Anarchy In The Studio: The story of punk, told 12 inches at a time

At last, the official announcement of Tim “Napalm” Stegall’s first book, published this fall by Ruffian Books. PLUS: X say goodbye?!

“HOLY SHIT! I’m an AUTHOR!!”

“It's time you up your game and get into the book business,” Brother Wayne Kramer said on the final occasion we had an interview, June 15, 2023. “You're a good writer, and there's no reason you shouldn't be writing books.”

The conversation we were having at that moment was for my first book. Today, a year and three months after writing began, Ruffian Books and I are proud to announce the publication this fall of Anarchy In The Studio: Punk Music 1970-1979, The Rise Of Punk Rock, with a foreword by Laura Jane Grace.

Watching Against Me! work a Las Vegas audience in 2005 was impressive. The emotions they aroused onstage — awe, devotion, rapture — were incredible. Grace has continued being an inspirational, highly creative figure, her punk pedigree unimpeachable. I’m honored she’s introducing my first book.

Besides, releasing a single last week called “All Fucked Out” is pretty damned punk rock. Even if YouTube’s so gutless, it won’t allow the video to be visible on other sites.

Ruffian’s a new imprint from Mike Shea, Alternative Press’ founder and original publisher. Mike and I worked together for 32 of the 35 years I spent writing for AP. So when he told me he planned on starting an independent book publishing firm and would like to launch it with a volume I penned, it took no effort for me to agree. Now here we are: The book I’ve been carrying in my head since I was 15 is about to be incarnated.

Yes, there've been a ton of books on punk published over the years. I know, because most of them buckle my bookshelf! But few have attempted to be as comprehensive as Anarchy In The Studio. Clinton Heylin’s Babylon’s Burning comes to mind as one of those exceptions. The daddy of all punk books, Jon Savage’s England’s Dreaming, did touch upon worldwide punk events, but the focus was primarily on England, especially London, with the Sex Pistols as Britpunk’s spark plug. Most every punk history book focuses on a region — London/New York/wherever — or a subset, be it hardcore, Anarcho-punk, emo or whatever.

Anarchy In The Studio is a projected three-volume series telling the story of punk 12 inches at a time. We present this history through a selection of nearly 150 of the best punk albums of a given decade — the classics, the forgotten, the influencers and the influenced. The first volume concentrates on the ‘70s, beginning as 1970 commences with the MC5’s Back In The USA and The Stooges’ Fun House. It ends with The Clash’s London Calling and Pretenders in 1979’s final days. Yes, all the heavy hitters are here, your Sex Pistolses and Clashes and Ramones. But so are DMZ, The Weirdos, Pure Hell, The Real Kids, Death, Victims, The Bags, Avengers, The Dishrags, The Imperial Dogs and The Dils.

Australia is given special recognition via The Saints, Radio Birdman, Victims and Boys Next Door, predecessors of The Birthday Party. Art-punks and post-punks such as Suicide, DEVO, Screamers, Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, Public Image Ltd. and The Pop Group are given their due, as well as idiosyncratic acts such as Chrome, Metal Urbain and The Cramps. Hardcore’s earliest rumblings filter in through the first chords struck by Middle Class, Black Flag, D.O.A., Bad Brains and the Germs. 

Yes, I enjoyed writing about everyone’s favorites, from Richard Hell to the Buzzcocks. But I think I enjoyed writing more about the less told tales — those of, say, Plastic Bertrand, Wreckless Eric or The Boys.  

For that matter, why is it always presumed the only protopunk bands were American? Absolutely, punk is impossible without The Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls and all those other bands you’re probably sick of seeing me drooling over. But why doesn’t anyone talk about England’s protopunks? I didn’t just write about Third World War, who essentially invented both The Clash and Sham 69. I also found their leader, Terry Stamp, and interviewed him for the bonus fanzine! (More on that later.) Yeah, and The Pink Fairies, Mott The Hoople and The Hollywood Brats are here, too.

Speaking of misunderstandings, punk’s origin story needs to be rewritten entirely. For one thing, who actually coined the term “punk rock,” as explained in last week’s treatise on Nuggets? And give up on the idea of either NYC or London being punk’s birthplace, especially the latter. If it has any birthplace, it’s Detroit in 1969, with an afterbirth being spat out at the Mercer Arts Center as the Dolls took the stage in 1972.

The reality is that punk was a spontaneous worldwide viral outbreak in 1975, happening virtually simultaneously in far-flung corners of the world. All these local outliers — the only kids in town who bought Stooges and Dolls records — formed the band they heard inside their heads because they were not hearing it on the radio. 

The following year, they looked around and saw similarly-minded outfits over there, and over there, and…. Someone in the press — maybe it’s the Punk magazine gang, maybe it’s Caroline Coon at Melody Maker — sees this groundswell of ‘70s garage bands and identifies them using that term Lester Bangs applied to their ‘60s cousins: Punk rock. Then some clueless idiot in the American mainstream press decides punk was invented by the Pistols in London and confuses the entire planet forevermore…!

They’re all here, including a buncha names I can’t possibly rattle off in the ridiculously limited amount of space I allowed myself to tell you all about this 500-page monster I’ve been busy stitching together the last 15 months. Ruffian’s pulling the switch, and I shall soon begin cackling, “It’s alive, ALIVE!!!” And this doesn’t even touch upon the bonus fanzine bound in the back, featuring 30+ interviews with many of the artists. That Wayne Kramer interview is there, one of the last ones he gave. Joan Jett talks about The Runaways, Richard Hell dispels the myth that Television built the stage at CBGB, Danny Fields relates the real story of how Iggy met Bowie, alongside righteous conversations with Steve Diggle of Buzzcocks, Generation X’s Bob “Derwood” Andrews, the entirety of The Dishrags, and many others you and I both love and revere. 

Of course, there are loads of nifty pics and things. Ruffian begins taking pre-orders this August for a limited special slipcase edition. A special deal is also in the works for your loyal, dedicated readers of The ‘Stack. Most Importantly: At last, I can openly talk about Anarchy In The Studio, rather than “The Book!” Hope to see you all in a bookstore near you (or on an Amazon order form, at least) very soon.

P.S. – Paige Owens, former AP Editor-in-Chief and colleague, deserves massive cred as the book’s editor. (Wait, I thought we were done referring to “The Book”?!) And Paul Palmer-Edwards, a UK-based graphic designer who hung out with The Bromley Contingent(!!), made the damned thing look incredible! Thanks, y’all!

P.P.S.S. – Yes, I am concerned as much as the rest of you citizens of The Napalm Nation over the news that X’s forthcoming Smoke & Mirrors LP is their final studio album, and their next tour will be their last. I’m working on getting the straight poop from John Doe for us all. Meantime, the teaser single released the other day, “Big Black X,” rocks like a motherfucker! Check out the video!

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