Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk

Posted on 03 January 2018 by Legs McNeil

A Time Out and Daily News Top Ten Book of the Year upon its initial release, Please Kill Me is the first oral history of the most nihilist of all pop movements Iggy Pop, Danny Fields, Dee Dee and Joey Ramone, Malcom McLaren, Jim Carroll, and scores of other famous and infamous punk figures lend their voices to this definitive account of that outrageous, explosive era Fro Best Read [ Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk ] By [ Legs McNeil ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr Man, Lou Reed was such a dick.I read most of this one night while working the graveyard shift at a very institutional group home in the real methy part of SE Portland I was the only person awake and not severely mentally ill in the whole building, except for the parole guys, who I was pretty sure were faking it, or at least greatly exaggerating There were these big sliding glass doors where of course the methhead psychos lurking in the dark could watch me mopping, all lit up, but I couldn t see out, and most nights I d be I read most of this one night while working the graveyard shift at a very institutional group home in the real methy part of SE Portland I was the only person awake and not severely mentally ill in the whole building, except for the parole guys, who I was pretty sure were faking it, or at least greatly exaggerating There were these big sliding glass doors where of course the methhead psychos lurking in the dark could watch me mopping, all lit up, but I couldn t see out, and most nights I d be really on edge and ready to run for the parole guys room if any of the scary noises I heard outside turned out to be some twisted someone smashing through the glass and grabbing my spleen as an ingredient to use in his basement meth lab.Anyway, that one night I didn t have time to worry about getting chopped into pieces by violent, spun out hicks, because I was too busy ...I absolutely inhaled this Legs view is that punk was a strictly American phenomenon with its roots in The Doors, The Velvet Underground, The MC5, The Stooges, and that the British got it completely wrong and basically killed the movement And he presents that argument well.Pretty much everyone in the book appears to be exactly what I already thought Jim Morrison was often drunk and frequently terrible live, and wrote really bad high school grade poetry David Bowie was a rather uptigh I absolutely inhaled this Legs view is that punk was a strictly American phenomenon with its roots in The Doors, The Velvet Underground, The MC5, The Stooges, and that the British got it completely wrong and basically killed the movement And he presents that argument well.Pretty much everyone in the book appears to be exactly what I already thought Jim Morrison was often drunk and frequently terrible live, and wrote really bad high school grade poetry David Bowie was a rather uptight guy until...As an avid reader and subsequent loather of punk rock history, I was excited to get into this And although I didn t get exactly what I was looking for, it s certainly worth a read for those who can stomach it I can t claim to not like oral histories having only previously read the People s Oral History by Zinn which is a blood orange compared to Wayne Kramers red delicious That being said, I found this book far too gossipy and sceney making me think that cliques in music existed long As an avid reader and subsequent loather of punk rock history, I was excited to get into this And although I didn t get exactly what I was looking for, it s certainly worth a read for those who can stomach it I can t claim to not like oral histories having only previously read the People s Oral History by Zinn which is a blood orange compared to Wayne Kramers red delicious That being said, I found this book far too gossipy and sceney making me think that cliques in music existed long before the internet came and quantified it for the world to see read You fucked Johnny thunders Great He vomited on your couch NO WAY For those who want the shortened version, I ll sum it up Patti Smith was a delusional bitch Lou Reed had tons of gay sex and was mean to everyone Dee Dee Ramone was a prosti...Along with Dave Marsh s Before I Get Old, Ian Hunter s Diary of a Rock N Roll Star, and Tony Sanchez s Up and Down With the Rolling Stones, Please Kill Me is right up there on the Mount Rush of Rawk Tales from the Naked City but if you come here in search of Malcolm McLaren, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Generation X, or The Stranglers, look away now.Although, inevitably, there is a bit of overlap with old school Brit punk, just beginning to take seed across the pond somewhere along this Along with Dave Marsh s Before I Get Old, Ian Hunter s Diary of a Rock N Roll Star, and Tony Sanchez s Up and Down With the Rolling Stones, Please Kill Me is right up there on the Mount Rush of Rawk Tales from the Naked City but if you come here in search of Malcolm McLaren, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Generation X, or The Stranglers, look away now.Although, inevitably, there is a bit of overlap with old school Brit punk, just beginning to take seed across the pond somewhere along this sordid timeline, Legs McNeil and Gill...If you love gossipy oral histories, this is the book for you It s probably better if you re familiar with the music, but that s not a prerequisite And it s often hysterically funny, depending on who s being interviewed Richard Lloyd and Richard Hell both made me laugh out loud a number of times.One of the best parts several people are talking about how Jim Morrison was an 18 carat prick, and ...4.5 stars just not a 5 because I don t think a reread will affect me the same way Little did I realize that the punk movement started as early as 1968 with the Velvet Underground and amphetamine usage Thus begins Please Kill Me, a compilation of interviews with some of the most influential talent in the industry and on the streets through the early 90s Photos throughoutThe book is broken into chapters that follow a timeline that flow through music progression and drug prevalence I m seriously 4.5 stars just not a 5 because I don t think a reread will affect me the same way Little did I realize that the punk movement started as early as 1968 with the...Things I learned from this book Everyone involved in the early American punk scene was one big incestuous relationship Everyone had sex with everyone else at one point or another Male, female, transsexuals, johns, etc Everyone was on drugs How did punk even get started I mean really, it amazes me that punk even remotely got off it s feet, everyone was so messed up Patti Smith still kind of freaks me out, but you have to respect her determination Lou Reed is a douchebag Even comple Things I learned from this book Everyone involved in the early American punk scene was one big incestuous relationship Everyone had sex with everyone else at one point or another Male, female, transsexuals, johns, etc Everyone was on drugs How did punk even get started I mean really, it amazes me that punk even remotely got off it s feet, everyone was so messed up Patti Sm...when i was a kid and i would whine about not getting new shoes or some stupid shit my mom would sing that old Rolling Stones song, You can t always get what you want only she wouldn t sing it she would talk it like it was some ancient wisdom from the lips of Plato inserting pauses to let the complicated cadence of his words sink in, but if you try some timeyou just might find you get what you need It always pissed me off and made me embarrassed that my mom thought she was being cool q when i was a kid and i would whine about not getting new shoes or some stupid shit my mom would sing that old Rolling Stones song, You can t always get what you want only she wouldn t sing it she would talk it like it was some ancient wisdom from the lips of Plato inserting pauses to let the complicated cadence of his words sink in, but if you try some timeyou just might find you get what you need It always pissed me off and made me embarras...I ve read this book many times before and will often pick it up and reread chunks here and there It is simply the best book you will ever find on the birth of punk rock Everyone who was in the scene adds fas...

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk

English
03 January 2018

Legs McNeil