Journalist Malkin debuts with a riveting insiders’ history of punk’s charged relationship with social change, collecting interviews with some of the genre’s biggest names (including members of the Ramones and the Sex Pistols) and intellectuals with links to the music (such as Noam Chomsky, who recorded an eight-minute analysis of the Gulf War for Bad Religion’s 2001 album New World Order: War #1). The discussions unpack how punk music challenged war, white supremacy, police brutality, and political violence, from the Clash’s 1981 Sandinista, which tackled "the so-called Cold War" in "Ivan Meets GI Joe," to Pussy Riot’s 2020 release of "Rage," a vivid, impassioned critique of Russian political repression. ….Malkin supplements the impressive array of interviews with comprehensive background analysis, and energizes the proceedings with his clear passion for the topic. Punk fans will find this a gold mine.
— Publishers Weekly
Musician/activist/filmmaker/photographer/journalist Malkin (Sounds of Freedom) conducted more than 140 interviews with musicians and influencers from the 1970s to the present for this oral history of punk rock. This book examines the roots of activism in punk and explores the genre beyond its reach in the U.S. and the UK.... The book pulls from interviews with members of bands such as Bad Religion, Crass, Dead Kennedys, Gang of Four, and Sex Pistols. The author also talks to Noam Chomsky, Kalle Lasn, Keith McHenry, Marjane Satrapi, Laurie Anderson, and Kenneth Jarecke about punk’s impact. There is a wide range of interviews and stories that will attract readers interested in punk or who are fans of the bands addressed in the book.... Malkin’s book will be of interest to many.
— Library Journal
Excellent and engrossing! It's a tribute to John Malkin's interview style that he's extracted such a range of people to dig deeper than, dare I say, most punk books—revealing not only factual histories but emotional positions. The book is a far-reaching reflection on the revolutionary nature of punk rock, its strengths, its failures, its impact, and its diversity—an inspiring overview that is both engaging and informative.
— Dick Lucas, Subhumans and Citizen Fish
The book is very cool—full of great interviews. Like it.
— Jon King, Gang of Four
An engaging music and cultural history document, this book is a portal to both the personalities and introspection of notable global participants in the punk scene culled from illuminating conversations over two decades with author John Malkin. Essential.
— Jarboe, Swans and Neurosis
The punk revolution might have been the most influential of all twentieth-century subcultures. John Malkin gets up close and personal with the seditious heroes behind rock’s most powerful socio-political movement.
— Steven Blush, author and filmmaker, American Hardcore
John Malkin offers a much-needed, fresh perspective of punk rock and its enduring impact on society. Both a celebration and exploration, this oral history is a collection of ideas defiantly proclaiming that if we use art and culture to inspire us, we can remake the world from a place stuck in conflict into one where peace is ascendant.
— Antonino D’Ambrosio, filmmaker and author, Let Fury Have the Hour: Joe Strummer, Punk, and the Movement that Shook the World
Overall, I got a lot out of this book. It showed the many facets of punk - so many more than I had even considered before. It also gave many examples of performers using their art and their platforms as activists. It was a good mix between performers I knew and performers I was just discovering thanks to this book.
— Martin's View
Other books cover similar subjects, but the wide variety of voices and the impact of the subjects covered in Punk Revolution! make it a standout.... Punk and politics can’t be separated, but that doesn’t mean we all see things the same way. In Punk Revolution!, John Malking skillfully presents different viewpoints of the politics that are functionally and aesthetically a part of punk, from people with different life experiences and different worldviews, in a way that is organized, compelling, and highly entertaining.
— Razorcake