"SECRET '77" OR, A DOUBLE SHOT OF EARLY PUNK ROCKERS

I've had a lot of fragments I can't seem to finish (or even really get a good start on, honestly), and I'm stubbornly devoted to my self-imposed once a month deadline, so I decided to stitch a couple things together here like a rock and roll Frankenstein. Even that I've put off longer than I should because I only have two books that even remotely fit together, when everyone knows that groups of three are the ideal. So do I find something off the shelf and a jam it in there? Reader, I respect you too much for such shenanigans. 

So even if you're not getting a full review this month, let's explore some first-wave punks together, shall we?

First up is Christopher Dawes' "Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail." Dawes is a semi-retired music journalist who finds his new neighbor is none other than Rat Scabies, drummer for the Damned. A friendship starts up, and the two naturally decide to search for the Holy Grail. You know, the cup Jesus supposedly drank from at the Last Supper, even though it's not in the Bible or anything. 

The Grail thing isn't as outlandish as it seems at first glance. Scabies' father runs an antique bookstore and is a bit obsessed with the tale, and passed it on to his son. Grail obsession is a real thing, up there with Kennedy assassination theorists or Jack the Ripper obsessives where all sorts of rival groups and societies discuss their many theories and conspiracies while normal people have to find fulfillment with careers and loving families and stuff.

Dawes and Scabies make a great team, with Dawes as the straight man and Scabies as the enthusiastic wild cannon. It's all very British, and I kept picturing Scabies as Mr. Toad from "The Wind in the Willows," urging Dawes on to the next church or Grail convention to find more clues, while Dawes feels himself getting deeper into Grail mythology. 

"What if I went down there without you and came back with the Holy Grail? Scabies had said. 'I'm not sure our friendship would be able to bear it.'"

In the end, hunting for the Grail is more of a diversion for some middle-aged friends with time on their hands than anything completely serious, and I'm not 100 percent sure Dawes didn't figure he could sell a book about the drummer from the Damned hunting for the Holy Grail easier than he could a story about being neighbors, but it's told well, with lots of esoteric Grail information mixed in with humor. And in the end, isn't that the real Holy Grail?

You Might Remember Me From, or, My Totally Biased View of the Author's Best Stuff: 
When I was getting into punk, the Damned were one of those bands that always had a gazillion dodgy looking live albums or greatest hits collections when I was looking for full albums. There was a great compilation a year or two ago, "Black is the Night" that nicely covers the band through all their stages, from the shambolic first album to their gothic late '80s stuff to their pop and psychedelic phases. If I had to pick just one studio album though, it'd have to be that first one.

For Fans Only? 
Nah, even if you didn't know anything about music, you'd still be entertained by a couple British dudes in over their heads searching for the Holy Grail.

Jughead Jones, the only true punk rocker

Sadly, "Ever Fallen in Love: The Lost Buzzzcocks Tapes" has 100 percent less Holy Grail searching, but it's a fascinating, comprehensive look at the ideas behind all the classic Buzzcocks songs.

Journalist/fan/friend Louie Shelley recently published a series of interviews he conducted with Pete Shelley (no relation), the Buzzcocks' major songwriter and vocalist. Part memoir, part deep dive into the Buzzcocks' catalog, the result is a compelling picture of the person behind the songs.

The bulk of the book is a transcription of the interviews, arranged by album. Shelley seems open and honest, and touches on the inspirations behind the songs to his writing philosophy, as well as the gender-neutral quality of the majority of his songs.

"What we were singing about was more pared down - like music was in the sixties with, say, "She Loves You." Good pop songs are not rocket science, but it's good how it works."

You Might Remember Me From, or, My Totally Biased View of the Author's Best Stuff:
Buzzcocks are easily in my top ten, so I can't really look at them objectively. There's a number of Best Ofs out there that would work just fine. They reformed in the '90s and I've never really investigated that stuff toomuch, although "Totally From the Heart" from 1996's "All Set" is a total jam. Oh - and Shelley's "Homosapien" is kick ass.

For Fans Only?
Probably. If you're not a Buzzcocks fan, the stories and inspirations behind the songs probably won't be all that interesting.