Jim Ruland

A no-holds-barred narrative history of the iconic label that brought the world Black Flag, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, and more, by the co-author of Do What You Want and My Damage.Greg Ginn started SST Records in the sleepy beach town of Hermosa Beach, CA, to supply ham radio enthusiasts with tuners and transmitters. But when Ginn wanted to launch his band, Black Flag, no one was willing to take them on. Determined to bring his music to the masses, Ginn turned SST into a record label. On the back of Black Flags relentless touring, guerilla marketing, and refusal to back down, SST became the sound of the underground.In Corporate Rock Sucks, music journalist Jim Ruland relays the unvarnished story of SST Records, from its remarkable rise in notoriety to its infamous downfall. With records by Black Flag, Minutemen, Husker Du, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, and scores of obscure yet influential bands, SST was the most popular indie label by the mid-80s--until a tsunami of legal jeopardy, financial peril, and dysfunctional management brought the empire tumbling down. Throughout this investigative deep-dive, Ruland leads readers through SSTs tumultuous history and epic catalog.Featuring never-before-seen interviews with the labels former employees, as well as musicians, managers, producers, photographers, video directors, and label heads, Corporate Rock Sucks presents a definitive narrative history of the 80s punk and alternative rock scenes, and shows how the music industry was changed forever.

Desde sus comienzos como adolescentes que experimentaban en un garaje del Valle de San Fernando al que llamaron el «Agujero infernal» hasta encabezar los festivales de música más importantes del mund

From their beginnings as teenagers experimenting in a San Fernando Valley garage dubbed "The Hell Hole" to headlining major music festivals around the world, discover the whole story of Bad Religions forty-year career in irreverent style.Do What You Wants principal storytellers are the four voices that define Bad Religion: Greg Graffin, a Wisconsin kid who sang in the choir and became an L.A. punk rock icon while he was still a teenager; Brett Gurewitz, a high school dropout who founded the independent punk label Epitaph Records and went on to become a record mogul; Jay Bentley, a surfer and skater who gained recognition as much for his bass skills as for his antics on and off the stage; and Brian Baker, a founding member of Minor Threat who joined the band in 1994 and brings a fresh perspective as an intimate outsider.With a unique blend of melodic hardcore and thought-provoking lyrics, Bad Religion paved the way for the punk rock explosion of the 1990s, opening the door for bands like NOFX, The Offspring, Rancid, Green Day, and Blink-182 to reach wider audiences. They showed the world what punk could be, and they continue to spread their message one song, one show, one tour at a time.

A speculative tale of dysfunctional vigilantes, sex-crazed junkies, and corporate healthcare run amok from best-selling chronicler of LA punk Jim Ruland. Scores of detox and rehab centers across Southern California have adopted a controversial new conditional release policy that forces patients to stay until they pay their bills. And if they cant pay? They dont leave. Enter: Make It Stop, a group of highly skilled recovering addicts dedicated to rescuing those trapped in these prison hospitals by posing as patients and getting them out by any means necessary. But when Scary Gary, one of their top ops, gets killed on assignment, Melanie Marsh and her crew set out to avenge his death and unravel an unthinkable medical conspiracy that threatens to destroy the organization and cripple the city with a dangerous new drug. Melanie may be LAs best hope but if, and only if, she can stay sober. From decrepit rehab wards to beachside punk clubs, Make It Stop takes readers into LAs darkest corners, exploring sobriety, sanity, and a society hell-bent on profiting off those who need its help the most.

Keith Morris is a true punk icon. No one else embodies the sound of Southern Californian hardcore the way he does. With his waist-length dreadlocks and snarling vocals, Morris is known the world over for his take-no-prisoners approach on the stage and his integrity off of it. Over the course of his forty-year career with Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and OFF!, hes battled diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, and the record industry . . . and hes still going strong.My Damage is more than a book about the highs and lows of a punk rock legend. Its a story from the perspective of someone who has shared the stage with just about every major figure in the music industry and has appeared in cult films like The Decline of Western Civilization and Repo Man. A true Hollywood tale from an L.A. native, My Damage reveals the story of Morriss streets, his scene, and his music-as only he can tell it.

Haz lo que quieras, la historia de Bad ReligionDesde sus comienzos como adolescentes que experimentaban en un garaje del Valle de San Fernando al que llamaron el Agujero infernal hasta encabezar los festivales de musica mas importantes del mundo, Haz lo que quieras es la historia de los cuarenta años de carrera de Bad Religion contada con un estilo irreverente.Los principales narradores de Haz lo que quieras son las cuatro voces que definen a Bad Religion: Greg Graffin, un chico de Wisconsin que cantaba en el coro y se convirtio en un icono del punk rock angelino cuando todavia era un adolescente; Brett Gurewitz, un desertor escolar que fundaria la discografica independiente Epitaph Records y llegaria a ser un magnate de la industria; Jay Bentley, un surfista y skater que obtuvo reconocimiento tanto por su habilidad al bajo como por sus numeritos dentro y fuera del escenario; y Brian Baker, uno de los miembros fundadores de Minor Threat, que se unio al grupo en 1994 y aporta una perspectiva fresca como advenedizo complice.Con una mezcla unica de hardcore melodico y letras estimulantes, Bad Religion preparo el terreno para la explosion que el punk rock vivio en los años noventa e hizo posible que bandas como NOFX, The Offspring, Rancid, Green Day y Blink-182 llegaran a un publico mas amplio. Le mostraron al mundo lo que el punk podia ser y en la actualidad continuan difundiendo su mensaje en cada cancion, en cada concierto, en cada gira.