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Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk Audiobook
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Under the Big Black Sun explores the nascent Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk as it’s never been told before. Authors John Doe and Tom DeSavia have woven together an enthralling story of the legendary west coast scene from 1977–1982 by enlisting the voices of people who were there. The book shares chapter-length tales from the authors along with personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene. Additional authors include: Exene Cervenka (X), Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Mike Watt (The Minutemen), Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s), Dave Alvin (The Blasters), Chris D. (Flesh Eaters), Jack Grisham (TSOL), Teresa Covarrubias (The Brat), Robert Lopez (The Zeros, El Vez), as well as scenesters and journalists Pleasant Gehman, Kristine McKenna, and Chris Morris. Through interstitial commentary, John Doe “narrates” this journey through the land of film noir sunshine, Hollywood back alleys, and suburban sprawl—the place where he met his artistic counterparts Exene, DJ Bonebrake, and Billy Zoom—and formed X, the band that became synonymous with, and in many ways defined, LA punk.
Under the Big Black Sun shares stories of friendship and love, ambition and feuds, grandiose dreams and cultural rage, all combined with the tattered, glossy sheen of pop culture weirdness that epitomized the operations of Hollywood’s underbelly. Readers will travel to the clubs that defined the scene, as well as to the street corners, empty lots, apartment complexes, and squats that served as de facto salons for the musicians, artists, and fringe players that hashed out what would become punk rock in Los Angeles.
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“In this vivid recounting—rendered in typically egalitarian punk fashion with virtually everyone who was there being heard—the narrators, all differing in style and tone, provide a fitting tribute to the anarchic nature of the scene’s origins.”
— AudioFile
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“A candid look at one of rock’s most exciting scenes.”
— Vogue -
“A great story about the underappreciated music that came out of the City of Angels during that golden period of 1977-1982.”
— Esquire -
“A welcome diversion from the typical punk history books, which are often narratives or oral histories.”
— Rolling Stone -
“Written with immediacy and brio, the book is suffused with the heady feeling of finding your tribe.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“The intimate insider tales laid bare in Under the Big Black Sun are told by the crème de la crème of the scene.”
— Village Voice
Awards
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A Los Angeles Times Bestseller
Under the Big Black Sun Listener Reviews
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meagan griesel, 3/10/2021
About the Authors
John Doe has worked as a roofer, an aluminum siding mechanic, a manager of poetry readings, a musician, and an actor. He met Exene Cervenka at the Venice poetry workshop in 1976 and started working with Billy Zoom around the same time. When DJ Bonebrake joined X in mid-1977, the lineup was complete. As one of the last original punk rock bands standing, they continue to tour, most recently with Blondie and Pearl Jam in front of stadium-sized crowds and audiences born after the band’s formation. He has recorded eight solo records with numerous renowned singers and musicians and as an actor has appeared in over fifty films and television productions, including Road House, Great Balls of Fire, Boogie Nights, and Roswell. He currently tours as both a solo artist and with X. Doe lives north of San Francisco.