THE ENGLAND'S DREAMING TAPES - JON SAVAGE

A basic format production regarding the incendiary period when punk was in its infancy and ready to blow. This goes through much old ground and rakes up plenty of new outlooks and so will sit well on any punk aficionado’s bookshelf. The book is a series of interviews with many of the major faces at the fore of the scene and, in many ways at the powerful rear, with some good insights given once again displaying what all the fuss was about.

The interviewee list here will hold much weight with the spiked historian with Joe Strummer, Howard Devoto, John Lydon, Malcolm McClaren, Chrissie Hynde, Legs McNeil, Jordan, Siouxsie Sioux, Viv Albertine, Adam Ant, Lee Black Childers, Tony Wilson, Mark Perry and Jonh Ingham being amongst the chosen many. The tome has a distinct 'anyone can do it' feel and even though the composite is simplistic the outcome is effective. Bare faced honesty is the key and lots of reminiscing through shit-stained spectacles is apparent but perhaps the most startling aspect is the reinforcement of the fact that, primarily, in the early years, punk rock was a southern clique and not as embracing as the warped memory of Father Time tells us. Overlooking this the book captures what went on in all its inglorious grime and gives us a tale of egotists, wayward wanderers, druggies, band wagon jumpers and the like. The in-fighting and opinions of who or what is punk, when punk started and finished is highly amusing as are the many problems encountered in society by the ones trying to be different. 

Jon Savage keeps things highly readable here by just keeping the flow as conversational as possible and not trying to be over-complicated and ridiculously flowery. The ones who will pick up this 700 page plus tome will undoubtedly be much in the know anyway but I reckon fascination will still be had and a few new nuggets of gossip uncovered. Not bad!

PUNK FACTION - MARCUS BLAKESTON

A yarn around the year 1982, when the youth was at war through differences that seemed important but were in fact very pointless.  The music scene was divided, the passion was high and everyone had somewhere to belong in those ever-changing times.
Primarily this isn't no great classical account written in long winded pompous fashion by someone trying to be sagacious and give out some wisdom soaked insight into how things were.  This isn't a read that is overloaded with rose-tinted bias and looking back with a sigh of fondness or misdirected nostalgia.  Why this book triumphs is down to the fact that it is written naturally with a well balanced philanthropic/misanthropic approach liberally seasoned with a stark reality of its time.  The author was indeed there and that rises from the pages as one is returned to a time when tension was high, naiveté was wonderfully rife and a 'couldn't give a fuck' attitude was a joy and as opposed to today’s mucky social arena, was relatively harmless. 
 
Having grown up in the gutter when money and materialism weren't an issue and glue, noise and having a laugh seemed the only important aspects of a simple life this tale is related to with genuine ease and the spiky scribe who has put pen to paper must be applauded for his frank insight and uncluttered delivery.  The characters are exact and the switch in style from internal to external perceptions is indeed cute and brings the reader more into the drama.  Descriptive moments are kept from being overloaded with wordage and the attitudes and outlooks are readily captured.  The dancing scene in particular whilst The Cockney Upstarts are playing particularly rings true and, as is the intention throughout the book, brings memories flooding back.  

The build up to the final showdown is predictable but the pleasure from the text is high and this small niggle is easily forgotten as the words pass by.  Personal high points for me were the glue-sniffing episodes, the youthful misdirection we all have suffered from and the mention of Moon Cresta I game I remember playing with my punky mate, down the pub, dressed in the gear and not having a worry in the world - well except were the next beers and fags are coming from!

Yeah an easily digestible quickie and one that could easily be followed up - so how about it Mr Blakeston - the pen is now back in your hand!

LOU REED TALKING - NICK JOHNSTONE

A crotchety, erudite, experimental survivor or downright moody awkward twat - that is the opinion one may make at the end of this swift read. Lou Reed has certainly done things his way and along the ragged road has, in the minority, kicked dust in a few people’s faces and in the main won many admirers who want to hop in for the ride.

