Since the 90's, hundreds of cds, records and 'cut n'paste' zines have been produced by individuals in reaction to the shortcomings of the music industry and mainstream media. The central message: if you can't find the cultural experience you are looking for, simply create your own alternative This exploration of lo-fi culture traces the origins of the DIY ethic to the skiffle movement of the 50's, the hippies of the 60's, the all-empowering punk scene of the 70's-80's and the 90's rave phenomenon. Through interviews with key writers, promoters and musicians, Amy Spencer charts the development of radical musical and cultural movements and the ever flourishing zine-scene. Examining the politics behind the production of the many 'home-made' recordings and publications available today, and in the wake of debate concerning music downloaded from the net, the book also addresses the ethical questions that DIY distribution pose to the music industry.
DIY: The Rise of Lo Fi Culture
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A useful book, full of information about lo-fi music and fanzines. It works better as a guide that you can dip into rather than something you would wish to read cover to cover. It is, perhaps, a little dry in places but it's very inspiring to read about the likes of publications such as Despite Everything: A Cometbus Omnibus and Duplex Planet. Use it as a guide to further reading and listening.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for historical info, but not for analysis
22 Mar 2006
By Tina Treason
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book read really quickly, and was full of neat information that I never knew before, but I can't help wishing it had been better written and edited. I caught several (as in way, way too many) grammatical errors and typos. On top of that, the style was close to awful, with strange sentence construction that distracted from the point of the work.
Like I said, the information was neat, but the analysis was bare bones, and mostly made huge assumptions in the reader's familiarity with the subject matter. I very much enjoyed learning all the historical details I never knew before, like that sci-fi fans wrote the first real zines in the 1930s. But when it came to the more modern stuff, the eras I know more about, there was little in the way of new or exciting information. Thought-provoking analysis would have made up for this, but it just wasn't there.
I got this book on a recommendation from one of the feminist magazines I read, and I'm not terribly upset to have it in my collection. It'll make a good source to cite for clear historical info. Other than that, it's pretty lackluster.
Like I said, the information was neat, but the analysis was bare bones, and mostly made huge assumptions in the reader's familiarity with the subject matter. I very much enjoyed learning all the historical details I never knew before, like that sci-fi fans wrote the first real zines in the 1930s. But when it came to the more modern stuff, the eras I know more about, there was little in the way of new or exciting information. Thought-provoking analysis would have made up for this, but it just wasn't there.
I got this book on a recommendation from one of the feminist magazines I read, and I'm not terribly upset to have it in my collection. It'll make a good source to cite for clear historical info. Other than that, it's pretty lackluster.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of facts, but little cohesion
7 Sep 2005
By Megan Streb
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book is a wonderful collection of facts, giving you a wave of information about DIY music and publishing (although she mainly sticks to 'zines, not self-published books or anthologies) The style of writing is pretty dreadful, and it made for slow going, and there was little cohesion between areas. Rather than have a thesis, the book concludes just about every chapter with comments like "And that's part of DIY culture." or "DIY culture is really important"
If you're looking for basic information on DIY music and publishing, and don't mind the lack of a coherent flow, it's a great book. However, if you're looking for insight on the world of DIY, you won't find it here.
If you're looking for basic information on DIY music and publishing, and don't mind the lack of a coherent flow, it's a great book. However, if you're looking for insight on the world of DIY, you won't find it here.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Repetitious History
20 Oct 2009
By dweebcentric
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
For those readers already familiar with Michael Azzerand's "Our Band Could Be Your Life" (cited in this book) or Kaya Oakes "Slanted or Enchanted" (published later) Amy Spencer's disconnected, narrow history of the DIY culture might appear to simply be retracing limited steps. The Minutemen's "jamming econo" ethos sets the foundation, but fails to incorporate much more beyond a background on the (now-obsolete) art of writing zines and nurturing mail-order punk labels, despite the culture's rich history and significant modern-day presence. (Azzerand's book thoroughly discusses legendary punk label distributors, while Oake's traces independent publishing back to the beat poets).
With that said, I would recommend this book only to younger readers (let's say mid to late teens) who are already engaged and inspired by DIY, but not all that familiar with (some of) its roots.
With that said, I would recommend this book only to younger readers (let's say mid to late teens) who are already engaged and inspired by DIY, but not all that familiar with (some of) its roots.
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3.6 out of 5 stars
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