Discussing 33 1/3: Kevin Dunn, Michael Stewart Foley, Michael T. Fournier

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Situating the band and its groundbreaking debut within the context of The Troubles, this book explores the band's complicated and controversial relationship with the Belfast punk scene, a scene that actively defied violent social divisions to create important non-sectarian spaces through which an “Alternative Ulster” was imagined and put into practice.
Stiff Little Fingers' 1979 debut album, Inflammable Material, was the first independent album to ever reach the UK Top 20 and is regarded as one of the most influential punk releases of all time, containing the singles “Suspect Device” and “Alternative Ulster.” Inflammable Material was both a product of, and response to, The Troubles, the era of political violence in Northern Ireland that claimed more than 3,500 lives over three decades.
Though Inflammable Material was regarded as the clarion call for that scene, with anthemic songs now regarded as synonymous with the times, the band was often viewed with suspicion and outright hostility by many of their contemporaries.

Kevin Dunn is author of Stiff Little Fingers’ Inflammable Material (33 1/3 book series), Global Punk: Resistance and Rebellion in Everyday Life, and the award-winning YA novel Vicious is My Middle Name. He is Professor in the International Relations Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Active in DIY punk scenes since the 1980s, he continues to perform in several bands, runs an independent record label, publishes various zines, and is a regular contributor to the influential DIY punk zine Razorcake.

In 1978, San Francisco, a city that has seen more than its share of trauma, plunged from a summer of political tension into an autumn cascade of malevolence that so eluded human comprehension it seemed almost demonic. The battles over property taxes and a ballot initiative calling for a ban on homosexuals teaching in public schools gave way to the madness of the Jonestown massacre and the murders of Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk at the hands of their former colleague, Dan White.
In the year that followed this season of insanity, it made sense that a band called Dead Kennedys played Mabuhay Gardens in North Beach, referring to Governor Jerry Brown as a "zen fascist," calling for landlords to be lynched and yuppie gentrifiers to be sent to Cambodia to work for "a bowl of rice a day," critiquing government welfare and defense policies, and, at a time when each week seemed to bring news of a new serial killer or child abduction, commenting on dead and dying children. But it made sense only (or primarily) to those who were there, to those who experienced the heyday of "the Mab."
Most histories of the 1970s and 1980s ignore youth politics and subcultures. Drawing on Bay Area zines as well as new interviews with the band and many key figures from the early San Francisco punk scene, Michael Stewart Foley corrects that failing by treating Dead Kennedys' first record, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, as a critical historical document, one that not only qualified as political expression but, whether experienced on vinyl or from the stage of "the Mab," stimulated emotions and ideals that were, if you can believe it, utopian.

Michael Stewart Foley is the author or editor of eight books, including the 33 1/3 book on the Dead Kennedys’ political masterpiece, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, as well as Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash, and the prize-winning Confronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance During the Vietnam War. Since 2022, he has worked as the Cultural Impact Director for Farm Aid.

The story of the Minutemen has been told before (Our Band Could Be Your Life, We Jam Econo), but this book focuses purely on their music - the punk ethic and the remarkable, enduring songs that comprise this, their greatest achievement. Including extensive interviews with Mike Watt and many others close to and inspired by the band, this is a great tribute to a classic piece of American underground music.
Included are extensive interviews with Mike Watt, the band's bass player, as well as interviews with several artists, musicians, studio owners, and fanzine writers who have been devoted followers of the band for years.

Michael T. Fournier is the author of three novels, most recently The Impasse (St. Rooster Books 2024). His book on the Minutemen's Double Nickels On The Dime is the 45th installment of Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series. Fournier is a regular contributor to Razorcake, America's only nonprofit punk magazine, and his byline has appeared at Pitchfork, The Boston Globe, McSweeney's and more. He's co-founder of Outer Frequencies, a not-for-profit dedicated to bringing DIY artists and musicians to Cape Cod. He and his wife Rebecca Griffin play in Plaza, Cape Cod's #1 band.

Nancy Barile is a National Board Certified, award-winning high school English Language Arts teacher, an Adjunct Professor, writer, and author of I’m Not Holding Your Coat: My Bruises-and-All Memoir of Punk Rock Rebellion and How Much Art Can You Take?

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!

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