From drug-taking, beer swilling frustration to the re-modelled man who delights in Tai Chi, having a lucid mind and still rockin' and rollin' Lou Reed has been on a unique journey and yet throughout it all has had plenty of things to say so as to keep things dangerous, threatening and may I say...punk! The racket Lou delivers isn't predictable and isn't, as the man readily admits, successful, but he keeps on truckin' and keeps on testing different waters. Personally I'd rather listen to a pile of shite done for the right reasons than some catchy pop that is built on fraudulence but I guess that isn't the majority way of thinking!

The style of this book is just to lay out a load of quotes from the singer’s career (in chronological order of course) and to let you fill in the gaps. Far from comprehensive this is a good taster that more than likely will lead you on to a more in depth read - well I presume that's the idea. I picked this up for a good price and reckon you should seek it out too - the guy says how it is at the time and that does generate constant interest which all books should have.  Hey and he likes a bit of Poe too – can’t be bad!

PLEASE KILL ME - LEGS McNEIL AND GILLIAN McCAIN

A tale of early US punk, its influence on the British scene and the final collapse of anything the movement really stood for. The main theme of the book targets the sordid, drug hazed behaviour of some of the major players in the scene and in brutal truth most come out as nothing more than lowlife scum who got lucky and paid no heed to morals, the music and one another.

Self-indulgent, promiscuous and mostly 'full of crap' the people in this book are tainted with a dark, depressing angle that somehow holds attention and gives the reader a flavour of those wasteful days that have been twisted into something glamorous, something 'rock and roll'. The destruction of oneself is all well and good but to do it at the detriment of others isn't so clever but alas many characters within these shady pages do so with wild abandon and fuck all external feelings. Disrespectful to themselves and to those around them one has to wonder about the weak mental state of many persons involved in an arena ideal to lose yourself in. The drugs dominate as does the sexual lust and the ethos of the day seemed to be 'if it moves then fuck it' and if it gets you high then drop it'. If this is your idea of a hero then I pity you.

I like the reality of the text, the grimy approach and the use of quotes from a vast and varied crowd. The emotions kindled are of sadness, pity and despair and total bewilderment at the human psyche and its egocentric idiocy. I may have painted a grim portrait here but believe me this book is highly entertaining for all the wrong reasons and as such comes across as something rather special. The accounts related in the tale are somewhat unreliable has most contributors seemed to be generally bombed when the events were taking place but nonetheless this should be on your bookshelves and should be a punk guide to learn from. Maybe a definite example of the question 'what the fuck is punk anyway?'  I know one thing – I see very little of it even though many claim to be it.

THE CLASH - TALKING - NICK JOHNSTONE

Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon were the quintessential group of vocal punks who remained committed to spreading a message of social justice via their mix and match style of noise. Experimental, never afraid to chance their sonic arm and always pushing, pushing, pushing the Clash had many things to say and wouldn't rest in the meantime. The explosion into the popularity stakes was hard earned and no sooner had the ball really started rolling than it somehow got punctured and became deflated equally as quick.

This book is a simple idea. Get the views of the band before, during and after their main 5 year hayday and publish all important quotes in some loose chronological order along with several photographs of the band at various stages of their development. For some reason this does indeed work and a basic picture of the members emotions is painted without going into too many verbal wanderings. The strain, the attitude, the successes and the failures are neatly caught and although it won't take you more than a few hours to rattle through this it is one you can browse through again and again at your leisure.

The Clash, it is without doubt, were influential and if you are a hardcore fan or a passing admirer this is worth a mooch. If you look hard enough it is more than likely a sub £5 price tag can be found too so there can be no excuses to pick up a copy and enjoy!

VICIOUS: THE ART OF DYING YOUNG - MARK PAYTRESS

A bleak tale of negativity, despair and all round idiocy. Even when one tries ones utmost one can't help but get dejected by this tale of one of rocks biggest losers. Vicious came, cocked up and was carried off in the relative twinkling of an eye and the legacy he left is not one to live by. The book is smartly written with eye-witness accounts and in the know participants all adding to the downward spiral that one feels drawn into. Despite the moribund ambience the book holds attention and that is solely down to the author in the main but I guess some small part must be blamed on nothing more than morbid fascination.

Whatever your opinion Vicious did look the part and no one can argue that he was the greatest self destruct artiste of the modern rock era. Don't forget this is a true story of a clinically depressed misanthrope who liked to press buttons, push boundaries and piss on procedure. In many ways he encapsulated the danger that punk so deliciously toyed with but alas fell victim to his own ill-will and over-indulgent appetite for all things sordid.

