Barely Human: Dispatches From An Underground Music Anti-History (2015-2024) Book

Sure Liane Moriarty’s got a new one out, but this is my pick for this summer’s beach reads!

Miles Franklin award nominated author (and nice dude in a swathe of great bands etc etc) Max Easton returns with the collected Barely Human writings!

Collating the zines, podcast scripts, blogs, and other writings from the project, this tome covers a hell of a lot of ground. From the hippy escapades of The Fugs, through to a hefty case for Randy Newman, coverage of hill country blues, international punk undergrounds, through to Australian contemporaries Low Life, Dick Diver, and Lower Plenty. For me, the project has served at once a nice reflection on some of my favourites as well as a roadmap to explore catalogues of other artists.

In a dearth of music criticism, Max’s writing from the Mess+Noise days through til now has always shown me the importance of treating contemporary and historical DIY/independent spaces with the kind of critical attention and care that they deserve while always pointing towards things that actually matter.

Not to be a peddler of minimal stock, but there aren’t many copies of this first print run kicking around here!
-Mitch

Featuring discussions of:

Cult fandom, LUCILLE BOGAN, R.L. BURNSIDE, "outsider" music, THE SHAGGS, ROKY ERICKSON & THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, THE FUGS, RANDY NEWMAN, DAVID ALLAN COE, SIS CUNNINGHAM, KAREN DALTON, folk and country, proto-punk, ELECTRIC EELS, DEATH, X-RAY SPEX, BLACK RANDY & THE METROSQUAD, CRASS, GG ALLIN, post-punk, TELEVISION PERSONALITIES, THE RAINCOATS, CCCP: FEDELI ALLA LINEA, FRANK SIDEBOTTOM, STICK MEN WITH RAY GUNS, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, NEGATIVLAND, RON HOUSE, LOS CRUDOS, the '90s garage revival, CHEATER SLICKS, satire and obscenity, COUNTRY TEASERS, DEAD MOON, WIPERS, philistinism (NO TREND, FLIPPER, URINALS, CRUCIFUCKS), THE FALL, DEAD KENNEDYS, anarchocommunism (THE DICKS, THE STALIN, KINA, ZOUNDS), retrofuturism, TOTAL CONTROL, DICK DIVER, 'dolewave', CONSTANT MONGREL, HARAM, LOW LIFE, and much more in-between.

Self-published by BARELY HUMAN in a limited numbered first edition of 150.