As authors of Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History Of Punk, Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil influenced a lot of people on several levels. Now regarded as the best-selling book on punk rock of all time, Please Kill Me first and foremost described what the heyday of the New York City punk scene was like as according to people that were around it. It cleared up myths about key players in the scene, and also helped readers pick up on some of the era’s underappreciated characters.
It's just another Tuesday night in the Tribeca area of New York City. As I enter The Roxy Hotel's toasty Django Bar, I see a room full of familiar faces. Littered across the intimate space were a gaggle of elite rockers known to swim in the same circles as the uninhibited downtown crowd. Rock photographer's Bob Gruen and Mick Rock, Andy Rourke of The Smiths, Bob Bert of Lydia Lunch's Retrovirus, David Johansen, Chris Franz of the Talking Heads, among other notables.
I can't imagine my professor in college introducing the man who had a band named Circle Jerks come up to the podium for a lecture, but that's just what's happening tonight at CSULB
by Amy Haben - I don't know about you, but I cringe when someone invites me to see a tribute band. So when my friend invited me to see Bootleg Blondie, (a Blondie tribute band) while in London, I wasn't sure how to feel.
by Lisa Janssen - Dear Andy, I wanted to write you and let you know the many ways you have impacted my life. It started with “The Philosophy of Andy Warhol from A to B and Back Again.” There were some aphorisms in that book that I live by to this day, at least I try. My favorite is, “So what.”
On a Thursday afternoon in mid-May 1974, in the small city of Lynwood, California, 18-year-old high school senior Tom Matthews answered a knock on the door.
Outside stood a short-haired brunette in her twenties, who inquired about the Ford Econoline van for sale. In a matter of minutes, “Emily” was behind the wheel, with Tom sitting shotgun in the front passenger seat. It was then that Tom Matthews’ life took a turn.
by Amy Haben - I was in London for the first time last Christmas. To my surprise, I ended up lounging with the Kinks drummer and his beautiful girlfriend at his longtime home in London. I was shocked at how down to earth and welcoming he was.