I haven't read his book, but I just wanted to say that Legs McNeil is probably the most unique person I've met in my whole life. I dated him in NYC while living in Cheshire, CT. I was in Cheshire High and was one of the 'English Twins'. He was and is a hero.
Amy

A very close relative of mine was friends (The Heartbreakers) with those who were directly involved in the NY scene when punk was coming into its own. He says it was terrible, not glamorous, and lots of heroin -- fucking junkies basically. Nothing to look up to.

Fuck the Ramones (the band but not Joey, he seemed like the only one without his head up his ass), fuck Patti Smith. Fuck art wankers.

Saying that there are a punker's roots is like the southern person whose ancestors were slave-owner. Yeah, we should be aware of, but at the same time, deeply embarrassed.

Good review ... I'm in the middle of reading the book now. It gives a great perspective of the NY punk scene from the people that were there. In many ways, a good written companion to the Ramones documentary "End Of The Century". That movie's first half painted a great picture of the scene with bands like Television and Blondie.

I wish I could kill anyone who consistently watches the OC. Fuck trendy trash TV.

your review is nearly as vapid as your ridiculous myspace song.

The OC? That shit ain't Punk. Not that I've seen it. It sure don't sound Punk though. PS English Punk was never tight.

He is a junkyard dog. His balls are showing. That means something.
Q: Does anything else mean anything?

A: Time to bite ball.

If punk was about killing the poor and helping the rich, then it would be all about voting libertarian.

i read this but i don't feel like reading now. which means i have no idea what this review or the comments say. i liked the book though.

When was this on the "OC"? Was it just name-dropped?

Voting Libertarian seems more punk than voting Democrat does

Patti Smith sucked back then and got away with it because she was supposedly a "poet". She's never any good, and the most annoying thing about her music is that it's only even listenable when John Cale attempts to smother the self-importance she's so wrapped up in.

And that's just her music.

-Will

yeahhaaah myspace wooo!

For the best book about the Ramones pick up,
"On The Road With The Ramones"
http://hometown.aol.com/ramonesontheroad/myhomepage/boo ks.html

This is a MUST-HAVE book for all Ramones fans. It's an inside look from the people who were actually there witnessing and experiencing all the extreme highs and lows one of rock's greatest bands. It's such a fascinating read, I had a hard time putting it down, and I think you will too. Buy it, read it, and then revisit their albums. You'll never look at the Ramones in the same light.

"But don’t take my word for it… "

Kudos on this comment. Funny little blast from the past!

Another astounding contribution to this site by Chinatown. You're just a mine of information, aren't ya baby?

No good music has ever come out of New York.

-Chinatown

Wait, New Yorkers minimize the importance of everyone else not from New York? I would never have guessed.

"Before I read this book, I didn’t really give a shit about the Velvet Underground and Patti Smith, and to be honest, their music puts me to sleep. However, if you’re a punk fan, it is important to know your roots."

I don't want to say it, but lots of stuff in your list of bands on your Myspace page put me to sleep. Have you ever heard White Light/White Heat/Horses? That shit causes way more of a ruckus than your slickly produced Lagwagon or Rufio. C'mon, man, that stuffs for kids. Oh, and you might want to take down that link. People on this site tend to ridicule anyone for having anything of theirs linked. This includes anyone's personal writing, music, or other art form. Be anonymous on Punknews, it'll keep people from making fun of you.

I thought it stunk of sour grapes the way the majority of the New York scene dismissed the English punks. Yeah, the Pistols stole a lot from the Ramones and NYC punk, but they also created a lot by themselves, notably the borrowing of old Situationist and anarchist slogans and imagry.

Two more: The chapters on the poets bored me to death (I skipped over most) and when I saw this book on The O.C., I howled.

--Cos

This book is important and great, yet simultaneously angering and flawed...

First of all, it should just be subtitled "the story of New York Punk as told by the New York punks". These guys, like most New Yorkers, have diminished respect for anyone outside their city limits. The Stooges and MC5 sections are kind of tacked on to give a more complete look at proto-punk, and once the movement gets into full gear, almost any band not on the CGBG's scene is excluded and usually shit-talked by these old "punk poet" farts.

English punk is generally just cast away as a bunch of fashion-obsessed posers. While they try to ignore virtually any sort of punk movement outside of New York, even within the city's boundaries, the Dictators are skimped over and their chapter is primarily devoted to gossip and the Testors (a great band) aren't even mentioned. While I could understand that you can't fit every band on the scene into a book, I would rather read about the exploits and adventures of Sonny Vincent than, oh, Patti Smith's dating life or Blondie's keyboardist going to jail (an interesting story, to be sure, but not as important as the music).

New York without a doubt had the most consolodated and influential punk rock scene, but it didn't have the only one, and therein lies the problem. The whole construction and view of the movement is restricted with the aura of elitism that makes New York punk so unapealing. The Saints, Crime, and the London SS all formed before the Ramones had toured widely or released any music.

This is a great book for what it is, though; sketches of New York City punk rock from before and a tad after.

-Will

A FEW POINTS ABOUT REVIEWS:

We currently only review CDs, vinyl, and related books/VHS/DVDs. No audio cassettes, please.

We can review books now? cool...........hmmmmm.......the options just expanded quite a bit.