Mention Regarding Books The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll
| Title | : | The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll |
| Author | : | Julie Burchill |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 95 pages |
| Published | : | April 1st 1987 by Faber & Faber (first published January 1st 1978) |
| Categories | : | Music. Punk. Nonfiction |
Julie Burchill
Paperback | Pages: 95 pages Rating: 3.68 | 117 Users | 12 Reviews
Description In Pursuance Of Books The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll
This is the ultimate rock criticism book: something in it will offend everyone with any opinion about any rock, past or present. It is intended, apparently to be the “obituary” that follows on the Sex Pistols’ promise to “destroy rock n roll.” The Pistols play a prominent role in it (the second and third chapters are titled “ Sex” and “Pistols”), but unlike most punk bios, it is far from a hagiographical account. The authors certainly don’t like Malcolm McLaren, or for that matter any of the Pistols individually (except, perhaps, grudgingly Johnny Rotten), but they aren’t entirely above celebrating them collectively. Other founding punk bands (notably the Clash, the Ramones, the Damned, and the Jam) are far less ambiguously trashed. In fact, pretty much the only bands the authors have anything nice to say about are X-Ray Spex and the Tom Robinson Band. It’s safe to say that no one today will agree 100% with their opinions (although I like X-Ray Spex and TRB, myself). Probably no one ever did, and I’m not even sure that both authors completely agreed on any of the opinions expressed in the book, either (they married and were divorced a few years after the original publication of the book).But, if you listen to rock, especially punk rock, in order to be challenged rather than validated, and you read rock criticism to have your opinions about rock challenged rather than validated, there is much pleasure to be found in this slender volume. Burchill & Parson’s style is snarky on a level that would put bloggers and twitters to shame, and their command of English excels the level to be found on even the most clever and educated online sources. Their humor (or humour) is brilliant, and probably over the heads of most readers today. Who, for example, would catch all the references in this line: “The Great British Punk Sex Symbol (sing if you’re glad to be it, Gaye) aside, the only UK girls left are the Rezillo’s Fay Fife and Penetration’s Pauline Noname – who are both so well-integrated into their respective bands that their sex seems superfluous.”
OK, it’s a little unfair to expect kids today to be familiar with has-beens, one-hit-wonders, and never-rans from their grandparents’ generation, but for those with an interest, this is an excellent way to learn what 1977 meant to people who lived and witnessed it at the time. Burchill and Parsons were writers for the New Musical Express, which was something of a cutting-edge rock magazine at the time, and their opinions were heard (and probably hated) by the generation they criticized. If you hate punk, this may still be a great weapon to use the next time that self-righteous hipster with the balding mohawk tries to get uppity. Well worth the read, love it or hate it.
Declare Books Supposing The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll
| Original Title: | The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll |
| ISBN: | 0571129927 (ISBN13: 9780571129928) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll
Ratings: 3.68 From 117 Users | 12 ReviewsPiece Regarding Books The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll
Tiresome polemic; an attempt at "outrage" mostly consisting of calling people either "ugly" or "hippie". This woman was mildly notorious in the UK during the punk era for this schtick, which is equal parts schoolyard bully, Stalinist, and small-minded hatemonger.Sex drugs and rock n roll, ripped apart and mocked by two journalists who saw punk happen. This book manages to insult practically every band formed throughout the 60s and 70s, with only a few exceptions, X-Ray Spex, the Tom Robinson band and (slightly) the Sex Pistols are spared from the sharp tongues of Burchill and Parsons. Instead of glorifying rock and roll, they shred the self indulgent cocaine-snorting stars to pieces. The rose tinted glasses are removed from punk too, stating, as is the
Forgot how funny this was. Still well worth a read.
Attitude on amphetamine
Back in the day, I had friend who would get into some new band before anyone else, and tell us how great that band was. But once other people started listening to that band, he would dump all over that band. Parsons and Burchill go through the same motions, trying to show how much better they are because they were the first to hate these bands after liking them. While amusing at first, it does get old after a while. Buried within all this trashing of bands is some interesting history of the rise
Julie Burchill is an English writer and columnist known for her provocative comments. Beginning as a writer for the New Musical Express at the age of 17, she has written for newspapers such as The Sunday Times and The Guardian. She is a self-declared "militant feminist". She has several times been involved in legal action resulting from her work. She is also an author and novelist, her 1989 novelThis is the ultimate rock criticism book: something in it will offend everyone with any opinion about any rock, past or present. It is intended, apparently to be the obituary that follows on the Sex Pistols promise to destroy rock n roll. The Pistols play a prominent role in it (the second and third chapters are titled Sex and Pistols), but unlike most punk bios, it is far from a hagiographical account. The authors certainly dont like Malcolm McLaren, or for that matter any of the Pistols
every word rang true hahaHa ~
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.