No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980

[nicedayvince]

WHAT THE FUCK

[thedude9099]

if anyone knows about underground post punk/ no wave music, it s Thurston Moore.

i love Even Worse and Sonic Youth

[theindiekidable]

It's a fantastic book - so glad I just found it in a bookstore and - not to sound facile - I loved the pics! Knew nothing of even post-punk, and this really interested me in the No-Wave and post-punk music. There's some truly fantastic pictures in the book.

[babou5798]

Thesaintcyr

[crapitoutjim]

I also got it for Christmas it was one of the best presents ever from my Mum & Dad, how cool is that!

[fasolplanetarium]

I just got this for christmas.

[nastybugger1]

I am finding this very difficult to masterbate to :(

[boatynoh]

Ikue on cellular interference. 

[icebud]

Does anyone know the name of the song and band played at the beginning?

[TheRealJohnSkinny]

@icebud It's "Red Alert" From Teenage Jesus &TJ

[jas22]

i was getting bored until 6:25 - always love seeing deborah harry in 70s b/w photos. debbie, to me, is the most interesting photographic subject in the world.

also love seeing a young, rambunctious, lydia lunch. wish i could have been a fly on the wall in those days.

[richardxs]

@jas22 wow I really loved this line "debbie, to me, is the most interesting photographic subject in the world" I've always used to think that. Cheers mate, I love every movement of Debbie H., she is an amazing blonde, the only blonde that really matters on the planet.

[clumpft]

No-wave, and post-punk was such a breath of fresh air after all the boring 3-chord punk bands who were still clinging to tired old rock-roll structures. "Oh but the punk bands had attitude" Yeah so fucking what, they were as boring as a wet fart.

[Ambulanceo]

@clumpft

I agree, to be honest. I'm a bigger fan of post punk and hardcore punk, the stuff that came out after the typical 70's "mohawk punk" that people think is great. While their attitude and outlook on music was revolutionary, the music hasn't aged well. No wave still sounds old but its ideas still sound fresh.

[mommyimadeapoopy]

if you're interested in the scene you should check out the movie 'downtown 81'...its available to stream on stagevudotcom

[SamSpade2010]

No Talent is more like it.

[passonno]

@SamSpade2010 Matter of personal opinion and taste I suppose, but I find it curious why you felt the need to post your opinion here.

[01geTnM]

@SamSpade2010 Stick to Pink Floyd. Or Phil Collins.

[SamSpade2010]

@01geTnM If the talent's not there, all that's left is the pose.

[alan8653]

Check out my page. Artists I had on my TV program include Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch (twice), Diamanda Galas, Jim Thirlwel, Nick Cave, Arto Lindsay, Nina Hagen. etc

[alan8653]

You guys were great on New York Noise. Too bad thats cabcelled.

[feedurhead4]

The song in the beginning of the clip is "Red Alert" by Teenage Jesus and The Jerks [:

[cecopiteco]

anybody who cant stand sy/tm raise hand !

[cecopiteco]

i do have the book

[thirdshift47]

I wanna grab this book.

Another great read for fans of noise & vanguard Rock is "Tape Delay",which features interviews with everyone from Lydia Lunch,Nick Cave & Micheal Gira to Coil,David Tibet,Diamanda Galas,Hafler Trio & Jim Thirlwel and others.

[Gmancrap]

My mom was some what part of this scene.

[SimMaster]

whats the song in the beginning of this

[EnemaJoe]

I think it is by Teenage Jesus

[alteredem]

I don't understand why there isn't any mention of Klaus Nomi, who I think was the most interesting thing about that era of New York/East Village music and art scene.

[modguy1979]

Nomi was not no-wave. Klaus' music was much too based in krautrock/electronic/classical to be no-wave.

[Longsword]

@modguy1979 I do remember ordering a biography on Klaus from Net Flicks, if you haven't seen it you will love it . It's original footage with his Aunt and all in Berlin. I'm no expert on this scene , but loved Mink Deville ,Spanish Stroll is one of my favorites.

