Two of the no wave boys…
David Bowie has contributed a few words in praise of Thurston Moore and Byron Coley‘s new publication, NO WAVE. Here’s an excerpt from the press release…
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NO WAVEPost-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980. By Thurston Moore and Byron Coley
No Wave. Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980. (Abrams Image, late-June 2008, $24.95) is the first book to visually chronicle the collision of art and punk in the New York underground of 1976 to 1980. This in-depth look at the avant-garde movement of the 70s and 80s focuses on the true architects of No Wave from James Chance to Lydia Lunch to Glenn Branca, as well as the luminaries who intersected the scene, such as Debbie Harry, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, and Richard Hell.
This rarely documented scene, the creative stomping ground of young artists and filmmakers from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Jim Jarmusch, as well as the musical genesis for the post-punk explosions of Sonic Youth, is here revealed for a new generation of fans and collectors.
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At the time, the scene was partially captured in audio for posterity by Brian Eno via the NO NEW YORK album, above left. But, as David suggests in his quotation below, this book finally adds some vision to the sound.
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“This is just a great book. Moore and Coley wade into the mire that was No Wave and pull all kinds of order into it, if that could be possible. I’ve never been part of a scene, though if I were I might have opted for this one. Listening in from Berlin where I was then working and living, it seemed a tonic but faceless form. This adds the features.” – David Bowie
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NO WAVE is available now and you can read much, much Moore about the book and its authors