An oral history of the modern punk-revival?s West Coast BirthplaceOutside of New York and London; California?s Bay Area claims the oldest continuous punk-rock scene in the world. Gimme Something Better brings this outrageous and influential punk scene to life; from the notorious final performance of the Sex Pistols; to Jello Biafra?s bid for mayor; the rise of Maximum RocknRoll magazine; and the East Bay pop-punk sound that sold millions around the globe. Throngs of punks; including members of the Dead Kennedys; Avengers; Flipper; MDC; Green Day; Rancid; NOFX; and AFI; tell their own stories in this definitive account; from the innovative art-damage of San Francisco?s Fab Mab in North Beach; to the still vibrant all-ages DIY ethos of Berkeley?s Gilman Street. Compiled by longtime Bay Area journalists Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor; Gimme Something Better chronicles more than two decades of punk music; progressive politics; social consciousness; and divine decadence; told by the people who made it happen.
#247324 in eBooks 2008-09-30 2008-09-30File Name: B002LE895G
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I recommend this book to anyone who is involved with an ...By CustomerIt is a well written book with incredible social implications. Kaiser is a man of risk and he takes this ability with him into all of the organizational crises. I. however. tired of the name calling. and the people with whom he came contact were helpful to him I suppose. but it certainly got very social. One thesis which did arise from the book is that most arts organizations which flourish do so with the help of governmental support. without which they would probably fail. Kaiser has a big personal ego and it helps him cope with what must have been a very traumatic existence during his battles of organizational survival. I recommend this book to anyone who is involved with an arts organization Board.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Must Read for any Arts Administrator or Board MemberBy B. GrantThe Arts. especially the performing arts are a passion of mine and my family. Kaisers work as described in his book serves as a guide that can be generalized to challenges and opportunities facing the arts in America and elsewhere. Many join Boards unclear of their role or the role of the CEO. And many likely have little grasp of the funding cycles and sources of funds and deficits. Arts operate on a model so different from the for profit sector. Organizational management often fails in their fundamental roles of understanding their numbers and Boards often fail in their governance. such that turnarounds and failures to achieve turnarounds are all too common.The individual stories Kaiser shares and the group in aggregate serve as both good reading as well as a useful set of pointers that spell out the challenges and how he attacked them. As interesting as what was said. I was amused by what was left out and what lay between the lines on the human side. Also his own journey of self-discovery was clearly laid out.Those who criticize the book for lack of depth or being too personal miss the point. This is a 180 page or so personal narrative about one mans journey to the highest ranks of arts management. It is not a course. though he teaches one at the Kennedy Center. It presents a number of contexts and challenges and helps frame the work of arts management in a most readable and entertaining way.Anybody joining a non-profit board. especially in the arts would do well to read this book. Likewise anyone managing such organizations.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. If your Arts organization is struggling. read this book.By BBAs I work on helping to turn around two small performing arts non-profits. I keep referring to this book. Its a great place to start and points one in the right direction. Ive passed it around to Board Members and others involved. some have purchased their own copies (my copy is highlighted and heavily sticky noted). Michael Kaiser has turned around some of the great performing arts organizations when they were down on their heals. Artists often dont know anything about operating a business. so they fail. Large or small organization. you will learn something from this book. You will need to supplement with other material. but begin here. Mr Kaiser is a businessman who loves the arts. If thats not who serves on your Board and Management. get rid of them and learn who should be on those Boards and Management. I highly recommend this book for your performing arts organization.
