickly. That is, if you're a fan of music.