London's Burning : True Adventures on the Front Lines of Punk, 1976–1977

London’s Burning is the story of punk rock as it happened, stripped of hindsight and future legend, and laid bare. Here are the Damned and the Adverts on tour, the Sex Pistols swearing through their prime-time television debut, the Tom Robinson Band conducting a club full of skinheads through the anthem “Glad to Be Gay,” rioting Rastas running through the carnage that closed the Notting Hill Carnival, Sid Vicious arguing about which was David Bowie’s best song. At the same time, it is a personal story of a confused but dedicated sixteen-year-old looking not just for kicks and great music, but for a cultural revolution--and finding one in his back yard. Contents......Page 4 Preface......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Cast of Characters......Page 14 I Ain’t Gonna Be History......Page 18 The Great British Mistake......Page 28 We’re Going Down the Pub......Page 46 The Boy Looked at Johnny......Page 54 Back in the Garage with My Bullshit Detector......Page 68 Finding Ways to Fill the Vacuum......Page 76 Summer’s Here and theTime Is Right.........Page 86 School’s Out Forever!......Page 104 Snuffin’ in a Babylon......Page 122 A Riot of My Own......Page 136 The Land of the Faint at Heart......Page 146 Nightclubbing, We’re Nightclubbing......Page 160 I Was Saying, “Get Me Out of Here...”......Page 178 You Can’t Say “Crap”on the Radio......Page 190 Down in the Sewer......Page 206 Pogo Dancing......Page 220 Beat on the Brat......Page 234 Dandy in the Underworld......Page 250 Storm the Gates of Heaven......Page 262 Long Hot Summer......Page 280 Where Monsters Dwell, Where Creatures Roam......Page 292 Oh Shit, There Goes the Charabanc......Page 310 Epilogue......Page 330 Index......Page 336 Dave Thompson......Page 345 The summer of 1976 through the summer of 1977 was the most significant year in British rock history, when punk rock rose from a murmur on the streets to a roar of defiance that still reverberates today. This collection of vivid memories of concerts and cultural flash points focuses on what was happening on the streets and in the clubs, answering questions like What brought punks together with London's disenfranchised Rasta community? What made Teddy Boys—middle-aged men who dressed like 1950s rockers—hate punks so much that they roamed in packs looking for teenagers to beat up? What was it like to be in the now legendary Roxy Club? and Were the Sex Pistols really any good as a live band? Memories from others who were there—including members of the Damned, the Adverts, the Patti Smith Group, the Maniacs, and the Tom Robinson Band—add to this story of punk rock as it happened, stripped of hindsight and future legend, and laid bare. "This collection of vivid memories of concerts and cultural flash points focuses on what was happening on the streets and in the clubs, answering questions like What brought punks together with London's disenfranchised Rasta community? What made Teddy Boys-middle-aged men who dressed like 1950s rockers-hate punks so much that they roamed in packs looking for teenagers to beat up? What was it like to be in the now legendary Roxy Club?"--publisher