Kogan has been writing about music for some 35 years—for his own blogs; for his zine, Why Music Sucks
; as well as for Spin
, Radio On
and the Village Voice
. For this anthology, he's included everything from juvenile high school essays and silly college poetry to some extremely seasoned discussions of punk and hard rock. This collection is much like the music it describes: some polished, some ragged. Readers can browse around and find their own favorite material. Kogan is great, for instance, at explaining the dynamics of punk clubs: why the performers have
to insult their audiences or else they're "contaminated" by their acceptance. Unlike most music critics, Kogan's omnivorous, willing to consider music that makes him "feel things that I don't want to feel, so I have to rethink who I am, where I place myself." For example, he loathed Ohio Express's "Yummy Yummy Yummy" when he was 13, but loved it at 18. "I value most the music that I like despite myself," he writes. "The bands that change me are the ones that win me over." Readers, beware: the raunchy rap lyrics and free-floating expletives may turn off some. (Feb.)
