If you are not familiar with Crass, they were a punk band that formed just after punk exploded ito the public's consciousness. They formed in the late 70's, released two hugely influential and acclaimed albums, then released some experimental dross and disbanded in the mid 80's. Their music is hit and miss - their good songs are really, really good, their bad songs are unlistenably awful.The thing that set them apart, was the socially conscious lyrics, shouted by Steve Ignorant, in his working class London accent (think Johnny Rotten turning it up to 11). And you might think politics comes with punk, but not often as aware as Crass, or anywhere near as angry (or passionately, as they put it). Mostly a bunch of ex-hippies, they "sang" about feminism, equality, pacifism, the CND (ban the bomb movement) as well as lots and lots of anarchism. Not just the buzzword "anarchy!" like the Pistols did, Crass had a thought out philosophy and viewpoint, and would often stay after gigs to explain things to their fans, such as how peace and anarchy work together.But apart from the music, they are notorious for their lifestyle and their activism and the exploits they got up to. Crass lived in a commune in Essex called Dial House, which had an open door policy, and accepted anyone who walked up. They didn't have a leader or ruler in the house, everyone was an equal there. The drummer Penny, had moved into the house in the 60's, then one by one the other members of Crass moved in, and the band started up. They intended to have a laugh, but quickly got serious and used the band as a vehicle for their ideologies of anarchy and pacifism. Crass were hugely aggressive and angry, but managed to keep an authenticity to their outrage. Agree or disagree with Crass, they will make you think. "If Buzzcocks wanted a generation of kids to turn up the volume and annoy their parents, Crass made them turn it down so they wouldn't hear it"
As well as the music, Crass staged a variety of other forms of activism and protests. Early on, they started a sort of graffiti campaign, where they stencilled the crass logo and slogans such as "Fight War Not Wars" on posters in the London Underground, and gave stencils and instructions out to fans, encouraging them to do the same thing, which mildly took off. Then there was the Loving magazine scandal, in which Crass had recorded a song called Our Wedding, and convinced Loving magazine to give it away as a free single to their teenage audience. The magazine did, and the New of the World picked up the story, and chastised Crass stating the name of the album the single appeared on was too obscene to print (It was called Penis Envy and was largely a feminist album against traditions such as marriage). Then there was the Falklands incidents, in which Crass found themselves in possession of confidential information and under heavy scrutiny from intelligence agencies. Then there was the faked conversation between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher that the band made and circulated, which the CIA believed to be the work of the KGB.
This book is a good rock biography, telling the stories of the key members and the lives at Dial House. It tells the stories from a perspective the band holds after all is said and done - most of the book is direct quotes from the band from when the author interviewed them for the book. They are all delightfully honest and there are no rose tinted glasses to be found. For example, when the book goes on to talk about some of Crass's song or albums which are not as great as others, there are quotes a plenty from the guys in the band complaining about how awful that particular song or album are. They praise their good work and bemoan the bad - it is a welcome change to some of these biographies which act as if all the output from the subject is an amazing triumph. The quotes from the band are all insightful and it is nice to have their exact opinion on a lot of things, and the ideas behind some the songs and ideologies are at times welcome. It's nice to have an explanation for that free jazz album they made.There is also a nice bit at the end where one of the singers (the band had 3 most of the time) explains how he is just about living off royalties - he spends £20 a week on food and has £30 pocket money, putting him well below the poverty line. It adds a human character to the legends and stories surrounding this band.
Another reason this book is entertaining is because Crass rarely did interviews, or photoshoots. This made it confusing to work out what they were up to and what they were thinking. Some of their output is utterly baffling, such as Acts of Love - an odd almost classical album, which Penny says the grannies will like more than the punks. This book also borrows heavily from Penny's essay, Last of the Hippies, to let the man explain for himself what the ideologies and ethos behind this or that song or behaviour.
So all in all, this was a great book for a fan of Crass, or a fan of punk music. If you're not interested in either of these things, probably best to give this one a miss. If you are into political music or punk music, do yourself a favour and check out Crass's Feeding of the 5000.
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