Read This: 12 Essential Music Textbooks

First things first: Don’t let this list scare you. Reading can be fun kids, I promise! Every rock star who’s reached AARP benefits age has written an autobiography, but if you’re looking for something a little more relevant to your interests, I recommend you start with these 12 books. It covers all the bases: memoirs by punk’s finest, the history of all your favorite genres and a couple books written by some former AP employees.

Barred For Life: How Black Flag's Iconic Logo Became Punk's Secret Handshake 
By Stewart Dean Ebersole
If the prospect of reading a dozen books is giving you horrific flashbacks to high school English, just take a deep breath and start with this one. This photo-heavy book casts its lens on Black Flag’s logo and the people who have permanently marked their skin with it. Bartenders, librarians, musicians, construction workers—they’re all here. They’ve all got the iconic four bars on them, and they’ve all got a story to tell.

Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide To Emo Culture 
By Leslie Simon and Trevor Kelley
Written by two former AP contributors, Everybody Hurts is, well, an essential guide to emo culture—and that includes more than music. Simon and Kelley break down emo and its connections to fashion, the internet and your eating habits. (Yes, you read that last one right.)

 

 

Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag 
By Henry Rollins
Yeah, I know, another Black Flag book. But what kind of list would this be if I didn’t include Get In The Van? Henry Rollins kept diaries (actually let’s say journals, because that sounds more punk rock) of his six years spent fronting Black Flag. He compiled them into this memoir which was originally published in 1994. Ten years later Get In The Van was reissued with more artwork, journal entries and an afterword. Not much for the written word? Rollins also recorded passages from the book for a two-CD set that won the 1994 Grammy for Best Spoken Word.

Girls To The Front: The True Story Of The Riot Grrrl Revolution 
By Sara Marcus
Sure, the riot grrrl movement was about much more than music in the grand scheme of things, but no one can deny the influence bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile had on women, punk and feminism. Sara Marcus, a politics and music writer who’s contributed to The San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, Salon, Time Out New York and many others, isn’t some outsider looking in. She grew up in Washington, D.C., where she attended riot grrrl meetings, wrote a zine and joined a punk band.

I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp 
By Richard Hell
Musician. Punk innovator. Style icon. Writer. This year Richard Hell added to his already impressive list of published work with his autobiography, I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp. Whether you’re familiar with Hell’s musical endeavors (Television, Neon Boys, the Heartbreakers, Richard Hell & The Voidoids) or not, you should still pick up his autobiography and read up on this true punk pioneer.

Just Kids 
By Patti Smith
Patti Smith’s 1975 debut album, Horses, was a touchstone of the early punk movement, but if you’ve ever wondered how she got there, give Just Kids a read. The memoir tells the story of how Smith made it out of Jersey, moved to New York, met Robert Mapplethorpe and completely changed her life’s trajectory. The only thing more captivating than Smith’s tales are the backdrop: New York in the early ’70s, when the city was still pretty seedy, but was also thriving with art, music and youth.

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991
By Michael Azerrad
Let’s get the slightly scary bit out of the way: the page number. Coming in at 528 pages, it’s a bit of a commitment, but think of all the very useful music knowledge you’ll have on completion. If it still seems a bit daunting, the good news is each chapter is about a different band (Fugazi, the Replacements, Sonic Youth, Black Flag, Minor Threat) so you can skip around and just read your favorites. >>>

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History Of Punk
By Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
Pegged as “the first oral history of the most nihilist of all pop movements,” Please Kill Me takes you back to the glory days of punk, when CBGB was still a music venue and not a clothing store and Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Lou Reed were all looking a bit younger.

POST: A Look At The Influence Of Post-Hardcore 1985-2007
By Eric Grubbs
This book’s cover tells you everything you need to know: “As told through the stories of Dischord Records, Jawbox, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Braid, the Promise Ring, Hot Water Music, the Get Up Kids, At The Drive-In and Jimmy Eat World.” Honestly, if that doesn’t convince you to give this a read, then nothing will.

Punk: An Aesthetic
Edited by Jon Savage and Johan Kugelberg
The connection between punk, art and culture is nothing new, but if you’re wondering how closely they’re connected, pick up Punk: An Aesthetic. Consider this your visual encyclopedia of all things punk. Plus it will look much cooler on your coffee table than your copy of America.

The Road Most Traveled
By Chuck Ragan
For the latest addition to this list, Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan reached out to some of his friends and had each of them write an essay about their own experiences on the road. Featuring stories from Greg Attonito (Bouncing Souls), Frank Turner, Brian Fallon (the Gaslight Anthem), Tim McIlrath (Rise Against) and 59 others—and coming in at a slim 146 pages—The Road Most Traveled is the perfect read for a weekend getaway.

Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide To Your Favorite Music Scenes—From Punk To Indie And Everything In Between
By Leslie Simon
AP’s former managing editor Leslie Simon picked up the pen again two years later for Wish You Were Here. Simon sets her sight on the entire country (read: not just New York City and Los Angeles), educating readers on important music cities (Omaha, Long Island, Washington, D.C.) and the artists (Bright Eyes, Taking Back Sunday, Fugazi) who came out of them.

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