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Punk in 50 Pieces
- Author
- Kevin Dettmar
- Narrator
- Hugo Burnham
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 8 October 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 40 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Fifty years ago punk crashed onto the scene, redefining music and popular culture. In celebration of that historic event comes this cultural history exploring fifty iconic songs and unforgettable moments that destroyed then helped redefine rock.
“Fifty argument-starting blitzes of fury and awe, with just the right dash of playful crankiness.” Hua Hsu, staff writer, the New Yorker
“This book vaults to the top shelf in the Punk Lit pantheon.” Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978–1984
“The perfect companion for those wishing to revisit the golden age of late-70s/early-80s pop.” Jane Wiedlin, The Go-Gos
Once upon a time – November 26, 1976, to be precise – a band named the Sex Pistols dropped “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and a musical movement called punk rock came, saw, and conquered.
Fifty years later, the question remains: What the hell was that?
Punk in Fifty Pieces retells the story of punk’s cultural earthquake and how early classic punk (The Ramones, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop) gave birth to post-punk (Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Gang of Four), New Wave (Talking Heads, Blondie, Devo) and a rock n’ roll revolution.
A great, new addition to the shelf that holds Please Kill Me, Lipstick Traces and England’s Dreaming, Punk in Fifty Pieces is the perfect playlist for discovery by a new generation of rebels without a cause and for die-hards who traded the mosh pit for two cars in the garage – but have never forgotten the music.
Includes chapters featuring:
- The Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the U.K."
- Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer"
- The Police, “Roxanne"
- The Clash, “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
- Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Hong Kong Garden"
- Blondie, “One Way or Another"
- Joy Division, “Love Will Tear Us Apart"
“I devoured Dettmar’s Punk in Fifty Pieces.” Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude
“This is an irresistible book that will spark a thousand arguments.” Greil Marcus, author of Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces
“This book is so kinetic and edifying, I found it impossible to stop reading.” Amanda Petrusich, staff writer, the New Yorker
Critics Review
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“It was one helluva way to discover that Kevin Dettmar had a crush on me in 11th grade … Punk in 50 Pieces is the perfect companion for those wishing to revisit the golden age of late-70s/early-80s pop, as well as a wonderful introduction for those new to the scene, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.”—Jane Wiedlin, The Go-Gos
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“I devoured Dettmar’s to learn what he thinks and found myself treated to a mosaic self-portrait, a memoir of growing up alive in a world of music and possibility.”—Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude
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“This is an irresistible book that will spark a thousand arguments—and that’s just on the day it’s published. I’m already making my list. I haven’t had so much fun with a work of criticism in years.”—Greil Marcus, author of Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces
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“A sharp, spirited, and wonderfully personal take on what it was like to grow up alongside the punk explosion of the late seventies and eighties. Fifty argument-starting blitzes of fury and awe, with just the right dash of playful crankiness.”—Hua Hsu, staff writer, the New Yorker
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“This book is so kinetic and edifying, I found it impossible to stop reading; as a writer and critic, Dettmar is at ease and impossibly smart. Much like the music it chronicles, this book is wild, revelatory, exhilarating.” —Amanda Petrusich, staff writer, the New Yorker
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Crackling with startling ideas and unexpected insights, juiced with surprising stories and unknown connections, Punk in 50 Pieces is a sustained feat of zoomed-in listening and zoomed-out contextualizing. As fast and fun as a Buzzcocks singles compilation, this book vaults to the top shelf in the Punk Lit pantheon."—Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978–1984
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Details
- Author
- Kevin Dettmar
- Narrator
- Hugo Burnham
- Duration
- 9 hours 40 minutes
- Release Date
- 8 October 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008830540
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- History of music, Music reviews and criticism, Musicians, singers, bands and groups, Popular music
Synopsis
Fifty years ago punk crashed onto the scene, redefining music and popular culture. In celebration of that historic event comes this cultural history exploring fifty iconic songs and unforgettable moments that destroyed then helped redefine rock. “Fifty argument-starting blitzes of fury and awe, with just the right dash of playful crankiness.” Hua Hsu, staff writer, the New Yorker “This book vaults to the top shelf in the Punk Lit pantheon.” Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978–1984 “The perfect companion for those wishing to revisit the golden age of late-70s/early-80s pop.” Jane Wiedlin, The Go-Gos Once upon a time – November 26, 1976, to be precise – a band named the Sex Pistols dropped “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and a musical movement called punk rock came, saw, and conquered. Fifty years later, the question remains: What the hell was that? Punk in Fifty Pieces retells the story of punk’s cultural earthquake and how early classic punk (The Ramones, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop) gave birth to post-punk (Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Gang of Four), New Wave (Talking Heads, Blondie, Devo) and a rock n’ roll revolution. A great, new addition to the shelf that holds Please Kill Me, Lipstick Traces and England’s Dreaming, Punk in Fifty Pieces is the perfect playlist for discovery by a new generation of rebels without a cause and for die-hards who traded the mosh pit for two cars in the garage – but have never forgotten the music. Includes chapters featuring: The Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the U.K." Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer" The Police, “Roxanne" The Clash, “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Hong Kong Garden" Blondie, “One Way or Another" Joy Division, “Love Will Tear Us Apart" “I devoured Dettmar’s Punk in Fifty Pieces.” Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude “This is an irresistible book that will spark a thousand arguments.” Greil Marcus, author of Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces “This book is so kinetic and edifying, I found it impossible to stop reading.” Amanda Petrusich, staff writer, the New Yorker
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