Punk in Fifty Pieces: Punk Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave, and the Five Years That Changed Pop Music Forever

“This is an irresistible book that will spark a thousand arguments—and that's just on the day it's published. I'm already making my list. I haven't had so much fun with a work of criticism in years.”— Greil Marcus, author of The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs

Fifty years ago punk crashed on the scene, redefining music and popular culture. In celebration of that historic event comes this cultural history exploring fifty iconic alternative songs and unforgettable moments that destroyed and redefined rock ‘n’ roll.

Once upon a time—November 26, 1976, to be precise—a band named the Sex Pistols kicked their way into cultural consciousness with “Anarchy in the U.K.” It was the public launch of punk rock, raucous music with a snarling in-your-face attitude, aggressive style, and a riotous political sensibility that came, saw, and conquered.

Fifty years later, the question remains: What the hell was that?

Punk in 50 Pieces retells the story of punk’s cultural earthquake. Kevin Dettmar traces the evolution of this rock ‘n’ roll revolution, revealing how classic early punk (The Ramones, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop) gave birth to both post-punk (Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Gang of Four) and New Wave (Talking Heads, Blondie, Devo).

Standing beside classic works such as Please Kill Me, Lipstick Traces, Rip It Up and Start Again, and England’s Dreaming, Punk in 50 Pieces paints a vivid portrait of an era, a sound, and the artists and attitude that made it unforgettable. It’s the perfect introduction for a new generation of rebels without a cause and a master playlist for die-hards who may no longer be slam-dancing in the mosh pit but have never forgotten the music.

Punk in 50 Pieces includes chapters featuring:

The Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the U.K."
Elvis Costello, “Alison"
X-Ray Spex, “Oh Bondage Up Yours!"
Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer"
The Police, “Roxanne"
The Clash, “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
Public Image Ltd, “Public Image"
The Cure, “Boys Don’t Cry"
The B–52s, “Rock Lobster"
The Go-Go’s, “We Got the Beat"
The Pretenders, “Precious"
The Psychedelic Furs, “Pretty in Pink"

Kevin Dettmar is the author of Is Rock Dead? (spoiler: hell no!) and the 33 1/3 volume on Gang of Four’s Entertainment!, and the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan and (with Jonathan Lethem) Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop from Elvis to Jay Z. He teaches at Pomona College.