Insanely detailed history of the Sex Pistols and the beginning of punk in London by a music reporter whose own career started in 1977. ( )

definitive on the early punk scene. ( )

Fascinating history of a musical phenomenon - a race against time to set the stage with safety pins and attitude. Always fun to find out more about an era in music that can only be compared to the impact that Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" had in 1913 (causing riots at the first performance). A raucous blend of personalities desperately trying to be the next new thing and a long ode to the rise and fall of not only punk but also Malcolm McLaren. Remind me to tell you the story of the time [late 70s San Francisco] the punkers got up and started pounding on the side of the DJ booth (the DJ was playing disco)... ( )

I started this book thinking I would learn a thing or two about the Sex Pistols, but ended up -- about 700 pages later -- an armchair expert on the cultural history of the 1970s. In other words, Jon Savage is one hell of a writer. ( )

music, music history, British history