Please Kill Me

"Please Kill Me is one of the most fun books I’ve ever read. It’s basically a collection of oral histories, first-hand accounts from all the people who were around in New York as punk began. It’s the inside scoop on everything punk, with all kinds of details about who hooked up with who and the crazy shit they did. It’s not like reading a history book – it’s almost like being there, talking to all these people who were part of the birth of punk. People define it differently. I think the truest definition is that punk is the attitude of not really giving a fuck about what is acceptable or how things are supposed to be. It’s a staunch declaration of individuality without apology. It prompts people to question their values. It demands personal freedom. Obviously, at a certain point, punk defined a style in the same way that people today use hipster to refer to a style. Originally, a lot of people in punk bands couldn’t play their instruments. They would learn just well enough to play repetitive power chords – a two-finger version repeated over and over again. So punk evolved as a style that was simple to play and didn’t take much technical skill. The most exciting thing about punk was the energy and the attitude behind it – and the speed. It was faster than anything, it was louder than anything, it was distorted and the vocals were full of angst, even screaming. It was so raw. Disco was so shiny and punk smacked it across the face. I read this book when I was about to start my first band, which was called Stiffed. It was sort of post-punk. The book made me feel a bit more free – like it didn’t matter how much singing experience I had, the energy that I got across and the freedom that I was able to convey on stage were more important. People come to shows to feel something. That’s totally a punk-inspired lyric. I subscribe to that creed. Rules are to be broken. I do what I want. That’s how I picture myself as an artist. That punk attitude is a way to keep grounded. You can’t think too much about what other people are saying and what other people expect. You have to ignore the industry and do what you want. That’s the art."