More Fun in the New World
The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk
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Narrated by:
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John Doe
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Tom Desavia
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Various
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By:
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John Doe
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Tom Desavia
About this listen
Sequel to Grammy-nominated best seller Under the Big Black Sun, continuing the up-close and personal account of the LA punk scene
Picking up where Under the Big Black Sun left off, More Fun in the New World explores the years 1982 to 1987, covering the dizzying pinnacle of LA's punk rock movement as its stars took to the national - and often international - stage. Detailing the eventual splintering of punk into various sub-genres, the second volume of John Doe and Tom DeSavia's west coast punk history portrays the rich cultural diversity of the movement and its characters, the legacy of the scene, how it affected other art forms, and ultimately influenced mainstream pop culture. The book also pays tribute to many of the fallen soldiers of punk rock, the pioneers who left the world much too early but whose influence hasn't faded.
As with Under the Big Black Sun, the book features stories of triumph, failure, stardom, addiction, recovery, and loss as told by the people who were influential in the scene, with a cohesive narrative from authors Doe and DeSavia. Along with many returning voices, More Fun in the New World weaves in the perspectives of musicians Henry Rollins, Fishbone, Billy Zoom, Mike Ness, Jane Weidlin, Keith Morris, Dave Alvin, Louis Pérez, Charlotte Caffey, Peter Case, Chip Kinman, Maria McKee, and Jack Grisham, among others. And renowned artist/illustrator Shepard Fairey, filmmaker Allison Anders, actor Tim Robbins, and pro-skater Tony Hawk each contribute chapters on punk's indelible influence on the artistic spirit.
In addition to stories of success, the book also offers a cautionary tale of an art movement that directly inspired commercially diverse acts such as Green Day, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, and Neko Case. Listeners will find themselves rooting for the purists of punk juxtaposed with the MTV-dominating rock superstars of the time who flaunted a "born to do this, it couldn't be easier" attitude that continued to fuel the flames of new music. More Fun in the New World follows the progression of the first decade of LA punk, its conclusion, and its cultural rebirth.
Read by John Doe and Tom Desavia, with Dave Alvin, Allison Anders, Charlotte Caffey, Peter Case, Shepard Fairey, Norwood Fisher, Pleasant Gehman, Terry Graham, Sid Griffin, Jack Grisham, Tony Hawk, Chip Kinman, Maria McKee, Angelo Moore, W.T. Morgan, Chris Morris, Keith Morris, Mike Ness, Louie Peréz, Tim Robbins, Henry Rollins, Jane Wiedlin, Annette Zilinskas, and Billy Zoom
Cover Photograph © Laura Levine
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In the second half of the 20th century New York was the source of new sounds, including the Greenwich Village folk scene, punk and new wave, and hip-hop. But as the end of the millennium neared, cutting-edge bands began emerging from Seattle, Austin, and London, pushing New York further from the epicenter. The behemoth music industry, too, found itself in free fall, under siege from technology. Then 9/11/2001 plunged the country into a state of uncertainty and war.
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Deeply disappointing.
- By ChicagoRob on 01-18-20
By: Lizzy Goodman
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My Appetite for Destruction
- Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses
- By: Steven Adler, Lawrence C. Spagnola - with
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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From Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N' Roses, comes My Appetite for Destruction, the inside story of GNR. Offering a different perspective from the bestselling Slash, Adler chronicles his life with the band, and own intense struggle with addiction, as seen on Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.
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TERRIBLE NARRATION
- By SNAFU666 on 02-04-21
By: Steven Adler, and others
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Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
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A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
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Elton John
- The Biography
- By: David Buckley
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Elton John is as much loved for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Such shamelessness and sheer silliness rivals anything uttered by punk rockers, yet it is so typically Elton: honest and intemperate. Tragedy and heartbreak have played a large part in his life. Behind the parties, the hedonism, the lavish stage costumes, and silly glasses lies a more somber story. Between disputes with managers, legal wranglings, public breakups, and divorce, John has been faced with serious health problems and drug addictions.
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Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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Relentless
- The Memoir
- By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- Narrated by: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Yngwie Malmsteen's revolutionary guitar style - combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal - made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he's still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In Relentless, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early 80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal.
