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| HATE RATES.... ***** BIBLE **** TABLOID *** COMIC ** CHIP PAPER * PULP |
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| THE ROXY LONDON WC2
A Punk History By Paul Marko After last years expected deluge of 30th anniversary cash ins failed to materialise it was great to see a book true to the original spirit of punk completed at last and available to Joe public. Independent, self financed, in the end self published its taken punk nostalgia from a previously neglected (until now) angle. The early drafts of the Roxy story were originally intended as an update for the authors own "Punk 77" website but as this complex story began to unravel and the different layers began to reveal themselves the author realised that this story was just too big a tale to be restricted to a few pages on a punk resource and required the respect that only a no holds barred book would allow it. In October 07 the long awaited tome finally arrived and its no disappointment, containing more previously untold ground level punk history than possibly any other punk related book published since the essential "It Makes You Want To Spit" back in 2003. A major plus point for me is the minimal inclusion of the "Pistols, Clash, McLaren" axis and tales of woe which have been regurgitated so many times over the years that they've become an over exposed bore. It was enlightening to read a story that when it boiled down to it I really didn't know as much as I thought about the Roxy. And its refreshing that a majority of the distant memories documented here in print and many for the first time are from a new cast of previously unknown characters who were there instead of the usual motley crew of jaded talking heads who appear every time the word punk is uttered. Every punk worth his salt knows off the Roxy, the name is iconic in punk mythology and surprisingly I found quite a few similarities between the Roxy and my own Belfast punk scene at the legendary Harp bar. Back in September 01 I did a feature on a typical night out at the Harp bar back in 78/79 from my perspective for a french punk website so I related totally to the Roxy punks similar memories of attending their grotty but much loved club when I read them in the book, as we covered a lot of the same unexplored territory in the beginning. But I think you'll agree that Belfast was a much more dangerous place than London. Credit to Mr Marko for digging deep into the shadowy history of the Roxy and for transforming what could have been a good 10 page magazine feature into 511 pages of entertaining reading featuring good guys like Andy Czezowski, Barry Jones and the punks (hooray!!) and alleged bad guys like Kevin St John (boo!!) who I hadn't previously heard off until now. This book may look like a daunting commitment for the casual punk reader as there are so many pages but take it from me once you start reading its hard to put the book down. The story is captivating even though its centred around this one dilapidated crumbling venue, but at no time does the author have to stretch the story to breaking point to fill out space. There is more than enough substance within its 500 plus pages to hold the readers attention and to carry the story through to its conclusion and the long overdue demise of the Roxy itself. This book effectively bridges the information gap between the long out of print and overrated picture book "100 Nights At The Roxy" and "The Punk Rock Movie". Joe Donnelly (Belfast) 23/2/08 |
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