CONTENTSList of Entries viiGuide to Related Topics xvPreface xxiiiIntroduction xxvThe Encyclopedia 1Selected Bibliography 261Index 267
Ideal for the serious punk scholar as well as a novice to the punk music scene, The Punk Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive reference work to examine punk rock and its evolution through the decades.
Brian Cogan is a writer and professor who has written extensively on music and popular culture as well as music criticism. He received his PhD in Media Ecology in 2002 from New York University. He teaches at Molloy College and has taught at New York University and the College of Staten Island. Cogan has been a member of the punk scene for over 20 years and has written for a variety of zines as well as journals, newspapers, and magazines and has performed and recorded with his band In Crowd since 1987.
Cogan draws on his long-term involvement with punk culture as
writer and musician to create this broad-based, up-to-date guide to
the performers, publications, labels, venues, and terminology of
punk. The more than 600 entries are alphabetically arranged, and
can also be found via a topical guide and analytical index. . . .
The work's strength is the analytical discussion of styles (e.g.,
emo, hardcore, straight edge); city scenes; gender, sexual, and
political issues; and influences (e.g., reggae, rockabilly, Captain
Beefheart), with coverage inclusive of 1960s protopunk through each
evolution of the following 40 years. . . . Recommended. All
levels.
*Choice*
Longtime punk fan, journalist, and academic Cogan takes a highly
catholic approach to what is and isn't punk, opting not to restrict
the movement to a particular locale or time period. He tries to
cover nearly every important band, taking in all manner of
subgenres from hardcore to oi with an octopuslike reach. . . .
[F]or academic and large public libraries.
*Library Journal*
[A] fascinating overview of the punk world from its origins in the
early 1970s until the present day. Written from the perspective of
an insider, writing about outsiders, this is a considerable and
comprehensive resource that well captures the spirit and influence
of punk and its manifold cultures and subcultures. . . . It should
prove a really good starting point for undergraduates across a
range of disciplines from musicology to cultural studies, social
history to subcultures. . . . Cogan's deep understanding of his
subject is reflected in the excellent cross-referencing. The book
also presents an interesting counterpoint to the modern music
culture of downloads, MTV and MySpace. . . . It is a highly
enjoyable, accessible overview and introduction of what is a
fascinating and individualistic way of life.
*Reference Reviews*
Recommended for comprehensive research collections and collections
with a significant popular culture emphasis.
*Reference & User Services Quarterly`*
Brian Cogan captures the spirit of punk music and culture in his
detailed descriptions of various bands, songs, genres, and records.
Frequently noting musical influences and professional
relationships, Cogan succeeds in conveying the contemporary
feelings of excitement and experimentation surrounding the
movement. In the process, he explores the clubs and locations that
set the early scene for the music, the record labels and leading
spirits who set the tone for punk culture, as well as the fanzines,
books and films that have helped keep the movement alive. Also
examined are the relationship of punk to drug use, fashion, parents
and politics. Needless to say, Cogan views punk culture as an
active development, and he demonstrates it continuing influence in
the likes of Fugazi, the Riot Grrrl movement, and Green Day. With
nearly 600 entries and selected discographies, this entertaining
guide is certain to find an audience in high school, public and
academic libraries.
*Lawrence Looks at Books*
For any reader with an existing interest in punk . . . there will
certainly be some appeal, since the author provides a good deal of
very obscure information alongside detail concerning all the most
well-known punk acts.
*Journal of Popular Music*
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