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Bloviations
- By David A. Kaplowitz on 12-29-19
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The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
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Author's blindspots mar this book
- By Mark Clark on 03-28-17
By: Ed Ward
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Unchained
- The Eddie Van Halen Story
- By: Paul Brannigan
- Narrated by: Mike Lenz
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-'60s hard rock and becoming the quintessential rock band of the 1980s. But the high-flying success was fraught with difficulty, as Eddie struggled with alcohol and drug addiction while simultaneously battling David Lee Roth over the musical direction of the band, eventually taking the band in an entirely new direction with Sammy Hagar and scaling new heights, before that iteration of Van Halen disintegrated.
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Please don't read other audible books
- By Mike on 02-01-22
By: Paul Brannigan
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My Damage
- The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor
- By: Keith Morris, Jim Ruland
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Keith Morris is a true punk icon. No one else embodies the sound of Southern Californian hardcore. Short and sporting waist-length dreadlocks, Morris is known the world over for his take-no-prisoners approach on the stage and his integrity off of it. Over the course of his 40-year career, he's battled diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, and the record industry. My Damage is more than a book about the highs and lows of a punk rock legend, however.
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keith rocks.
- By Jeff on 05-13-18
By: Keith Morris, and others
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My Life in Dire Straits
- The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
- By: John Illsley
- Narrated by: John Illsley
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most successful music acts of all time, Dire Straits filled stadiums around the world. Their albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music - classics like “Sultans of Swing”, “Romeo and Juliet", “Money for Nothing”, and “Brothers in Arms” - is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the '80s. In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time.
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Big fan of the band.
- By Curtis Carpenter on 11-15-24
By: John Illsley
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Everybody Wants Some
- The Van Halen Saga
- By: Ian Christe
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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How did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's incredible fast and furious guitar solos? What makes David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar so wacky? And, are all those stories about groupies, booze bashes, and contract riders true? The naked truth is laid bare in Everybody Wants Some - the real-life story of a rock 'n' roll fantasy come true.
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Good details of albums and post-1984 career
- By IndyMATT on 12-30-18
By: Ian Christe
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Deal
- My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead
- By: Bill Kreutzmann, Benjy Eisen
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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On their 50th anniversary comes a groundbreaking rock-and-roll memoir by one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead are perhaps the most legendary American rock band of all time. For 30 years, beginning in the hippie scene of San Francisco in 1965, they were a musical institution, the original jam band that broke new ground in so many ways.
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Decent but not great
- By Monty S on 03-02-16
By: Bill Kreutzmann, and others
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Cool Town
- How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture
- By: Grace Elizabeth Hale
- Narrated by: Emily Cauldwell
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1979, the self-titled debut album by the B-52s burst onto the Billboard charts, capturing the imagination of fans and music critics worldwide. The fact that the group had formed in the sleepy southern college town of Athens, Georgia, only increased the fascination. Soon, more Athens bands followed the B-52s into the vanguard of the new American music that would come to be known as "alternative", including R.E.M., who catapulted over the course of the 1980s to the top of the musical mainstream.
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I feel like I was there when it happened
- By Joseph Suciu on 01-11-23
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Alice in Chains
- The Untold Story
- By: David de Sola
- Narrated by: Sebastian York
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four - ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden - to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did its problems.
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Disappointing!!!!
- By Rob on 12-23-16
By: David de Sola
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Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
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I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
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What listeners say about More Fun in the New World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- DAR ICE
- 06-25-19
Amazing Story Telling!
I loved this audio book! Maria McKee, and John Doe story telling is spot on! MUST LISTEN!
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- MR15
- 09-11-19
Awesome.
Just as good as Under the Big Black Sun. More than musicians contributing which was interesting.
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- Virginia Gilroy
- 11-05-19
Loved it!
Great book! loved the music included as well! the authors reading their own chapters really made it for me!
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- iSapien1956672
- 08-30-21
Amazing
It’s so great to hear most of your favorite artists, musicians, actors, and directors of your favorite movies tell their tales of the same punk scene that you never knew they were a part of.
How most of them we’re friends, too.
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- Robin Gee
- 05-30-24
Excellent follow up from Under the Big Black Sun
I was worried I was getting another version of Under the Big Black Sun. Nope. I was thoroughly taken in by this part 2 of the LA Punk historical record. I was 14 when I was introduced X and the Minute Men by my older brother in 84 and I was immediately sucked into this music scene. Those were the Best times ever.
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- Chris Logan
- 11-05-19
Great but not as good as the first volume
You’ll love it if you loved any of that music and those times. Not as gripping as the first volume, but still fascinating tales.
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- Roger
- 03-15-20
So many great angles on the era.
