BY LINA LECARO VIA LA Weekly
The oral history book — which gathers numerous voices to tell one story, usually of a pivotal time in pop culture — remains one of the most compelling forms of non-fiction. It’s particularly illuminating when it comes to music. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain is widely regarded as one of the most revealing and well-done examples of the genre. It’s been published in 15 languages since its release in 1996 and continues to inspire rebellious music lovers to this day.
Next year, Please Kill Me will be republished in a 20th Anniversary edition from Grove Atlantic. The duo also edited and released Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose, which posthumously gathered the writings of the troubled young woman, while McNeil co-authored The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry and I Slept With Joey Ramone, the latter with Joey’s brother Mickey Leigh. Both authors have written for a variety of music outlets, including Vice, Spin and Nerve, and maintained a blog based on the book, PleaseKillMe.com.
READ MORE AT: Please Kill Me’s Punk Historians Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain Turn Their Attention to L.A. in the Late ’60s | LA Weekly.