If you hold Vicious in high esteem this should shatter your dreams and I for one am all for the realistic approach that doesn't flower things up for spurious reasons. Worth a browse by punk zealots and people fascinated by the dark side.

DRUNK AND INCAPABLE - CAYN WHITE

I paid £3 for this collection of poems and did so, with pleasure, in advance of its release. Why? Because Cayn White is a likeable lad who has got off his arse and had a go and participating in this scene that is ideal for anyone willing to chance their arm. The previous time I'd seen Cayn strut his stuff was at The Yorkshire Punks Picnic in Halifax where he was amiable and most importantly - pissed as a fart! The obvious influences are indeed just that - obvious - but Cayn does things his way and throws in many of his efforts with a complete DIY attitude. That, my dear reader, will do for me and after receiving my copy of this book and reading almost immediately I am more than convinced it was brass well spent.

What do you get for your money though? Well fuck all if you ain't already got a copy because this was a limited run that has now sold out. That'll teach ya! If you did get a copy then you get 18 easy to read and relate to rhymes that will raise a smile and many a titter. Cayn has many a good point to make and does so with a sense of the perverse and idiotic never far away. Tales of bird flu, biscuits falling into cups of tea, being trapped in a porn shop and dating a psychopath all seem fantastical but the hard edged stuff is in there as well with the poignancy and heartbreak of 'For A Friend' and 'A Glimpse Of God' certainly noteworthy.

I have no favourites here as I enjoyed each and every scribbling and I accept it isn't the most profound prose to hit the shelves but it is very fuckin' real and done by someone who ain't afraid to commit to the cause and have his say. Volume 2 should be on the way soon so get them coins ready to roll Cayns way.

SID VICIOUS/NO ONE IS INNOCENT - ALAN PARKER

Once again the tale of the spiky haired rebel is told, this time with an unbiased view that relates all of the stars failings and misdemeanours. This book, I am sure, will raise the eyebrows of the fan and the punking punter with a passing interest and create a situation where one really has to re-evaluate what they actually think about Mr Vicious. However intense the authors enthusiasm and fondness for his subject he never holds back on making out Vicious to be the good guy/bad guy in equal measure.

The book is a fascinating tale of misdirection, utter stupidity and attempting to live up to the creature other, less caring people, have made you. Sid Vicious comes across as a hero and zero in the same sentence and from a personal perspective I now look upon the one time Sex Pistol as of limited talent, easily led, an unthinking thug and surprisingly one who was indeed innocent of murder. There is no doubt we are dealing here with a complex character who really didn't give a fuck and lived out the rock and roll dream to it's sorry, tragic end.

Pistols fans and beyond will love this but the ones who deem John Simon Ritchie/Beverley a hero may be sorely sobered up with this well research factual saga. The main winning formula is that the book has many characters that you just don't know whether to love or loathe but one thing is for sure - circumstance had some fun here with several unaware victims given a real duff deal.

TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE - DEBORAH CURTIS

Written by the widow of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis this is an emotional tale of psychological torment, marital strife, mental abuse and gloomy nihilism. As Deborah Curtis states this book is to lay to rest the ghost of her late husband, and may it be said, she does so with great effect.

Curtis is portrayed as something far from a hero, and the life he gives to his young and vulnerable wife is anything but blissful. The man they made a myth from is moody, overbearing, awkward and unpredicably erratic which when intertwined with his 'early death' obsession and his drug experimentation all points to a disastrous conclusion. His adulterous lifestyle is obnoxiously selfish and then suddenly Curtis comes across as despairingly caring - all contributing to a paradox of a man who still has many questions hanging over his head.

The narrator writes with great emotion and her open and honest style is really quite impressive. There is no holding back here and the authoress should be truly applauded for this great account of living with a schizophrenic epileptic on the brink of stardom.

I read this in a couple of sittings and came away with a different outlook on a man so many admire. For fans of Joy Division and Ian Curtis himself, prepare to have your dreams smashed apart.

The lyrics at the end of the book are a nice addition and the more one reflects back on the textual matter the warnings unfold.