We Got Power! – Hardcore Punk Scenes From 1980s Southern California – David Markey & Jordan Schwartz

Bazillion Points, 61 Greenpoint Ave. # 108, Brooklyn, NY 11222, Usa, www.bazzilionpoints.com, / Turnaround UK, www.turnaround-uk.com

This 30,5 x 22,9 cm cloth bounded book presents on 288 pages almost 400 pictures, most of them b/w, of the first generation of greater L.A. hardcore-punk. Great shots, very authentic, photograped are not only the bands, but also the people who where the scene back then. So apart from live pix you also get shots of the audience, party people and other impressions from the suburbs. Markey and Schwartz did the „We Got Power“ fanzine that was published 5 times between 1981 and 1983. Every issues is documented in facsimile at the end of the book – early 80is fanzine style layout. Great to browse thru, alot of „the“ bands have been interviewed, mostly rather short than long, which does not matter, super authentic!

But you also get other stuff to read, there is a whole bunch of essays from people who have been around then, some of them are more popular (Henry Rollins/ Black Flag, Pat Fear/ White Flag, Chuck Dukowski/ Black Flag, Keith Morris/ Black Flag & Circle Jerks, Joe Carducci/ sst Records, Mike Watt/ Minutemen…..) others are not (Jula Bell/ Bulimia Banquet, Eugene Tatu/ Atoms, Janet Housden). But all of them are really intersting since they draw a picture of what the hardcore scene back then was like in L.A..

It was not homogeneously, it was about having fun, beeing different, bands, music, drugs, partys…. it was certainly not about anyhting like a political agenda, almost apolitcal. Surfers (at least the jocks) did not like punk in the beginning, there was violent, thughish gangs involved, there was lots of violence, there was lots of police harrasment, alot of hardcore kids did behave like total assholes. Maybe the essay/interrview by Jeff and Steven McDonald (Red Cross) is the one that describes the situation best – at least from their viewpoint – „Rebelling against the Rebellion“. Since they are honest and name the names, gang bullshit and such….. Great book, a must have for anybody interested in early L.A. Hardcore. 39,95 Us$ (dolf)

Isbn 978-1935950073

[Trust # 159 April 2013]