Good luck convincing The Man that more than three people are interested in anything outside of the mainstream. The world won’t listen. Only, screw The Man. We can fund interesting, creative projects on our own. For instance, musician and journalist John Robb is currently funding a book through Unbound which is sure to be of interest to most of us in Auxiliary land. Goth: The True Story of Post-Punk promises to provide historical and cultural context to your favorite overlooked era of pop music while discussing bands ranging from Adam and the Ants to The Damned to Sex Gang Children (with whom I am not familiar and refuse to Google). The line, “at least 150 interviews with key players,” certainly caught my attention. Clearly this is a labor of love, a true passion project, and something with the potential to be pretty amazing.
The story of postpunk is a story that I’d like to see told well and Robb seems like a solid candidate to do just that. While he performed with Goldblade and also The Membranes, John Robb is perhaps better known for writing, particularly his music website Louder Than War. He has already written books about The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and an oral history of punk rock. 10 GBP (about $17) will get you the ebook, but you’ll have to cough up 30 GBP (approximately $50) if you want to get your hands on a physical copy. All levels of support will award you the ego boost of seeing your name in the back, as well as, “access to the author’s shed,” which could come in handy should you need to dispose of any incriminating evidence.
You can support this project by visiting : www.unbound.co.uk/books/goth-the-true-story-of-post-punk
