Martin Popoff, author of The Clash: All the Albums, All the Songs and Ramones at 40 The end effect is saga told in granular detail, yet made swiftly readable due to the format.” Along the way as well, elucidating pictures help tell the story. But Lamb also interjects with necessary action points just to make sure we understand the near indescribable. It reads like a panoramic-but at each stop, reverent-a celebration of this Canadian progressive punk treasure, and one feels the love with every speaker. Mirroring the complexity of the NoMeansNo story and the array of bands Rob and John inspired and influenced, there could be no other way to present the tale other than oral history. “Jason Lamb has birthed into the world a stunning work of punk rock scholarship. We might not have the band around anymore, but this book will make you wish they were.” “NoMeansNo mashed all the best in hard rock, metal, punk, and the art of politics in throughout their eleven albums, and Jason Lamb’s book is just as important to the understanding of Canadian music and the band’s astonishing place in it. Shawna Potter, singer for War On Women, author of Making Spaces Safer A Guide to Giving Harassment the Boot Wherever You Work, Play, and Gather “I don’t understand how the hell all these punks remember everything that made them the legends they are, but after reading NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion, I’m grateful they do! The often forgotten third point of the Canadian trifecta (Rush, Voivod, and NoMeansNo), this incredibly thorough oral history is a necessary read for any punk.” Could they be brothers? Ruth Schwartz of Mordam and I smiled warily at each other, thinking, ‘Ok, which one of us gets this one…?’ And that wonderful era we will always treasure began…” The drums and the bass were so tight and so intense, it was almost like they were one person. Blew the roof off several buildings in a matter of minutes. Playing to a tiny crowd at a tiny dive bar. “Out of the blue, NoMeansNo showed up in San Francisco. Yes, what he has created is worthy of a run on sentence! This is it! The definitive tome! From Obscurity to Oblivion has so many sub plots and stories I don’t know how Jason edited it! A fascinating read and look (did I mention all the tidbits and pictures?) into the legendary Victoria, BC band.” “With From Obscurity to Oblivion, Jason has documented every part big and small associated with the story of NomeansNo, isolating them into a book filled with an explosion of posters, clippings, and interviews. For those curious about the story and influence of NoMeansNo, it reveals an eye-opening tale of how a punk band could be world class musicians while truly "doing it themselves." Their impact and importance cannot be overstated, and NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion is the essential archive. The result is their complete story, from the band's inception in 1979 to their retirement in 2016, along with hundreds of photos, posters, and memorabilia, much of which has never been seen publicly before.įor established fans, this book serves as a "love letter" to their favorite group and provides many details previously unknown. Author Jason Lamb obtained exclusive access to all four former members and interviewed hundreds of people in their orbit, from managers and roadies to fellow musicians, friends, and family members. NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion is the fully authorized oral and visual history of this highly influential and enigmatic band which has never been told before now. They were also really nice Canadian dudes. They were expertly skilled musicians playing a new kind of punk: intelligent, soulful, hilarious, and complex. It was for this reason the band (intentionally) never became a household name, but earned the respect and love of thousands of fans around the world, including some who became big rock stars themselves. All along the way, they kept their integrity, saying "NO" to many mainstream opportunities. For the next three decades, they would add and then replace a guitar player, sign a record deal with Alternative Tentacles and tour the world. NoMeansNo started in the basement of the family home of brothers Rob and John Wright in 1979. They were unlike any other band in the punk scene they called home.
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