It's worth the price of the book--it's worth the price of your last car--just for the Jack Grisham chapter/rant.
But much of the rest is fascinating too. Doe is a great storyteller and a great curator of the viewpoints of others.... just like he is in the first book. Having everyone read their own chapter is perfect.
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- Mike
- 11-11-22
Fun / informative / thoughtfull
I was in my late teens in the early 80's and was in North Carolina ... Didn't know much about the history but loved the music
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- Brenda
- 06-08-19
Inclusive look at the L.A. music scene
More Fun In The New World
“Seeds were thrown, for sure. What was essentially hiding in the shadows moved from a whisper to a scream.”
Tom DeSavia’s opening to More Fun In The New World, “We’re Having Much More Fun” is brilliant. And so is his voice on the audio book. I’d actually been reading the book while listening to the audiobook version simultaneously. Full impact!
“Mosh Pit Ubuists” by Tim Robbins is such a treat as a reader to get a little of his past history in his story and to learn how he was influenced by punk back in the day. Enjoyable reading!
“It Sounds Too Much Like The Blasters: 1982-1985” by Dave Alvin of The Blasters is a keen look at their early history and experience with this music business, namely Warner Bros. Records.
“Sliver Of Glass” by Jane Wiedlin deserves a holy cow! She did it again. Wowed me, she did. Wiedlin is brutally honest with her storytelling and doesn’t hold back. Gives us the ‘fly on the wall insight’ to what it was like to be her in a time that she should have been having the time of her life. I don’t know her but I love her. My heart can’t help feeling for her. I adore her candidness and her ability to share things that are so raw, so honest. So unusual. I’d hug her, if I could.
“Under The Marquee” by W. T. Morgan takes us back to his early experience with punk and the bands that define the times. Especially X. He describes the making of his movie, X - The Unheard Music Documentary in such a beautifully heartfelt way. The passion comes right through. Skilled storytelling.
Something precious about the memories he shares with us readers. And the film! Thank you,” I would say to him.
In “The New World” by John Doe I couldn’t wait to rip through. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it on paper first or listen to the audiobook. I knew I would be in for something desirable.
This is a bittersweet tale, as he writes about the crisis’s that were happening at the time in the Midwest and beyond. Workers were losing their jobs. I love how he describes their songwriting, “We took the opportunities we were offered and toured and wrote songs as if our life depended on it—because it did.” There is so much heart and soul to the telling of this story. Eloquent, direct and at the same time good reading.
“Another State Of Mind” by Mike Ness and Tom DeSavia is so great because it reminds us old timers what it was like in the early days of discovering punk and the LA scene. I remember Mike from those days and have watched Social Distortion evolve. Like Bad Religion, I can say I remember them before they were famous. Great story!
I kind of got lost into Keith Morris and Jim Ruland’s “Hollywood Shuffle”. An easy read that made me laugh. Well, there were sad moments but as an old punk it was fun to read about the places I’d been with many of the people I’d known. The Circle Jerks were one of us and they were always playing, so it seemed. When I think of them and bands like X and Adolescents my teenage years float back to me. I’m glad Keith is still around to tell his story.
“Deliverance” by Charlotte Caffey parallels Jane Wiedlin’s account of being a Go Go. These stories inspired me to look at some of their live performances. Searching their faces for signs of trouble. At the time, they were America’s sweethearts! They appeared squeaky clean though I did see them live in their punk days. The way I preferred them because they were authentic then, before they lost themselves to fame.
“The Ongoing Cost Of A Low-Grade Immortality” by Jack Grisham is a WOW! No surprise. Nevertheless, a WOW! Dark. Dirty. Disgusting. Poetic. Sick. Brilliant. The man is damn talented. He’s got a gift. And that story is sheer genius!
“Princess Of Hollywood” by Pleasant Gehman is a who's who and where's where to the Hollywood scene in the early to late eighties. An edgy look back to the days of what was dubbed Disgraceland.
“Los Lobos: Los Rockstars Accidentales” by Louie Pérez shares the early beginnings of Los Lobos (confusing everyone) and the passion for the music. “There we were, part of a music community whose purpose was to free music from the kidnapping by mainstream rock. It was unabashed, liberating, and obnoxious. It was more about spirit than how good you played. I bet that some bands were formed in the van on the way to the show.”
Beautiful story.
I loved John Doe’s sweet (bittersweet) little story about Top Jimmy.
“Top Jimmy: In The Mud And The Blood And The Beer!” Precious.
