By Jim Rowland
Being lovers of music, we all like a good natter about our favourite records, right? Well that’s just what this new book, ‘Punks Listen’, is all about. It’s basically tons of musicians and music industry associated people talking about their favourite records and is a great insight into people’s influences and musical loves. And what’s more it’s all for a very good cause, designed to raise funds for the Red Cross Ukraine Refugee appeal.
Inspired by the punk community, the Dublin-based Hope Collective has a bit of history with these books for good causes. In 2017 it released a book to raise money for the Syrian refugees. Thanks to the people who wrote for the book, and the people who bought it, they were able to present €5,000 to the Red Cross Syrian Refugee appeal. This was followed up in 2020 by a book to assist the NHS workers and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Again, thanks to the writers and the buyers, they were able to donate £10,000 to the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 appeal. With this one they look set to do it again, by raising some serious dosh for the Ukranian refugees.
There’s some pretty interesting stuff packed into over three hundred pages, with insights into the favourite records of musicians, writers, music publishers, actors and record company bosses, some more well-known than others, but all providing some interesting stories. Some picks aren’t too surprising, such as Gaye Advert picking the first Ramones album, and The Defects’ Buck keeping it close to home with SLF’s ‘Gotta Gettaway’. There’s plenty that do raise an eyebrow with their picks though. Who would have thought that early Oi! champion Garry Bushell would pick Miles Davis or Crass legend Steve Ignorant would plump for a bit of Joni Mitchell?
It’s also interesting to read someone else’s perspective on one of your own favourites, in my case Manda Rin from Bis detailing why she loves X-Ray Spex’ ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ so much. There’s even an appearance from Derek Phillpott, an author familiar to these very pages, who writes a suitably witty piece on the great and much missed Cardiacs. Want to know the favourites of Suggs, Henry Rollins, Andy Cairns (Therapy?), Mike Watt (Minutemen), Josephine Wiggs (The Breeders), Kevin Godley (10cc), Tim Burgess (The Charlatans) and Handsome Dick Manitoba (Dictators)? Well it’s all in the book.
So which bands get the most picks? Well it seems to be a toss-up between Husker Du, Pixies, Sex Pistols and The Clash. Either way, there’s more than enough musings here to keep you interested for hours on end, and it’s all for a very good cause, so get your copy now.
- ‘Punks Listen’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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