Book overview
The definitive oral history of Darby Crash and the Germs --
the legendary, self-destructive LA punk band that ignited Los Angeles hardcore
and burned out in a heroin overdose in 1980. Born Jan Paul Beahm, Darby Crash
was the charismatic, manipulative, hyperintelligent frontman who built a cult
following in the slums of Hollywood before dying at age 22.
Compiled by three insiders -- Brendan Mullen, founder of the
Masque and coauthor of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A.
Punk; Don Bolles, drummer for the Germs; and Adam Parfrey, founder of Feral
House and author of Apocalypse Culture -- Lexicon Devil assembles
raw, firsthand testimony from the people who were there. Voices include John
Doe, Exene Cervenka, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, Jello Biafra, Phranc, and Pat
Smear, tracing the rise of West Coast punk through the scene that produced it.
The book demystifies the punk-messiah myth of Darby Crash,
revealing a scared, insecure, brilliant misfit whose story runs from the
hilarious to the tragic. Extensively illustrated with rare photographs and
including a Germs discography, gig list, lyrics, and a full cast of characters.
Essential reading for fans of LA punk, hardcore, 1970s and
1980s punk rock history, oral history music biographies, and definitive
accounts of the Sunset Strip underground.
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers called the Germs the best
punk rock band of all time. Critic Richard Meltzer praised it as the finest
punk book ever printed.
the legendary, self-destructive LA punk band that ignited Los Angeles hardcore
and burned out in a heroin overdose in 1980. Born Jan Paul Beahm, Darby Crash
was the charismatic, manipulative, hyperintelligent frontman who built a cult
following in the slums of Hollywood before dying at age 22.
Compiled by three insiders -- Brendan Mullen, founder of the
Masque and coauthor of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A.
Punk; Don Bolles, drummer for the Germs; and Adam Parfrey, founder of Feral
House and author of Apocalypse Culture -- Lexicon Devil assembles
raw, firsthand testimony from the people who were there. Voices include John
Doe, Exene Cervenka, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, Jello Biafra, Phranc, and Pat
Smear, tracing the rise of West Coast punk through the scene that produced it.
The book demystifies the punk-messiah myth of Darby Crash,
revealing a scared, insecure, brilliant misfit whose story runs from the
hilarious to the tragic. Extensively illustrated with rare photographs and
including a Germs discography, gig list, lyrics, and a full cast of characters.
Essential reading for fans of LA punk, hardcore, 1970s and
1980s punk rock history, oral history music biographies, and definitive
accounts of the Sunset Strip underground.
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers called the Germs the best
punk rock band of all time. Critic Richard Meltzer praised it as the finest
punk book ever printed.
