Acme BOY: The Birth of Punk & Anti-Fashion 1975–1985 — An Insider’s Account of London’sMost Radical Cultural Revolution…NEW BOOK CHRONICLES THE EXPLOSIVE BIRTH OF PUNKAND ANTI-FASHION
Author: Phil Strongman
Foreword: Sheila Rock
Publisher: Blurring Books
Price: £22.50/$30.00
Status: Available for Pre-Order
Acme BOY: The Birth of Punk & Anti-Fashion 1975–1985…and Other Twisted, True Stories from Pre-Internet Counterculture by Phil Strongman, priced at £22.50/$30.00. The book arrivesat a landmark moment: it’s fifty years since the Sex Pistols and the Punk scene first emerged, ascene nurtured both by the McLaren-Westwood shop SEX and by the legendary ‘street couture’shop Acme Attractions.
Part memoir, part cultural history, Acme BOY delivers the definitive inside story of AcmeAttractions, BOY, and the birth of Punk ‘anti-fashion’ — the London youth culture explosions ofthe 1970s and ‘80s that went on to reverberate across the globe. By turns amusing, intriguing,and shocking, Strongman’s account draws on his unique position as the only person to havedesigned for Acme Attractions, BOY, and Fans — whilst also managing bands, taking photographs, and supplying clothes to Sign of The Times, Ad Hoc, BOY, and Vivienne Westwood.
ABOUT THE BOOK
When proto-punk first emerged on the King’s Road in 1975 and 1976, fashion magazinesdismissed it as ‘The Big Sleaze.’ Within months, it had become Punk — a shattering cultural forcethat shocked Britain, caused riots in Chelsea, raised questions in Parliament, and effectivelyinvented the independent music genre. Its influence reached musicians and filmmakersworldwide, from Quentin Tarantino to Nirvana, REM, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and GreenDay.
Acme BOY features exclusive contributions from Acme Attractions founder John Krivine andBOY co-founder Steph Raynor — two men whose shops were staffed by filmmaker and BBCRadio 6 DJ Don Letts, Rough Trade boss Jeannette Lee, DJ Jay Strongman, and stylist EricRose. Their clientele included John Lydon, Sid Vicious, Bob Marley, Andy Warhol, RudolfNureyev, Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Deborah Harry, Boy George, andmany more.
The book also traces the remarkable longevity of the BOY brand (now known as BOYLONDON) whose clothing continues to be worn by contemporary stars including Rihanna,Madonna, Cara Delevingne, Jessie J, and Charli xcx even as its tangled origins haveremained largely untold — until now.
Richly illustrated with rare and previously unseen photographs, images, and artwork, Acme BOYis an essential document of London fashion history and one of the most personal and authoritativeaccounts of the Punk era ever published.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phil Strongman is a writer, filmmaker, and cultural historian who was a central figure in London’sPunk, Post-Punk, Mod, New Romantic, Two-Tone, Goth, and Rockabilly scenes. He is the onlyindividual to have designed clothing for Acme Attractions, BOY, and Fans. His designs have beenworn by Anita Pallenberg, Roger Daltrey, Billy Connolly, Pamela Stephenson, and hundreds ofPunk, New Wave, and Indie musicians. He has also worked as a band manager and photographerand supplied garments to Vivienne Westwood’s operations.
His previous books include the best-selling novel Cocaine (Abacus / Lume) as well as non-fiction worksPretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk (Orion / Chicago Press Review), Metal Box: Stories of John Lydon& PiL (Lume), John Lennon & The FBI Files (Sanctuary), John Lennon: Life, Times &Assassination (Bluecoat / Lume) plus Fear & Loathing In Ukraine (Lume).
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