About Me
Why is Punk Rock still radical and relevant? In the beginning, Noise experiments, early Performance Art, and Avant-Garde Music and Art fused with radical politics and transgressive theory to produce the more experimental, anything-goes Punk Rock lifestyle. Almost nobody worked for a living; how did they survive? Why is Punk Rock still inspiring? PUNK ‘77, an independently-published book free from corporate publishing-house influence, gives an inside look at an edgy, Do-It-Yourself, Black Humor consciousness fueled by poverty, anger, sheer guts and imagination, which still fascinates and motivates, 30 years later. This 3rd edition features a long interview with photographer James Stark and a new portfolio of forty more photographs.Undergrounds rarely have adequate documentation—particularly at their beginnings, and Punk Rock was no exception. But JAMES STARK was there in 1976 onward, when Punk started being creat-ed in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He used his Canon camera and flash, back-stage, front and in the audience, documenting the musicians, artists, and outsiders who forged the Do-It-Yourself Punk Cultural Revolution. In the Sixties, James had seen early Velvet Underground shows in New York City. He also studied documentary photography at the School of Visual Arts with the aim of becoming a street photographer in the tradition of Robert Frank. Using fast Tri-X film, James began capturing unusual charac-ters, social interactions, and fleeting moments of emotional outburst or pen-sive reflection. So when Punk began, James was primed and ready to docu-ment Punk—the "Next Big Thing" after the Sixties social revolution had been co-opted by corporate entertainment consumerism. Thanks to his labor of love, photographs exist as historical records testifying to the vitality and originality of the very beginnings of Punk Rock in San Francisco and L.A. PUNK ‘77 is a candid, shocking and mind-altering confessional that, while true to the Punk spirit, carves its own style of vandalism across the veneer of con-sumer culture. PUNK ‘77 is told in a mosaic of anec-dotes, rants, gossip, and self-aggrandizement by the prototypical punks, scenesters, musicians and artists who actually lived it. From filth and fury to gritty glam, the outrageous theatrics and devious antics are artfully captured in the nearly 200 photographs of both Punk luminaries and unsung heroes alike. Featured are the Sex Pistols (an entire chapter on their San Francisco visit), Blondie, Ramones, Germs, Nico (Warhol’s favorite chanteuse), the Damned’s first U.S. tour, the legendary Screamers (best band never recorded), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Avengers, Crime, Nuns, etc. PUNK ‘77 offers an intimate account of the explosion of the San Francisco Punk scene circa 1977, ending with the Sex Pistols’ infamous last performance January 14, 1978. A 24-page appendix of FORTY more photos has been added to this new edition, which includes a recent interview with photographer James Stark, for this very limited printing. RE/Search books are hard to find, and you would be advised to order your copy direct. Order from: http://www.researchpubs.com James Stark web: www.jamesstark.com