“Our Wolf” by Chris Morris is as good as I would expect! I love the history he shares and the commentary. His writing is smooth like an 50s newspaper reporter. Just give me the facts! In Chris’ stories you can be a fly on the wall. He takes you there. Right there!
"Grand Theft Paper: A Conversation With Billy Zoom” is a adorable! Interesting about Top Jimmy and the trouble that followed him. It’s nice to hear Zoom share personal bits like this. I can feel the admiration both Doe and Zoom has for this guy. Touching if not laughable. At times, of course.
“With punk in my life, the preps, jocks, nerds, etc. seemed like mere cretins in the rearview rather than my torturers or captors.”
“Prep School Confidential: Finding My Voice” by Shepherd Fairey, a force to be reckoned with. So interesting how punk inspired his artwork and the emotion he has for the music. He is able to detail what led him to where he is now. Very inspiring!
“You Say You Want An Evolution” by Tom DeSavia is passion filled story and talks about the evolution of music and how it shaped his life. I love these coming-of-age stories that are enthusiastic and entertaining.
“This World Is Not My Home, I’m Just Passing Through” by Maria McKee and Tom DeSavia is a story that should be made into a memoir. Maria McKee’s biography would be a good read. This story flowed like it was supposed to be on its own. Really nice.
“The Paisley Underground, Americana & Me” by Sid Griffin where not everything good happened in the LA punk scene. Shares the early days of his band, Long Ryders. And the influence they would eventually have over Americana and alt-country music.
“None of the bands were quite ready. Punk hadn’t really happened in L.A. yet—it was like the hour before dawn.”
“Ten Short Years On The Sunset Strip” by Peter Case is a slick story about his rise to fame in the Plimsouls and I finding his voice.
“The Kinman Brothers: American Music” by Tom DeSavia is a dedication to the musical contributions of Chip and Tony Kinman. RIP Tony Kinman.
It’s difficult not to get emotional reading Chip Kinman’s, One Thousand Nights. His story just seems to fall into place.
“Skate Punks” by Tony Hawk is about his relationship with punk rock and skateboarding. Loved this story! “I was lucky that my parents didn’t mind if my new skater friends had mohawks or piercings, as long as they were polite. And they were.”
"Free Radicals: A Conversation With Fishbone” by John Doe is an ode to these magical musicians and their music. Such an uplifting interview. Beautiful.
“Come On, All You Cowboys . . . Don’t You Wanna Go?” By Annette Zilinskas, bass player for The Bangles and Blood On The Saddle. Another Valley Girl, like myself. A bit of a coming-of-age story. Her musical coming-of-age.
“Ain’t Love Grand” by John Doe kind of made me sad. Made me see a sliver of what it must be like to have the pressure of being in a band. A successful band, at that.
As an outsider looking in, not sure how John and Exene managed to stay together as long as they did, especially through all the stress of the ‘business’ and the 24/7 lifestyle. That had to take a toll. Thanking Doe for sharing his soul a bit with us.
Terry Graham writes a clever little story about the ending of The Bags and the changes that took place after The Decline Of Western Civilization. In “Shot Glass Full Of Luck” the author describes his rock ‘n’ roll adventures with The Gun Club. Or misadventures?! Very clever and stylish.
“Hardcore To Spoken Word: A Conversation With Henry Rollins” by John Doe is relatable if you were a part of the early punk scene in Los Angeles. When things started changing, the impact was swift. It was nice to learn more about Rollins and understand his situation, being part of Black Flag. Very insightful.
“Everything Became Possible” by Allison Anders is bliss! It’s her passion and ambition that drove her. Her success is not by accident. She was a motivated person with an authentic voice. She had gumption and was interested in more than money. This woman is a trailblazer and paved the way for many women living in a man’s world. Big respect. Loved how she detailed how she made the movies and the chances she took.
Fallen Soldiers by John Doe is very well worded. Genuine.
I read “More Fun In The New World” with great gusto as it was compelling all the way through. It’s not just about music but life. Honest, bold, brave. There’s depth and vulnerability. The writers stepped up and wrote stunning narratives that were both candid and engaging. The audiobook is an extra bonus. Everyone did a fantastic job. And a big high five to Krissy Teegerstrom who played a big part in making this a beautiful piece of history. Impressive.
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- Martha Alcantar
- 05-11-21
A great listen!
Punk rock is a spirit, so it can’t never die. L.A. is a magical city .
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