Forming: The Early Days of L.A. Punk

by Claude Bessy (Contributor), Chris Morris (Contributor), Kristine McKenna (Contributor)

Forming: The Early Days of L.A. Punk brings to life the unprecedented musical and artistic energy of the Los Angeles punk scene from 1976 to 1982.

Fueled by ambivalence to the prevailing cultural climate epitomized by the rise of Ronald Reagan, musicians, artists, writers, photographers, and a diverse audience joined together to produce a flourishing punk community.

Originally compiled as the catalog to an eponymous exhibit at Track 16 Gallery, this book includes many images by photographers of the scene, as well as reproductions of flyers, magazines, 45s, albums, posters, and other ephemera. Documenting the edgy angst of the local performance art scene are photographs of Johanna Went, the Kipper Kids, and a legendary 1978 performance by Viennese Actionist Herman Nitsch.

Also included are texts by Slash magazine editor Claude Bessy; a conversation with Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X; and a timeline that juxtaposes the highlights of punk with the low points of popular culture and news of the day. Designed by Steve Samiof, the original publisher and designer of Slash magazine.

Genres: Music

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Claude Bessy (a.k.a. "Kickboy Face"), was the editor of Los Angeles punk rock magazine Slash and the lead singer of punk band Catholic Discipline.

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is o.k. for what it is, and at the time it was published there wasn't that much in print about the L.A. punk scene, but I still wish it had a bit more substance. The late Claude Bessy, for example, was not only absolutely hilarious but also a brilliant provocateur whose work deserves far greater exposure. Seeing him (and Catholic Discipline, the band he led which featured Phranc on guitar) in the Penelope Spheeris documentary 'The Decline Of Western Civilization' was a formative experience for myself and no doubt many others in my generation of punk rockers...

If you are too young to remember, or simply weren't paying attention at the time, there are quite a large number of books on the L.A. punk scene at this point; some of the better ones are as follows...

HARDCORE CALIFORNIA

Make The Music Go Bang! The Early L.A. Punk Scene

We Got the Neutron Bomb : The Untold Story of L.A. Punk

Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk

More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk

[Willy Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho-hum - but maybe great and eye-popping if it's the only LA punk book you've ever read - another one for the kids

[Umi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good one to revisit upon return to that land of palm trees and pop icons. The real question is how it ever ended up in my house in the first place, though, as my parents rarely venture as far west as the exhibition space of the show it accompanied...