Punk In Fifty Pieces

Fifty years after punk exploded into public consciousness, Punk in 50 Pieces revisits the songs, artists and moments that transformed popular music forever.

Kevin Dettmar joins The Long Play Sessions and in this engaging new book, explores 50 defining tracks that chart punk's emergence and its evolution into post-punk and new wave.

Beginning with the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K.", he traces the revolutionary impact of artists including Patti Smith, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Talking Heads, Blondie, Devo, The Clash, Public Image Ltd, X-Ray Spex, The Cure, The B-52s, The Go-Go's and many more.

Both an accessible introduction and a richly informed cultural history, Punk in 50 Pieces examines how a five-year burst of creativity reshaped rock music and left an enduring influence on popular culture. Combining insightful criticism with an expertly curated soundtrack, it stands alongside classic works such as Please Kill Me, Lipstick Traces, Rip It Up and Start Again and England's Dreaming as an essential exploration of one of music's most influential movements.

Kevin Dettmar is the author of Is Rock Dead? and the acclaimed 33⅓ volume on Gang of Four's Entertainment!. He is also co-editor of Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop from Elvis to Jay-Z and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan. He teaches literature and popular culture at Pomona College.