Born to Rock: Heavy Drinkers and Thinkers

by Todd Taylor

Book Overview

Collection of writings exposing punk's long-standing political and philosophical traditions beyond the violence and fashion of this often-misrepresented subculture. Through a series of well-researched... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 096681858X
• ISBN13: 9780966818581
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Gorsky Press
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Incredible interviews chronicling punk rock and beyond!

Todd understands the fine art of interviewing, which he expounds upon in an essay in this book. It's the last piece in the book, and it was interesting to read it after being blown away by the quality of the interviews in this book. As I read his descriptions of his techniques, I could think back over the interviews and say, yeah, Todd really gets it; he truly knows his stuff. This book is amazing. It's a testament to the shining star of punk rock, to the beauty of fine journalism, and to the elusive secrets of what makes musicians tick. I hadn't even heard of some of the bands in here, but I still found myself engrossed in reading their thoughts and views, as teased out through Todd's careful questioning. And it's because of his ability to reach in beyond the typical band stuff and extract the individuality of the members as people. In addition to the many band interviews, Todd also includes interviews with people as varied as lawyer and novelist Andrew Vachss, and notorious underground comic artist Mike Diana. The essays that bookend the main section of interviews articulate Todd's experiences with punk rock and his passionate belief in its persistent relevance. All in all, this book is an excellent collection from one of punk rock's most earnest and talented journalists.