RIP Wille

[modguy1979]

Klaus was pretty good. Def one of the major unique stars during the height of the early 80s New York art scene. During the same time Nina Haagen did the album New York New York with Giorgio Moroder which is very much in par with Klaus.

[thehasslessydney]

music in the music industry died when they failed to jump on the online wave ten years ago. licensed file sharing could have killed radio and mtv and let us listen to whatever we want whenever for half the cost, but the industry chose to stick to their guns, keep shit overpriced and suing everyone who call them out. and they are getting away with it. ill tell you right now man, if you do it right, music does not cost one dollar a track.

[AppleHankypants]

So true. Every 'musician' out there is only out there for the money, rather than for the music.

If it can even be called music.

[EFKA526]

@AppleHankypants Not true, there are still a lot of interesting real musicians, especially in the indie genres. but the industry is not interested in them because art, real music, nowadays does not sell as a fast food industrialized good.

[foljs]

@thehasslessydney Well, the lack of respect for something that you can get immediately for zero money off of the nets and what have you contributed to the death of the music as a cultural force and art --I could care less about the industry. People amass 200GB of mp3s and obscure stuff they never listen to and think of themselves as connoisseurs...

[mediattackrecords]

@thehasslessydney yeah that's capitalism for you online music has to lower the cost even if it is a product.

[mediattackrecords]

@mediattackrecords no wave is pop meets rock n roll and john cage no doubt never has anything out of key sounded so good its music business capitalism definitely even if it didnt catch on as a product and live show until 30 years later or so

[mediattackrecords]

@mediattackrecords it always was selling more than madonna or even the pistols i think ENO knew that NO WAVE was a POP music hit and jumped on it

[mediattackrecords]

@mediattackrecords honestly i dont get what pop and no wave artists are doing now as much it seems to be too refined kind of like a contemporary rauschenburg but its fine i guess

[mattisprettycool]

lolz @ thurston's face at the beginning.

[icebud]

word.

[jimsottile]

One of my favorite records in my collection is a one by Ikue Mori - thanks for this vid :)

[PieceofMindmusic]

Dude, I want Byron's Sun Ra shirt.

[drewlsy]

I so want this book -- looks frothy! A suggested supplement to this pictorial retrospect would be the oral history compilation called Please Kill Me edited by Legs Mcneil, and a continuation on both, along this retrospective line, the film, Downtown 81 would complete this pieced together anthology .

[dueyfinnn]

thurston does not age

[shovedhead]

Proposed drinking game:

Every time Thurston says "sort of", bottoms up!

[witchever99]

compared to todays consumer driven rock industry this period of artists were very courageous for living it as opposed to selling it .

[Eddyfilm]

Are you kidding? TODAY'S industry? it's been this way since 1975, if not '57.

All you have to do is plug into the underground scene. It's easier these days because of the internet.

[witchever99]

Are you kidding ? 57 ? 75 ?

The church was banning diminished 5th chords in the tenth century . And American slave owners only allowed blacks to sing and dance on sunday after chores .

What I was referring to was how lately, online consumers have been empowered to support mindless drivel more easily . The effect of this has been that artists must give their music away just to be heard Its partly due to increased volume . Even the age old underground is experiencing this.

vive le resistance

[Eddyfilm]

Yeah you're probably right. I try to be optimistic though. I can't think why I do this. I guess if we lose hope in the present, then the future is forfeit.

[daddysquirrel]

affected bullshit. their "sounds" will never replace melody, good music.

[dubuffet69]

enjoyed the presentation, but I'm not sure the "no wave scene" warrants so much attention. As a matter of fact, I find the later, post no wave bands (w/ the exception of; contortions,lizzy m. descloux) much less reactionary, art damaged, generally more authentic -

[JANXDPDX]

can a "scene" be created intentionally or should it evolve naturally (or is there a difference?).....only to be appreciated generations later

[generacionpaluca]

i wanna die. i don´t understand a word. i can´t stand english very well. i m from argentina

[JANXDPDX]

learn english?

[generacionpaluca]

i know a little, but i can`t understand very well the american english. i can read it well, but not listen. good luck, and good noise

[athelia4444]

Do you know anything else besides English?

