Review: X’s John Doe and Tom Desavia explore the evolution of 80s punk in More Fun in the New World

The 70s punk explosion has been explored at length in recent years, with a number of oral histories, biographies, and documentaries focusing on the lasting influence of specific scenes and bands from across the U.S. and beyond. Fronted by Exene Cervenka and John Doe, Los Angeles’ X were one of the most exciting West Coast punk bands in the 70s, merging driving RN’R rhythms with intense poetic lyrics about the seedy underbelly of the City of Angels.

In 2017, John Doe teamed up with author Tom Desavia for Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk, a unique book that featured a wide range of stories about the early days of L.A. punk from the people who lived it; band members, promotors, photographers, and fans were all given space for their own essays, which together formed an encompassing overview of the scene and the era. (Read our interview with John Doe discussing the book and his work with X here). John Doe and Tom Desavia are now back with More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk (Da Capo Press), a follow-up that focuses on the often-maligned and misunderstood 80s period of L.A. punk and its metamorphosis into a number of different styles.

Focusing on the years 1982 to 1987, More Fun in the New World delves into how the L.A. punk evolved after its initial eruption in the late 70s. While some bands continued on with their loud/fast formula, many were incorporating a variety of influences to expand their sound, either in a bid for commercial success, or to more accurately reflect their changing tastes. Bands like X and the Blasters leaned more heavily on the Rockabilly and Americana influences, while acts like The Go-Go’s sharpened their pop stylings, achieving major mainstream success. More Fun also showcases how the influence of the 70s bands informed sensibilities all throughout L.A., including bands like Los Lobos out in East L.A., who are rarely discussed as part of the L.A. punk scene.

With contributions from the likes of Henry Rollins, Fishbone, Billy Zoom, Mike Ness, Jane Weidlin, Keith Morris, Dave Alvin, Louis Pérez, Charlotte Caffey, and even artist Shepard Fairey and pro skater Tony Hawk, More Fun in the New World offers a fresh look at an era of L.A. music that often gets swept under the rug. While it’s always exciting to read about the birth of a scene/genre and its immediate effects, in many ways the era discussed here is even more interesting, with many of the bands (X, The GoGo’s) struggling with the after-effects of their initial success, and looking for ways to continue moving forward as their influences and public tastes continued to change and evolve.

Doe and Desavia refer to the 70s L.A. punk era as “throwing seeds,” and the era chronicled here shows how those seeds grew and mutated into a number of exciting and unexpected new musical permeations over the ensuing years. More Fun in the New World will get you diving deep into record bins and streaming services to discover some of the lesser-known bands discussed here, and perhaps more importantly, the book re-contextualizes an era that many have ignored over the years, showing that in many ways the follow-up to the punk explosion was just as influential and exciting as the initial inspiration and chaos that precipitated it.

More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk is available now.