When I first heard about Fantagraphics’ Destroy All Movies The Complete Guide To Punks On Film I immediately knew this book was for me. Being a “punk” myself and a huge cult film nerd how could I not be excited.
Destroy All Movies is an informative, hilarious and impossibly complete guide to every appearance of a punk (or new waver!) to hit the screen in the 20th Century. Featuring A-to-Z coverage of over 1100 feature films from around the world, as well as dozens of exclusive interviews with the cast/creators of crucial titles like Repo Man, Return of the Living Dead, The Decline of Western Civilization and Valley Girl.
Also examined are several hundred prime examples of straight-to-VHS slasher trash, breakdancing fairytales, no-budget apocalyptic epics and movies that barely exist. Plus hundreds of eyeball-smashing stills and posters, many in full color!
Six years in the making, this pulse-bursting monument to lowbrow cultural obsession is a must for all film fanatics, music maniacs, anti-fashion mutants, ’80s nostalgists, sleazoids, cop-killers and spazzmatics!
So while researching this book I came across their websites www.punksonfilm.com and I tell you its just as entertaining as the book. On their site is an announcement for an east coast book tour with screenings and special guests from films that are covered in the book. I instantly started dreaming of meeting Jon Gries at a screening of Terror Vision!!!
So I sent an e-mail to their contact introducing myself and letting them know that I (and Forbidden Planet of course) love the book and want to get involved in the book tour. One of the writers, Zack Carlson promptly replied with some awesome yet sad information.
We’re actually at a dumb point with the book. The first printing is totally sold out (that’s good!) but there aren’t currently enough back orders for the publisher to put in for a second printing. So it’s kinda junked up our East Coast/Canada tour plans… So we’re stuck unless there’s suddenly some massive public demand for more copies… It’s a sad truth, but there it is.
So I encourage you all to buy copies of this book before they disappear for good. Oh, and calling all your local retailers and making sure they have it in stock (or on back order) would help. Lets see this baby go to a second print. Destroy All Movies The Complete Guide To Punks On Film is too good to fall off the face of the earth so soon.
