TOW #8: IRB Please Kill Me (2/2)

The first half of the book Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain focuses on the early roots of the Punk movement, as well as the burgeoning careers of many Punk symbols such as Iggy Pop and the Ramones. The second half of the book does the opposite: it focuses on the fall. While the book in its entirety is an amalgamation of the chaos that made up the Punk movement, the last half seemingly acts as the swan song to a movement that could never be maintained. McNeil and McCain artfully show--rather than tell--the labyrinthine odyssey of punk, drawing on their first hand experiences as pioneers in the movement: McNeil was the first to coin the term "Punk". They present the chronology of punk as a linear narrative not told by the authors themselves, but rather through first hand accounts from the punk symbols themselves in order to create a feeling that resembles that of a documentary. Through the use of these varied snippets of first hand accounts, McNeil and McCain are able to skillfully convey to the reader that the chaos that birthed the punk movement was also responsible for its death. As the first hand accounts of punk lead the reader down a path of sex, drugs, nihilism and insanity, the instability of those involved becomes evident. There was no unifying mantra or code amongst the vast and varied subgroups of punk, only a common sense of rebellion. This is expertly exemplified through the carefully chosen first hand account of Jeff Magnum, bassist of the band The Dead Boys. When recounting an extremely tumultuous encounter with law enforcement, he says "All I wanted to do was play the base real loud. I didn't want to hang out with these maniacs. Jesus what is this" (323). What prompted this outburst were the actions of bandmate Cheetah Chrome, who "threw a bunch of shit out a window and called the cops" (324) and said "'Come get me. I'm mental. Please come and get me'" (324). Magnum was further baffled by these actions, and said "I'm on mars. This can't be right. This can't be the way you're supposed to be in a band" (325). Through including this first hand account, McNeil and McCain show the chaos and disparity that plagued Punk bands. Magnum's description of his bandmate's crazed behavior and his obvious disapproval of it shows how the punk movement had no linearity, and that there was extreme polarization amongst those involved. Thus, McNeil and McCain showed how this polarization would crumble the punk movement as fast as it was built. McNeil and McCain's hands off approach to Please Kill Me in this way accurately epitomizes the rise and inevitable fall of punk culture.