Politics of Punk

The Politics of Punk probes the conscience of punk music by going beyond the lyrics and slogans of the pithy culture war. Creating a people’s history of punk's social, aesthetic, and political features, the book features original interviews with members of Dead Kennedys, Dead Boys, MDC, and many more.

David Ensminger is humanities, folklore, and English instructor at Lee College in Baytown, Texas. He has written about music, art, and contemporary issues and is author of Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generations and Left of the Dial: Conversations with Punk Icons. He has contributed to Popmatters, Maximum Rocknroll, Houston Press, Trust, Postmodern Culture, Art in Print, M/C Journal, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Liminalities, Artcore, and various other journals.

Chapter 1: This Land is Punk Land Chapter 2: Know Your Enemy Chapter 3: Zones of Influence, Washington D.C. and San Francisco Chapter 4: Shot from Both Sides: MDC Chapter 5: Litpunk Furor: The Wit of Jennifer Blowdryer Chapter 6: Slamdance in the No Time Zone: Punk as Repertoire for Liminality Chapter 7: Through the Lurid Looking Glass: Punk Porn Histories