We Got the Neutron Bomb : The Untold Story of L.A. Punk by Marc Spitz, Brendan Mullen Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of We Got the Neutron Bomb : The Untold Story of L.A. Punk
Book Review: Crazy Stories
Summary: 4 Stars
Covers Southern California's sun drenched punk scene from Jim Morrison berating audiences in 1968 to the GoGos crossing over into the mainstream in 1981. We get the decline of the hippies, the rise and fall of Glitter (and/or Glam), the affront that was Disco and the beginning of MTV, which changed everything.
It's a collection of interview snippets from a wide cast of characters. Some of the people are fans, some were the business people behind the scenes, some were the musicians. Such as - Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Pat Smear, Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, Mike Watt, John Doe, Kim Fowley, Lee Ving, amongst many others. (Greg Ginn wasn't in there. I don't know if he doesnt' talk to the media or not, but he's the biggest gap that I noticed.)
It was a fun read. They talk about getting into punk. How LA punk was different from the NY scene and the London scene. They talk about wanting to get away from the stultifying suburbia they grew up in. What life was like for outsider kids in the 70's. How they learned to live on their own. Some of my favorite stories were about how they lived together at the Canterbury apartments and the Plunger Pit. Some crazy and hilarious stuff.
If you want an in depth history this probably isn't for you. If are looking for an entertaining oral history of the time and place, I'd say this most likely is for you. I really enjoyed it.
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
As an important figure in the early LA punk scene, Brendan Mullen theoretically would have amounted to an ideal figure to recount its history. Alas, he and co-author Spitz fall short of the mark, though to be fair, this may have owed more to their publisher. What should have been colorful anecdotes are compressed into blips that barely make an impression. The lingering after-effect, on finishing this book, is that it follows too closely in format the superior "Please Kill Me," which largely concerned the NYC punk scene -- and that in turn reflects poorly on the scene in LA, as if that, like this book, followed too closely the scene in NYC. Not true! The LA scene awaits a better recounting. But "Neutron Bomb," although seriously lacking, it still a decent place to begin.Book Review: Excellent History of L.A. Punk
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very informative book. Many, many participants of the scene are heard from, instead of just the usual few. The authors let everyone say their peace - some of those interviewed are insightful, some nasty, others just have fun stories to share. It must have been hard to track everybody down, and the authors should be commended for their effort. If you are curious about the history of L.A. punk, I would recommend Hardcore California and We Got The Neutron Bomb.Book Review: Give Me A Little Pain
Summary: 4 Stars
A wonderful companion piece to "Please Kill Me" (which documents the NYC punk scene)! This book uses interviews and anecdotes in the same way as "Please Kill Me" to give an oral history of LA punk by the people who were actually there. This book focuses as much on big names like X, the Germs and the Weirdos as it does on lesser known acts like Black Randy and the Metro Squad and the Screamers. Admittedly, a lot of stuff got left out or wasn't mentioned at all but a truly comprehensive overview of the LA punk rock scene would be a book about 12 times as big as this one. Or it could just be Brendan Mullen's (he owned the Masque) biased viewpoint. Still, I was just as interested in the Kim Fowley stories as I was with all the Gun Club stuff. Still, when a book relies on the oral recollections of other people you can sort've expect some half-truths and outright lies. Regardless, I highly recommend this for fans of the genre or for folks who are just getting interested in punk and would like to know more.Book Review: Great History of the late 70's/early 80's L.A. Punk Scene
Summary: 5 Stars
Fantastic read, lots of interesting memories from various players within and on the margins of the L.A. punk scene. I found it particularly interesting, since I'm from the same generation as many of the people interviewed for this book, although, growing up in New England I was oblivious of most of the up and coming L.A. punk or new wave bands at the time, save for The Runaways, X and the Go-Go's. Some, who were more familiar with the L.A. music at that time, may quibble over the amount of focus on different punk-related genres, but for someone like myself, who's not familiar with the scene, this book is a great overview. I had a hard time putting it down.