Punk Spirit!: An Oral History of Punk Rock, Spirituality, and Liberation

(Hardback)

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Description

A wide cast of musicians and artists provide surprising and thought-provoking insights into punk rock from the lens of spirituality and liberation.

Punk Spirit! is an oral history that examines this movement from many unique perspectives, bringing together well-known and cutting-edge bands including Sex Pistols, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, Gang of Four, Pussy Riot, Crass, Talking Heads, Propagandhi, The Slits, Bad Religion, Shelter, Rebel Riot, Blackfire, and many others.

Punk Spirit! ventures into the emotional and personal experiences of punk artists and activists from around the world and highlights intelligent, thoughtful, and humorous discussions on liberation, spirituality, and living freely. They discuss a myriad of topics from creativity and anger to freedom from suffering and the ways that punk rock has opposed or embodied religious and moral tenets. Chapters dive deeply into a variety of interconnected realms of punk rock such as the subgenre of straight edge, Krishnacore and Taqwacore, evangelical punk concerts in southern California churches, illegal punk concerts in East German churches, anti-religious sentiment within punk rock, the vital connections between punk and self-expression, and the myriad ways punk rock has been combined with spiritual and religious traditions to illuminate ideas from science, atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other ways of being in the world.

Reviews

I devoured Punk Spirit! in two sittings. It was pure enjoyment to read pure exhilaration! Crack open Punk Spirit! and behold a volatile church where the lifeblood of a rich, complex, and passionately punk spirituality surges through every page. Incited by John Malkin's galvanizing questions, the collective voices of his interlocutors raise up a kaleidoscopic vision of punk spirit that is as vibrantly alive as it is full of surprises. -- Glenn Wallis * Guitarist for Ruin, Author of An Anarchist's Manifesto *
Punk Spirit! is an affirming and varied testimony to the significance of punk music and spirit in the library of humanity and existence. Explore! The Spirit of Punk reflects how in our extreme punk expression of letting go of societal norms and indoctrination, we find liberation and peace in reaching for and manifesting another state of being and its possibilities. -- Yaotl Mazahua * Iconoclast, Aztlan Underground (aka Anahuak Underground) *
Punk rock means many things to many people. It can be contradictory; it can be exhilarating; it can be nihilistic or it can be empowering. The best thing about punk is that everything is up for grabs and every angle and contradiction is fascinating, and this book tries to make sense of the madness and to find the meaning in the noise and the spirituality in the energy and the idealism in the anger. -- John Robb * Bassist and Singer for The Membranes, Author of Punk Rock: An Oral History and The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth *
Punk Spirit! is an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about how music, belief, and action intersect. John Malkin has spent decades listening deeply, and it shows this book brings together a wide range of voices with honesty and care. For those of us who came up in punk clubs and later found a home in spiritual practice, this book isnt just interesting its personal. -- Miguel Chen * Bassist for Teenage Bottlerocket; Author of I Wanna Be Well: How a Punk Found Peace and You Can Too and The Death of You: A Book for Anyone Who Might Not Live Forever *
A skilled interviewer, John Malkin is one of a handful of punk mavens willing to explore its deep, spiritual intimations. This is a monumental collection of conversations, offering anyone with a reasonable curiosity about punk rock and spirituality the opportunity to understand their amorphous, vibrant, and sometimes revolutionary entanglements. If God is dead, punk is not dead, and the anti-establishment postures and rebellious spirit captured in Malkins book lives on! -- Ken Chitwood * Religion Scholar, Journalist, Theologian *
Punk is far from dead; it is getting richer and richer. We are lucky to have John Malkin look at a very specific aspect of that world. With gems from more than 150 interviews conducted over the course of a quarter century, Punk Spirit! is an important contribution to the ever-growing oral history of one of the worlds most compelling subcultures. -- Gabriel Kuhn * Author of Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics *
John Malkin continues his journey in uncovering the inner drive of musicians in his new, captivating book. Malkin connects with an amazing array of artists and through insightful interviews explores what spirituality does (or does not) mean to them, and in doing so, enlarges the vision of the spirit of punk. -- Eddie Stern * Bassist for Chop Shop; Yoga and Meditation Teacher for Lou Reed *
Punk Spirit!, with its unique blend of anarchic counterculture and classic psychoanalytical theory, makes for a most compelling read. From incarnation to oral history, the power of punk compels you! -- Steven Blush * Author and Filmmaker, American Hardcore *
You need this book if you ever screamed at the sky and wanted it to scream back. Punk Spirit! is a lively and vivid journey. From the stage to our soul, John Malkins open-hearted book traces how punks fierce DIY ethos and unapologetic rebellion intersect with deep spiritual seeking and the timeless yearning for freedom. It dares you to ask: What does it mean to be free -- Antonino DAmbrosio * Filmmaker, Author, and Visual Artist, Let Fury Have the Hour *

Author Bio

John Malkin is a journalist, musician, activist, photographer and filmmaker. He is the author of Punk Revolution!: An Oral History of Punk Rock Politics and Activism , and his interviews and writings have been published in internationally including Adbusters, Punk Planet, Razorcake, Spirituality & Health, Z Magazine, Ode, In These Times, Sojourners, The Sun, Film International, Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, Friends Journal, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, The Monterey Herald, and others. He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife and son.