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My So-Called Punk

Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion---How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream

Matt Diehl

St. Martin's Griffin

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ISBN10: 0312337817
ISBN13: 9780312337810

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272 Pages

$22.99

CA$24.99

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When it began, punk was an underground revolution that raged against the mainstream; now punk has become the mainstream. Tracing the origins of Grammy-winning icons Green Day and the triumphant resurgence of neo-punk legends Bad Religion through MTV's embrace of pop-punk bands like Yellowcard, music journalist Matt Diehl explores the history of new punk, exposing how this once cult sound became a blockbuster commercial phenomenon. Diehl follows the history and controversy behind neo-punk—from the Offspring's move from a respected indie label to a major, to multi-platinum bands Good Charlotte and Simple Plan's unrepentant commercial success, through the survival of genre iconoclasts the Distillers and the rise of "emo" superstars like Fall Out Boy.

My So-Called Punk picks up where bestselling authors Legs McNeil and Jon Savage left off, conveying how punk went from the Sex Pistol's "Anarchy in the U.K." to anarchy in the O.C. via the Warped Tour. Defining the sound of today's punk, telling the stories behind the bands that have brought it to the masses and discussing the volatile tension between the culture's old and new factions, My So-Called Punk is the go-to book for a new generation of punk rock fans.

Reviews

Praise for My So-Called Punk

"In this energetic survey of current trends in punk rock, journalist and music critic Diehl delivers a knowledgeable and sympathetic overview of the current 'neo-punk' bands that achieved success with 'the pop music mainstream in the mid-1990s,' from big names such as the Offspring and Rancid to lesser-known artists such as Brody Dalle. He nails the key musical reason for the megapopularity of neo-punk band Green Day: while they 'trafficked in three-chord minimalism, unlike many of their punk peers, they maintained a keen sense for imbuing those three chords with classic pop song structure and melody.' But as a fan of punk music since its heyday in 1977, Diehl is also able to explain the various 'vital subsets of the already subcultural punk experience.' He keenly reports on how the age-old conflict between authenticity and commercial success has become a key issue in all parts of the neo-punk scene, from resolutely 'indie' labels like Epitaph and Dischord to the popular Vans Warped Tour's 'blending of the mainstream and the underground.' Diehl convincingly argues that '[e]ven in its most crass, commercial state, Punk, Inc. offers more integrity and authenticity than anything comparable on the pure pop side.'"—Publishers Weekly

"'This ain't your daddy's punk,' this book's cover seems to scream when, in fact, 'neopunk' is arguably a good deal safer (and more corporate) than dear ole Pap. Music journalist Diehl gamely attempts a Please Kill Me for the legions of pop punkers who sprang from the breach created by Green Day's unexpected hit record, Dookie, in the mid-1990s."—Matthew Moyer, Library Journal

"How punk went pop. Music journalist Diehl deftly analyzes the ideologically fraught, stylistically Balkanized state of contemporary punk rock . . . including cogent analysis of the various 'scenes' that have formed in punk's second and third waves (hardcore, straight-edge, emo, etc.); copious interview material from the major players; and a healthy ironic appreciation of the ways in which punk rock, designed to be culturally indigestible outrage, has been smoothly commodified and turned into a kind of instant identity kit for disaffected suburban kids, as hidebound and conformist as the social order Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer strove to overthrow. There is an informative section on the history of the annual punk-themed Warped tour—a dazzlingly effective vehicle for spreading the gospel—and Diehl has intelligent things to say about the subjects of political activism and gender politics as they relate to modern punk . . . A solid reference for punk scholars . . ."—Kirkus Reviews

BOOK EXCERPTS

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

A Brief History of Punk . . . But First, Green Day Wins a Grammy!

It makes me extremely proud to make punk rock the biggest music in the world right now.

—Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt,

quoted in...

About the author

Matt Diehl

Matt Diehl is a music journalist. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, VIBE, Spin, Blender and many other publications. He served as the music columnist for Elle for four years and now serves as a contributing music editor at Interview. He has appeared as a music expert on MTV and was co-producer of the acclaimed five-part television series on VH1, The ‘70's. His books include No-Fall Snowboarding and Notorious C.O.P..