Going Underground: American Punk 1979-1989

Description

Despite the misguided mainstream press declarations that 'punk died with Sid Vicious' or that 'punk was reborn with Nirvana', author Hurchalla followed the DIY spirit of punk underground, where it not only survived, but thrived as a self-sustaining grassroots movement rooted in seedy clubs, xeroxed zines and indie record shops. Going Underground features over 100 unique from Marie Kanger-Born of Chicago, Dixon Coulbourn of Austin, Brian Trudell of LA, Malcolm Riviera of DC, Justina Davies of New York, Ed Arnaud of Arizona and many others.

George Hurchalla is a writer and photographer. He is the editor of The Hell with Politics: The Life and Writings of Jane Wood Reno and the author of the guidebooks Exploring Florida Beaches: The Atlantic Coast and Exploring Florida Beaches: The Gulf Coast. In 2004 he launched the first imprint of his own press, Spot X Guides.

"Hurchalla's efforts are impressive, given the fragmented and regional nature of American hardcore in the Eighties, a time well before the Web made for a truly Punk Planet. Mimicking an Eighties-era tour, it meanders all over the place without ever fully wearing out its welcome." --Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle "Chapter by chapter, Hurchalla captures each major cities' contribution, with the formation and rise of seminal clubs, bands, and indie record labels, all told through the anecdotes of the musicians, club promoters, zine publishers and scenesters themselves. Peppered with original show flyers and rare photographs, this anthropological perfect storm might leave latter-day punks thirsty at the trough, as baby, those were truly the golden years." --John James, Cincinnati CityBeat "What makes Hurchalla's book so important is that it captures the spirit of the movement, its idealistic sense of purpose that, despite punk's many shortcomings, has managed to survive and continues to influence a wide swath of people.... Going Underground now stands as the definitive statement on the history of America's punk/hardcore scene. George, I tip my worn-out beret to you." --Jimmy Alvarado, Razorcake "Drawn in large part from zines of the times, every page brings another memory. Naked Raygun on one, countered by Black Flag or the Butthole Surfers on the next. This isn't some prettied-up, big publisher look at ancient history, but rather like the music it documents, it's a raw and passionate take on a revolution of sorts. This music never died, but it did get co-opted, yet Hurchalla steers clear of all that, and just records what matters. Good stuff!" --James Mann, The Big Takeover "Punk is an integrated part of American culture now, but it hasn't always been that way. Hurchalla's book serves as a window into a time and place where punk meant something completely different. Celebrities didn't have Mohawks and people didn't always think you were cool for dressing totally punk. But it was an independent movement where people were taking complete control over their music and culture." --Encore Weekly, Wilmington, NC