What a punk!

Punk. When people think of punk they think of early bands like the Buzzcocks, or the Sex Pistols, or the Clash, or even more modern giants like Green Day. It brings to mind plaid, safety pins and mohawks. Brian Cogan has taken all of this and much more into account in his fairly recent publication, The Encyclopedia of Punk.

The 390-page tome was published by Sterling in November of 2008. You can check it out here.

At $25 it is well worth the money. Not only does Cogan cover the giants mentioned above (he even has an entry on Winnipeg’s own Propagandhi), but he does a thorough examination of the entire subculture, from the biggest to the smallest bands; the clubs, labels, and individuals that were instrumental in building the movement; and key terms or ideas that make the movement distinct (like DIY culture, pits, stage diving, etc.). 

Aside from these encyclopedic entries there are a few different types of one-page pieces that illustrate punk’s stance on things like tattoos and body art, drugs, homosexuality, mass media, fashion and politics. Also listed are seminal books, anthologies and small labels.

Goodies (aside from the amazing photos) include a map of the punk scenes across the globe, with a list of key bands for each locations; and lists of the best shortest punk songs (ranging from 1 second to 52 seconds), the most violent shows, most politically active bands, and the greatest TV moments.

Cogan has his Ph.D. in media ecology, and he teaches Molloy College. He has written widely on music and pop culture, and has been active in the punk scene for nearly 20 years. In that time he has managed to write for a variety of zines, journals, newspapers and magazines, as well as perform with his band Crowd. Cogan lives in Brooklyn.