brian james

I Put A Spell On You: Horror-punk roots Horror punk? Well, the cheapest, tackiest horror films have always been part of the cultural detritus that’s informed the punk aesthetic. Think of Ramones’ ode to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, "Chain Saw." Remember ...

As long as there’s been a punk scene, its denizens have argued as to which city invented it — New York or London? Truth be told, it was neither because history’s first proper punk band was the Stooges from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Which would make...

There are a lot of people out there who know what punk rock is but have no idea how to explain it to a novice or an outsider. It would seem simple enough to define it as “three-chord teenage rebel music,” but what about all those songs that have four or more chords? Or all the...

Part of the initial hype around punk rock was it had “no guitar heroes.” That was an exaggeration. To clarify, punk (in part) was meant to destroy the cult of technique. The obsession with 15-minute guitar solos, cramming in every note and lick you know at lightning speed. After all,...

Real talk? The Damned are the greatest punk band to come out of the United Kingdom. Yes, the Sex Pistols got the notoriety while the Clash got the mainstream success. But the Damned? They're still writing chapters in punk-rock history. For those of you unaware (it's cool, just don't parade that), this APTV video shows you the records to start with...

Oct. 28, 2019: Dissatisfied with being the first at everything in English punk-rock history (first U.K. punk 45, first U.K. punk LP, first Britpunks to tour America, first U.K. punk band to break up, first to reform), the Damned called upon the masses to help them enter The Guinness Book Of World Records...