Some of the Best Punk Rock Books I’ve Read ft. Your Favorite Punks
If you want to know more about what it means to be punk, you need to read from those who create it. There are hundreds of biographies, autobiographies, and oral histories written by punks of the past and those who saw it for themselves. I’ve never read a punk rock book that wasn’t worth my time. None the less, here are ten of the best punk rock books I’ve read.
Enjoy, swine.
Disclaimer: I plan to update this list as I continue to read. If you have a recommendation, shoot me an email at punkrock.blog.info@gmail.com.
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
By Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil
The one that tops most lists, and deservingly so, Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk is a must for any fan or noob to punk rock. It’s the story of punk rock, starting from the beginning and explained by those who lived it. Iggy Pop, Dee Dee Ramone, Malcolm McLaren, Jim Carroll, Jackie Curtis, Danny Fields, and on and on and on. These are the wild, crazy cats who created punk rock. Packed with thrilling stories and unbelievable tales that encompass what punk rock was, is, and will always be.
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
by Michael Azerrad
Exploring the bands of the 80s that shaped the underground scene, you will read the history, and influence, of punk bands like the Minutemen, Big Black, Fugazi, and more within Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. Whole chapters are dedicated to the various bands, revealing their DIY mentality and revolutionary sounds that shook the underground enough that the world above had to pay attention.
Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
by Sara Marcus
In the 1990s, Riot Grrrl took the word by storm, a feminist uprising led by legendary punk bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heaves to Betsy, and Huggy Bear. In the book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution get the history of each band, their early beginnings, and the story of how they shaped an era. Pissed-off women with a reason to yell, these punks show you why you should never keep quiet.
Punk Avenue: Inside the New York City Underground, 1972-1982
By Phil Marcade
Phil Marcade, lead singer of the band The Senders puts you in the middle of the scene with a comedic, fast-pace read that will have you turning the pages faster that Johnny Ramone can strum (maybe). If you want to know what it was like to be at the parties during the 1970s New York early punk rock scene, you need to read Punk Avenue: Inside the New York Underground, 1972-1982.
Lobotomy:Surviving the Ramones
By Dee Dee Ramone
Dee Dee Ramone was a punk rocker – through and through. His beautifully twisted, often disturbing, life story shows how he could craft so many songs considered punk rock classics. If you want to understand what it means to be punk, you must read Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones, as it is filled with countless quotes revealing the ethos of the genre.
Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol
By Steve Jones
In two and half years, the Sex Pistols formed, stormed, and burned. In unbelievable fashion they provided a sound and look the world couldn’t ignore. Guitarist for the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones had a front seat to the whole shebang which you see in Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.
Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout
By Laura Jane Grace
Punk rock is an expression of one’s true self. Within Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout, you discover an honest, beautiful tale of Laura Jane Grace search for identity and how she formed one of the greatest punk rock bands in history. Beyond the sex, drugs, and mayhem that comes with punk rock, the book will help you understand her transition and others like her. It is an important read for music fans and anyone seeking to know more about gender dysphoria.
Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion
By Jim Ruland
Bad Religion brought punk rock into the 90s. Without them, bands like NOFX, The Offspring, Green Day, and Blink-182 might not have seen the commercial success they did. Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, Jay Bentley, and Brain Baker, the members of Bad Religion, make up the meat of Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion, which provides background for each member and history of the band’s success with a bit of inspiration to simply – do what you want.
We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, The Collected Interviews
By Daniel Sinker
We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, the Collected Interviews shows you that punk rock isn’t just a sound. Each chapter is an interview from Punk Planet magazine founded in 1994. You read from legendary singers like Jello Biafra, Kathleen Hanna, and Ian MacKaye. Then, there are other influential people with a punk rock mindset like linguist Noam Chomsky. Before each interview, you do a bit of deep dive into what they choose to interview the band or person and explaining punk rock is an attitude which can be applied to activism, entrepreneurship, design, and anything you might think of.
The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities
By Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer was a wild, wild man. His autobiography is just as much a trip as the man himself. He helped create the MC5, went to jail, got out of jail, went sober, and turned a life of mayhem into a beautiful turn-around that continues today. His musical talent has been infamous for punk rock generations after the reign ended for the MC5 paving the way for bands like The Ramones, Heartbreaks, The Dictators, and more to make a scene in New York back in the day. His autobiography, The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities, is not only informative but inspiring for any who seek to change their life.
