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American Hardcore: A Tribal History (Second Edition)

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    Ian Jane
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  • American Hardcore: A Tribal History (Second Edition)

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    Written By: Stephen Blush
    Released by: Feral House
    Released on: 10/19/2010
    Purchase From Amazon

    Stephen Blush's book, American Hardcore: A Tribal History, now in its second edition isn't definitive, nor is it written without bias. It doesn't cover every single band that existed during the movement's boom years and it is uneven in its coverage of the bands that are included. What it is, however, is invaluable. Put together as what are essentially a collection of sound bites culled from countless interviews conducted over a five year period, its scope is massive and you can't really fault it for its flaws. The scene wasn't well documented while it was fresh, and going back to it twenty-five to thirty years later couldn't have made the cultural archeological digs Blush went on any easier.

    Thankfully, he was there as a participant and as a promoter and his memory is sharp. Blush writes very nonchalantly, there is no pretension here as he explains how and why literal 'tribes' of hardcore kids erupted all over the United States (and Canada - and there was more to it than just Vancouver - but that's a different book) when Reagan took power and the country made a very drastic turn to the right in terms of politics and social values.

    The very fact that Blush was able to track down as many people as he has here - not just band members but people involved in promoting shows, running venues, selling records, designing posters and people who just sort of hung out and saw it all happen - is reason enough to for anyone with an interest in American punk rock to take notice. Throw in the awesome collection of vintage show flyers, photos, record advertisements, zine ads and other completely great pictures and you wind up with a book that's just as visually interesting as it is to read. Once you get used to Blush opinionated style (and it is very definitely that, at times even a little mean spirited) there's a lot of great musical history covered here.

    From the east coast, where Blush covers the rise of bands like The Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front and The Beastie Boys to the Midwest where The Necros and Negative Approach to DC where Dischord and Minor Threat were gods to the West Coast where Alternative Tentacles and SST brought bands like Dead Kennedys and Black Flag to the ears of kids around the world, this is, flawed or not, a ridiculously comprehensive work. Yes, stuff has been left out and yes some bands don't receive their due (Poison Idea is basically a footnote here, and though it appears Jerry A. didn't really have much he wanted to contribute, couldn't someone else have talked about Portland?) but the fact that there's so much here is amazing in and of itself. Look at this as a glass half full situation.

    What Blush manages to convey really well, aside from the who did what and where they did it aspect of the movement's history, is the zealous dedication shown by so many of those who were involved. We really get feel for what it was like living in an abandoned beer factory in California with members of MDC and we get a feel for what tiny underground venues like A7 and CBGB on the Lower East Side of Manhattan were like. Through firsthand accounts the book paints some pretty graphic pictures of having to deal with ignorant rednecks, violent frat boys, Nazi skinheads, and cops bent on doing everything in their power to come down on hardcore punk shows pretty much everywhere in the country.

    The book can sometimes even get a little nasty when Blush puts his axe to the grindstone but again, this is a collection of first hand information. It's written and relayed in that conversational storytelling style and not in historical or even really scholarly context. It doesn't give us much to go on in terms of political history nor does it discuss the impact that the movement had on modern music. What it does is put you into a scene that no longer exists as documented here. Warts and all - and there are some biggies here when the book deals with racial issues and double standards (not to mention the incessant references to Maximum Rock N Roll as fascists for reasons never really explained outside of disagreement) - this is an impressive tome. Ignore the odd spelling mistake and look past the periodic needless digs and enjoy this one for the look back that it is. You don't have to agree with Blush on everything, but he deserves some credit for putting together as much material as he has here.
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