Jon Savage Books

Exploring the cultural phenomenon of punk, this book offers an unfiltered account of the movement and its iconic band, the Sex Pistols. It delves into the social and political backdrop of the era, revealing how these elements shaped the music and attitudes of a generation. Through vivid storytelling, it captures the essence of a rebellious spirit and the impact of punk on society, making it a definitive narrative of this transformative period in music history.

With its high-quality photographs, Picture Post (1938-57) was the most popular and influential magazine of its time. 'Picture Post Idols' celebrates the men and women who captivated the public during this era—the idols and image-makers of popular entertainment. The collection features iconic figures and moments from the Forties and Fifties, including Vera Lynn, whose heartfelt songs embodied the spirit of the time; Glenn Miller and other pioneers of the 'big band sound'; and timeless films like 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Casablanca', which continue to resonate today. Ealing Studios, even without stars like James Dean, rivaled Hollywood's offerings. Billie Holliday brought the blues, while Bill Haley rocked the world; crooners enchanted audiences, and skiffle groups emerged. The radio entertained with the anarchic comedy of 'ITMA' and 'The Goon Show', while the 1953 Coronation dazzled new television owners with its black-and-white spectacle. The collection is crowned by the ineffable Marilyn Monroe. Featuring photographs from renowned photojournalists and portrait photographers, it combines glitz and glamour with behind-the-scenes insights, showcasing the unique 'star quality' that defined the Forties and Fifties as a golden age of popular entertainment.

The pop world accelerated and broke through the sound barrier in 1966. In the worlds of pop, pop art, fashion and radical politics -- often fueled by perception-enhancing substances and literature -- the 'Sixties', as we have come to know them, hit their Modernist peak.

The inspiration behind the film TEENAGE, narrated by Ben Whishaw and Jena Malone * This is a history never described before - the century and a half of ferment, folly and angst that created a separate Teen Age in Europe and America. We roam London, New York, Paris and Berlin with hooligans and Apaches; explore free love with Rupert Brooke and eternal youth with Peter Pan; we meet flappers and zootsuiters and the Bright Young Things, the unemployoed and the Lost Generation. Meanwhile the book rings with music, from Ragtime to Swing, and the stories come fast and furious, comic, poignant, painfully moving. In 1945, 'the teenager' arrived. This is the story of how we got to that moment.

Paul McCartney's Introduction to In His Own Write: `At Woolton village fete I met him. I was a fat schoolboy and as he leaned an arm on my shoulder, I realised that he was drunk. We were twelve then, but, in spite of his sideboards, we went on to become teenage pals. Aunt Mimi, who had looked after him since he was so high, used to tell me he was cleverer than he pretended, and things like that. He had written a poem for the school magazine about a hermit who said: 'as breathing is my life, to stop I dare not dare'. This made me wonder right away - 'Is he deep?' He wore glasses so it was possible, and even without them there was no holding him. 'What bus?' he would say to howls of appreciative laughter. He went to Quarry Bank High School for Boys and later attended to the Liverpool Art College. He left school and played with a group called the Beatles, and, here he is with a book. Again I think - 'Is he deep? Is he arty, with it or cultured?' There are bound to be thickheads who will wonder why some of it doesn't make sense, and others who will search for hidden meanings. 'What's a Brummer?' 'There's more to the `dubb owld boot' than meets the eye. ' PS : I like the drawings too.

The influence of The Sex Pistols has stretched way beyond their short, violent and notorious career - not only did they define punk, through the vision of their manager Malcolm McLaren and lead singer Johnny Rotten, but by the time of the Jubilee in 1977, they had initiated an explosion of angry music, graphics, fashion and media. This book is full of research, interviews plus a discography of The Sex Pistols that provides a historical perspective of the group. It follows the group's development over the course of a decade that began with a small shop in the King's Road to their tour circuit of America.

A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage

This acclaimed collection charts the course of Pop from its underground origins through its low and high art phases to its current omnipresence; it takes in fiction, reportage, fashion, art and fantasy as filtered through pop music and includes work by Michael Bracewell, Angela Carter, Nick Cohn, Bob Dylan, Simon Garfield, Nelson George, Germaine Greer, Peter Guralnick, John Lennon, Norman Mailer, Greil Marcus, Iggy Pop, Neil Tennant, Lou Reed, Simon Reynolds, Hunter S. Thompson, Nick Tosches, Andy Warhol, Tom Wolfe and Malcolm X, amongst others. Covering more than 50 years of writing from 1942 on, The Faber Book of Pop is the most stimulating collection of writing on popular music ever published.

This book is a comprehensive collection of his best pieces: from early work on The Clash, The Sex Pistols and David Bowie, to pieces on Suede, Blur and Nirvana. More than just a ragbag of journalism, it gives a sweeping and trenchant account of changing fashions in style and musical taste, and of the issues which pop music raises: youth, hatred, adrogyny, sexual experimentation, drugs, America, Englishness.

Joy Division gelten bis heute als einflussreichste Protagonisten des Post-Punk und Bezugspunkt für nachfolgende Entwicklungen wie Gothic Rock, Dark Wave oder Indie-Rock. Obwohl die Band nur zwei offizielle Studioalben aufnahm, sorgten diese und einige legendenumwitterte Liveauftritte dafür, dass Joy Division zur aufregendsten Undergroundband ihrer Zeit aufstiegen. Doch kurz vor der ersten großen Amerika-Tour nahm sich Sänger Ian Curtis das Leben. Der Musikjournalist Jon Savage hat zahlreiche Interviews mit zentralen Figuren der Joy-Division-Geschichte zu einer umfassenden Oral History zusammengestellt. Entstanden ist die beeindruckende Geschichte einer Band, die eine ganze Generation bewegte und das Bild der Stadt Manchester entscheidend prägte. Und es ist auch der niederschmetternde Bericht über Krankheit und innere Dämonen, die einen charismatischen Sänger und visionären Texter dazu brachten, der Welt zu entfliehen.»