Still not sure what to get the resident punk in your life for Christmas? Spending hours looking for something they would actually like, that won’t be forgotten the next day? Check out our holiday gift guide for unique gift ideas for music lovers, book lovers, and anyone who doesn’t want another pair of novelty socks…
“Don’t give my brother a Steve Austin outfit
Don’t give my sister a cuddly toy
We don’t want a jigsaw or Monopoly money
We only want the real McCoy” – “Father Christmas” – The Kinks
What does one get the resident punk in one’s life for Christmas? Especially one who already has every box set and re-release of the Ramones, Clash, Dead Boys, Patti Smith, Velvet Underground, and a Partridge Family in a pear tree? You could go completely ironic, of course, and buy that person a Jim Nabors album or, our favorite, a sweater based on the hotel carpet pattern in Stanley Kubrick film The Shining. You can also get scarves, blankets, pillow covers and rugs with this same pattern. Nothing says, “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!!!!!!” quite like one of these.
No, but seriously, many of our readers have kids, and some even have grandkids and, hey, if any member of the Rolling Stones is reading this, you may have great-grandkids. Thus, we will start with the items that might be perfect for the Resident Punk toddler. Punk baby clothes? Do they make such things? We suggest this Ramones baby onesie…
And, once the wee one is a bit older, he/she will be wanting something to impress the playground posse. This Iggy Pop “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” T shirt fills that bill. Of course, you might be able to retrofit it to your actual dog, too, ya know?
Less ostentatious but still allowing for the discerning youth to announce their punk bona fides is this Iggy Pop Embroidered Patch:
Of course, if you want to please all of the punks in the general vicinity, you can spring for this Zero – Punk Pride Skateboard Deck
As for the boyfriend/husband in your life…
What better way to tell him you love him than with this Mapplethorpe Gunmetal Skull Necklace inspired by Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe in Just Kids?
And, to accent that necklace, nothing beats these Patti Smith pin badges:
The ideal companion gift to this, of course, would be Just Kids Illustrated Edition by Patti Smith:
And for his man/boy-cave, this should go directly over the mantlepiece:
The Emily & Meritt Skull Tapestry
Here are a few other gift options…
James Williamson LPs:
James Williamson and the Pink Hearts
Petra Haden & James Williamson
Velvet Underground setlist poster
The perfect compliment for the VU poster (or for any of your optometrist friends) would be The Velvet Underground Eye Test Chart:
As for gifts for your girlfriend or wife, you can’t go wrong with any of the following:
Anna Sui – Live Your Dream Eau De Toilette Spray
The slightly creepy but definitely kitsch Swineside Ceramics Punk Rocker Teapot
Edie Sedgwick II t-shirt – Handscreened
Nico Velvet Underground Glitter Soft Enamel Pin
Blondie X Offender Handmade t-shirt
For the more literary inclined people on your gift list, we recommend:
The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities: Wayne Kramer tells it like it is and was with the MC5 and thereafter. A gripping survival tale and a textbook on the healing properties of rock & roll.
This 1968 MC5 Concert Poster would go perfectly with The Hard Stuff:
My Ramones: Photographs by Danny Fields
Twentieth-Century Boy: Notebooks of the Seventies by Duncan Hannah
WHITE TRASH (Signed) by Christopher Makos
Billy Name: The Silver Age: Black and White Photographs from Andy Warhol’s Factory
Punk. by Roberta Bayley, signed by the Author
William S. Burroughs – Custom T-Shirt
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND Michael Leigh Paperback 1st Edition listed 3rd print 1964
I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp: An Autobiography: Richard Hell
PLEASE KILL ME: 20TH ANNIVERSARY PAPERBACK EDITION – AUTOGRAPHED
Gifts for the whole family:
Crosley UO Exclusive Keepsake Wood AV Room Portable USB Vinyl Record Player
Tickets to the New Years Marathon Poetry Project reading at St. Marks Church
Stocking stuffer ideas:
Mornings Are A Total Drag Coffee Mug Divine
Kill City Enamel Lapel Hat Pin – Iggy Pop, James Williamson
Punk Rock 4×6 Handmade Letterpress Notebook
Blondie Graffiti Printed Leggings
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