Why Be Something That You’re Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985

“Why Be Something That You’re Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985” chronicles the first wave of Detroit hardcore from its origins in the late ’70s to its demise in the mid ’80s. Through a combination of oral history and extensive imagery, the book proves that even though the Southern California beach towns might have created the look and style of hardcore punk, it was the Detroit scene – along with a handful of other cities across the country – that cultivated the music’s grassroots aesthetic before most cultural hot spots around the globe even knew what the music was about. The book includes interviews with members of The Fix, Violent Apathy, Negative Approach, Necros, Pagans, Bored Youth, and L-Seven along with other people who had a hand in the early hardcore scene like Ian MacKaye, Tesco Vee, and Dave Stimson. New printing now available with a red cover.