Here are some customer reviews of
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
: I buyed this book in New Orleans, on a second hand book store, and what a magnificent testimony. The authors words are not in it, but the edition of the interviews is a lesson of master. If you want to know the real Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, etc. You have to read it. (Sorry, my english is poor, bou I can read it). Jesıs Quintero
Well done, but it could have used input from John Lydon, Lou Reed, and other survivors of the era who made huge contributions. If you're gonna let other people put down my man Lou Reed ya damn well better let Lou defend himself!
I am usually quite skeptical when it comes to books pertaining to the history of rock. Normally, the subjects are fawned over and made out to be godlike figures. This book is made up of snippets of commentary from about three dozen folks who are almost exclusively responsible for the punk movement. Because it is not a product of an author that is giving you his opinions, but the product of many speakers, the reader is able to piece together and make up his own mind concerning his feelings towards the real life characters that are involved. Almost all the characters are rather pathetic people that probably deserve to be pitied. At the same time the whole thing is so damn romantic, that one can't help feeling jealous in wishing one was part of their early punk rock scene. The book is very thorough, and as one is reading it, the feeling as though these punks have become figures in one's own life comes over the reader, as their personalities and ways of speaking become more familiar. Upon completion of the book, one realises that punk rock is more than just aggressive music accompanied by torn clothes or funny hair. It was a way of life, and a very interesting one, at that. I give this book a strong recommendation, even if one is not a fan of the genre of punk rock. It shows that there was more to late sixties and seventies than just hippies, country rock, bell bottoms, and smiley faces. This is an example of a perfect chronicle for a group of people that were out of step with the world. If one is a fan of the genre, and thinks that there is nothing to learn by reading "Kill Me Again", a mistake would be made. There is virtually hundreds of facts and scenarios and accounts of events that I'm sure one wouldn't be able to find all one place like this. I also strongly recommend that while reading "Kill Me Again" one should provide themselves with a soundtrack to enhance the experience. Suggested: Iggy and the Stooges, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Velvet Underground.
I really didn't know that much about the punk rock movement before I read this book. I think that it really gives you a feel of what the time was really like for the people who were living then. There were parts in the book that makes you want to just cry but then there are parts that make you want to just smile. To me, it was one of those books that as soon as you start to read it, you just can't put it down. I personally think that everyone should read it!
I love the word "Oral", especially when it is attached to the word history. And finally an oral history of U.S "punk" has been recorded. Although "punk" may have meant many things in the past--it is forever linked to the street music of the mid to late seventies of especially NY. This book brings us up and down from the Velvet Underground, to the Dolls, through Patti Smith and the Ramones, through the Dead Boys, and beyond. Just read it--is all I have to say. From a man called DIRT PS we know our punk in NE Ohio--we produced the DEAD BOYS
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