[strangeparty]

No Wave was the last, interesting musical movement in New York City, after punk died out in '77. Now when are some new bands going to come out that have truly new ideas? There's been nothing new in rock-related music since that time. I can hardly believe that bands and individuals still refer to themselves as punk. The NY scene was all about originality.

[jack00008]

what about late 80's new york hardcore? that was pretty fresh. all the Hare Krishna punks and the Puerto Rican thugs gettin into fights with em. Pretty much that only punk movement that mixed metal into it without becoming cheesy and staying fast.

[strangeparty]

nothing about it was "fresh"

you're a moron

[jack00008]

dude, you can't decide my opinions. i'll use whatever lingo i want and like whatever music i want. punk is still alive and kickin dude.

[strangeparty]

DUHHHHH Dude, Punk is about as dead as your brain

[jack00008]

i don't wanna argue anymore. i'm right your wrong stop replying i'm tired.

[ApplebaumHorselover]

Liars, check out Liars.

[vaspers]

Wasn't Boris Policeband part of No Wave? I had a Mofungo cassette album and a Blinding Headache cassette album. Cop Shoot Cop was No Wave? Nice discussion.

[portabletiger]

vaspers, Boris Policeband indeed were part of it. He's listed in the back of this book; not sure if there's any pictures, but wouldn't doubt it. I'd say Cop Shoot Cop were more part of that post-No Wave NY Noise scene, along with Sonic Youth, Live Skull, etc. They definitely were heavily influenced by the No Wave scene, though.

[acnerabble90]

what band was that at the beginning?

[omgzdudez]

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.

[budalo]

dna are fucking weird!

[ThePunkPostPunkTribe]

the book seem very well done and interesthing

[pv6]

I look through this book every time I'm at Borders, since no-one wants to spend $25 on it, and I never have the money.

Also, this is probably the first time I've seen Thurston Moore look older than 12.

[luigisouth]

where can i get this book???

[crumback]

I just got this book and got through it in about three hours. Thanks so much! A great read!

[snakey319]

Tim Wright and Maryann are 2 people I've been looking for, many years. where'd ya go after you moved out of 30 St Marks? Toni

[MarsHottentot]

I was introduced to Jim Sclavunos in Portland, Maine by Peggy Szorski back in 1991 or '92 as "This is my friend Jim Sclavunos, he turned down a position in Sonic Youth." to which I said "Why the hell'd you do that?". I can't remember his response, because I was so busy thinking "Wow, this guy really 'blew it'."

HAHAHAHA oh my god...

[evalakevideo]

I got your book and am reading it now. Most excellent!!! I met Marsha Resnick around 88.

[MOBRIEN1234567]

that was brilliant. who are these two guys?

[fuckhomophobes]

i think its the dude from the pixies and maybe a guy from sonic youth

[robert101455]

The guy in the t-shirt is Byron Coley, a long-time critic and writer on the rock scene, particularly the avant-garde or underground rock scene. He wrote for SPIN at one time, and more crucially, for the lamented FORCED EXPOSURE. The guy in the foreground in the long-sleeved shirt is, ahem, Thurston Moore, founding (and still current)member of SONIC YOUTH.

[soundsfromnothing]

No wave was definitely an interesting genre. It was a cool movement that splintered off punk. There were different sub styles within no wave (Russell even flirted with disco blah!)but there was the idea of experimentation there. The only thing I don't like is the "Well you look good, so you can be in the band" type of thing. That's a little counter=productive to the whole "come as you are" idea.

[MarsHottentot]

RE: Soundsfromnothing's post and the 'looks>talent' issue.

I think it's important to remember that most of these bands were very young (mid twenties tops, right) when that type of thing is still important.

[MarsHottentot]

Oh! Plus that was in reference to Ikue Mori who, ironically enough, became one of the most unique and interesting drummers ever!

[flipperrrulez]

i thought byron was wearing a sex vid shirt but it's a sun ra shirt. byron is a cool motherfucker

[rogerbiko]

good times!