Going underground : American punk 1979-1989 : Hurchalla, George

xiv, 399 pages : 23 cm

“The product of decades of work and multiple self-published editions, Going Underground, written by 1980s scene veteran George Hurchalla, is the most comprehensive look yet at America’s nationwide underground punk scene. Despite the 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 nationally as a self-sustaining grassroots movement rooted in seedy clubs, rented fire halls, Xeroxed zines, and indie record shops. Rather than dwell solely on well-documented scenes from Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, Hurchalla delves deep into the counterculture, rooting out stories from Chicago, Philadelphia, Austin, Cincinnati, Miami, and elsewhere. The author seamlessly mixes his personal experiences with the oral history of dozens of band members, promoters, artists, zinesters, and scenesters.”–Back cover

Includes bibliographical references (pages 391-399)

Acnkowledgments — Preface — Germfree adolescents — Chemical warfare — Police story — Leaving Babylon — Jack on fire — In a free land — Wild in the streets — I guess I’ll just hang out on Broad and South — Jan’s rooms — What poor gods we do make — Buried alive — Scorched earth — Mouth of the rat — Bend my ear, twist my arm — We can’t help it if we’re from Florida — Kill from the heart — Lullabies help the brain grow — Every song is a revolution — Masochism world — Mommy will say — Shorty’s flashlight — Out of the picture — Fearless Vampire Killers — Pardon me, I’m only bleeding — When kingdoms fall and daggers rust — New generation — No one wants an alien — All I know is that I don’t know — It is stupid, it is my noise — Sources — About the author — Index