NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion

NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion By Jason Lamb with Paul Prescott • Foreword by Fred Armisen • Afterword by W. Buzz Ryan Published by PM Press They were unlike any other band in the punk scene they called home. NoMeansNo started in the basement of the family home of brothers Rob and John Wright in 1979. 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. All along the way, they kept their integrity, saying “NO“ to many mainstream opportunities. 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. They were expertly skilled musicians playing a new kind of punk: intelligent, soulful, hilarious, and complex. They were also really nice Canadian dudes. 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. 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. 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. Support the Kickstarter: Preorder: Praise “Out of the blue, NoMeansNo showed up in San Francisco. Playing to a tiny crowd at a tiny dive bar. Blew the roof off several buildings in a matter of minutes. The drums and the bass were so tight and so intense, it was almost like they were one person. 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…” —Jello Biafra “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.” —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 “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. We might not have the band around anymore, but this book will make you wish they were.” —Eric Alper, SKU: 9798887440149 Author: Jason Lamb with Paul Prescott • Foreword by Fred Armisen • Afterword by W. Buzz Ryan Series: PM Press ISBN: 9798887440149 / 9798887440187 Published: 01/02/2024 Format: Paperback / Hardcover Size: 8 x 10 Pages: 384 Subjects: Music / Punk