Reviewed by Rupert Loydell

'In The Fascist Bathroom' is a strange book. Strange because it tries to write about the spirit of punk in a decade where that seems both a long time ago and slightly unreal. Strange because the writer is an American music critic casting his eye across the water. And strange, well... some of the ideas of who is and isn't 'punk' are pretty odd! The book starts as strangely as it goes on: a review from 1969 of a Rolling Stones album, a piece that discussed The Sex Pistols and a Margaret Drabble novel, and then a 1978 piece that discusses the end of punk - the last Sex Pistols gig in California. Those of you too young to remember 1976-78 should be aware that to many of us punk rock was a genuine break from dinosaur heavy metal, pub rock and disco at the time - but that many people, myself included, would regard it as a quick 12-18 month burst that quickly disappeared and had little effect. Greil Marcus, however, chooses to differ. Punk for him is an attitude, not a historical period. So the rest of the book is a continuing look at people like Elvis Costello, art rockers Gang Of Four, his own favourites Lilliput/Kleenex and the Mekons. If you haven't heard of many of these, well I'm not surprised. From across the Atlantic Marcus has a strange idea of what was and wasn't punk. Much of this would be considered (for want of a better name) 'art terrorism', or slightly right-on music, concerned with social and political issues more than the backbeat. The music often turned out to be slightly awkward, jagged funky rock... with slogans and left wing chants over the top. Now, this may at first glance seem not so far from the likes of the Clash and their songs but - believe me - it is. This is a fascinating book, but then books of old music articles often are. I'm not sure how Bruce Springsteen gets in here (he seems to be everything punk is opposed to), and I think Greil Marcus misses the likes of Television and Patti Smith (recommended reading 'From The Velvets To The Voidoids', Penguin, for the definitive history of American punk), who had their own unique American slant on the music and politics. What holds your attention however, is the sense of excitement and concern throughout this collection: Marcus is passionate about his likes and dislikes and very informed (if slightly schoolboyish at times in his theorising). I'm sure there are easier ways to learn about how punk happened and failed, there are certainly more concise and to-the-point ones. There's also something slightly self-absorbed here that gets sidetracked and caught up in itself so much that you wonder how we got to here from there. But if you are interested in how power corrupts, how enthusiasm and naivety sometimes win through, and how music matters, read Marcus.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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