Book Punk Rock By Virginia Boston

As the UK punk scene exploded with raw energy and intensity, documentation was the last thought on anyone’s mind. Originally published in 1978 by Penguin, and described as “the first punk book”, Punk Rock by Virginia Boston (printed as Shockwave in the UK) is a must-have almanac, historical handbook, and visual and visceral reveal of a scene as it was bursting forth. As a London counterculture observer, writer Virginia Boston captured the Punk phenomenon from its beginnings in ’76, always through the eyes of the punks themselves. 

Featuring all of the early first generation bands (The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Damned, Generation X, The Slits, X-Ray Spex, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many more) and other now iconic figures, such as Soo Catwoman and Jordan, Punk Rock offers a rare insight into the heart of the movement via its extraordinary collection of photographs, quotes, lyrics, and interviews with the leading bands and figureheads. But perhaps most striking is the space it dedicates to the fans and their zines, complete with an introduction from Sniffin’ Glue editor Danny Baker. By doing so Punk Rock captures what was really going on in the clubs, away from the usual music weeklies and academics.   

A scrapbook compendium of one of the shortest-lived yet most influential moments in music history, Punk Rock is an authentic time-capsule of the emergence of a counterculture that would forever change the world, but didn’t know it.  

“As an outsider, observing this intense burst of creativity in music, fashion, and writing was incredibly inspiring. And fascinating to see how influential and enduring the movement has been over time!” — Virginia Boston

Paul Drummond says… According to the cover blurb, the author had a career in children’s stories, and “Her interest in children of the seventies led her to explore the punk phenomenon.” Sounds like Mary Whitehouse editing Joe Orton’s diaries!  While these books were ridiculed at the time as sanitised mainstream product, they’re now collected as seminal documents of the period.

That aside, this is one of the best of the original punk books and there’s good reason – Sniffin’ Glue editor Danny Baker writes the foreword and seminal punk photographer Derek Ridgers designed the book. He’s also one of main photo contributors along with Ray Stevenson, Mick & Shelia Rock, Kevin Cummins and Bob Gruen …So the source material is good throughout.

Despite being published at the time, this already has the tone of a retrospective and if nothing else punk was ephemeral – replaced by new wave in 1978. Whilst not totally a post-mortem, it’s a Who’s Who of Punk: all the main offenders are covered Sex Pistols, Adverts, Clash, Damned, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Slits, X-ray Spex, Don Letts -also sections on the Roxy Club, a fashion section with Malcolm & Vivienne at Sex. Great book, great photos, great covers! The UK edition is a lot rarer than the US edition which was heavily imported into the UK and has the advantage of a Soo Catwoman cover.

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Punk77 says: Can’t disagree with Paul’s words above except to add it also features punks on the street and at gigs in the audience, quotes and covers from fanzines and their writers and band song lyrics. It is also a veritable list of every photographer (21 in total!) who took a punk picture. Virgina really did just write the one book on Punk spending 1977 compiling it but also later did two Punk documentary films, Raw Energy – Punk The Early Years (a reel of promotional video clips and interview segments) and Kids with Yellow Hair. 

Here’s The Slits from Raw Energy

The book was not without controversy as Derek Ridger recalls.

I remember that book very well and I also remember the publishers refused to pay any of the photographers for the photos they used. In my case it came to Court and I won.

Interestingly in spring 2024 the book is being republished so it will be interesting if the photographers get any money again!

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Paul Drummond is the author of the fantastic Eye Mind which is the story of the 13th Floor Elevators and has many items such as the above for sale at his excellent site Pleasure Of Past Times

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