Punk Spirit!

A wide cast of musicians and artists provide surprising and thought-provoking insights into punk rock from the lens of spirituality and liberation. Punk Spirit! is an oral history that examines this movement from many unique perspectives, bringing together well-known and cutting-edge bands including Sex Pistols, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, Gang of Four, Pussy Riot, Crass, Talking Heads, Propagandhi, The Slits, Bad Religion, Shelter, Rebel Riot, Blackfire, and many others. Punk Spirit! ventures into the emotional and personal experiences of punk artists and activists from around the world and highlights intelligent, thoughtful, and humorous discussions on liberation, spirituality, and living freely. They discuss a myriad of topics from creativity and anger to freedom from suffering and the ways that punk rock has opposed or embodied religious and moral tenets. Chapters dive deeply into a variety of interconnected realms of punk rock such as the subgenre of straight edge, Krishnacore and Taqwacore, evangelical punk concerts in southern California churches, illegal punk concerts in East German churches, anti-religious sentiment within punk rock, the vital connections between punk and self-expression, and the myriad ways punk rock has been combined with spiritual and religious traditions to illuminate ideas from science, atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other ways of being in the world.

John Malkin is a musician, activist, filmmaker, photographer, and radio & print journalist. He is the author of Sounds of Freedom: Musicians on Social Change & Spirituality, and his interviews and writings have been published in many magazines including Punk Planet, Z Magazine, In These Times, Ode, Spirituality & Health, Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, The Sun and Sojourners. He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife and son.

FOREWORD: "Beneath the Mask" by Penny Rimbaud (Crass) INVOCATION / BLESSING: "Be Punk Now" by Reverend Billy Talen (The Church of Stop Shopping) INTRODUCTION: The Music of No Music ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND GRATITUDE 1. PUNK AND SPIRITUALITY Direct Connection / Meaning and Purpose / In the Flow 2. "WHAT WE ALL WANT" Creative Self-Expression / Authenticity / Liberation & Living Free 3. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING?" Revolutionary Compassion and Love / From DIY to Do It Together / Beyond Ego 4. "ANGER IS AN ENERGY" 5. "BLEED FOR ME" Self-Harm in Punk Rock 6. "ALL RELIGIONS MAKE ME SICK" Atheism / Anti-Authoritarian / Anti-War 7. "THE DISSENT OF MAN" Bad Religion and Greg Graffin / Science vs. Religion 8. "NO SPIRITUAL SURRENDER" Indigenous Punk Rock / Blackfire / Sihasin / Iconoclast / Observer Syndrome 9. "JESUS DIED FOR SOMEBODY'S SINS." Jesus and Christianity in Punk Rock 10. "JESUS IS PUNK" Christian Punk in Southern California - The Altar Boys / Undercover 11. CHURCH FROM BELOW Kirche von Unten (KvU) - East German Punk / Zionskirche 12. CALM FOR THE REVOLUTION Meditation / Living Free / Transcend Emotions 13. "DON'T DRINK DON'T SMOKE" Straight Edge / Positive Mental Attitude - Minor Threat / Bad Brains 14. "MEDITATE AND DESTROY" Dharma Punx and Noah Levine, The Deathless 15. "MY BUDDHA IS PUNK" - Kyaw Thu Win and Rebel Riot in Myanmar 16. "HARDCORE ZEN" Brad Warner and ODFX 17. "NOT A BUDDHIST PUNK BAND!" Ruin / Sense Field / Deathless / Buddhadatta 18. "MESSAGE OF THE BHAGAVAT" Krishnacore, Raghunath Ray Cappo - Youth of Today & Shelter / Rob Fish - 108 19. "MUHAMMAD WAS A PUNK ROCKER" Taqwacore and Islamic Punk 20. "AVRAHAM WAS A PUNK ROCKER" Jewish Punk Rock / HeeBee GeeBee's at CBGB's / Punk Jews / Moshiach Oi! 21. PUNK IN THE PROMISED LAND Punk Rock in Israel / War in the Middle East 22. PUNKS FOR PALESTINE Los Angeles 2024 - System of Hate / Inqirad 23. "WHERE WERE YOU ON 9/11?" Haram 24. "LIFE IS A GIGANTIC MYSTERY" Impermanence / Death / Mystery & Paradox LIST OF INTERVIEWS BIBLIOGRAPHY