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An intimate account of Paris-born author Phil Marcade's first ten years in the United States, where-after drifting from Boston to the West Coast and back-he wound up in New York City and became deeply immersed in the fledgling punk rock scene. With brilliant, often hilarious prose, Marcade's book is, according to revered radio personality James "The Hound" Marshall, "historically important, invaluable in fact, but also a fun, fast, nasty read."
This music memoir captures the raw energy and chaos of New York City's underground scene during its most transformative decade. Marcade arrived in the United States as a teenager from Paris, expecting to stay only a few months. Instead, he became a central figure in the punk rock explosion that would define a generation.
As founder and lead singer of The Senders, Marcade was more than an observer—he was an active participant in the movement. His intimate friendships with legendary artists and musicians including Johnny Thunders, Nan Goldin, Cookie Muller, Wayne Kramer, Debbie Harry, Nancy Spungen, and Willie DeVille provide readers with unprecedented access to the personalities who shaped punk rock history.
The book chronicles Marcade's journey through the American landscape, from Boston to the West Coast, before settling in New York City where the real story begins. His decade-long immersion in the scene gives readers an authentic perspective on the cultural and musical revolution happening in real-time during 1972-1982.
This paperback combines personal memoir with cultural history, documenting the street culture and counterculture movements that defined downtown Manhattan. Marcade's brilliant and often hilarious writing style makes this historically important material accessible and entertaining, offering both scholarly value and pure reading enjoyment.
Published by Three Rooms Press, this book represents Marcade's English-language debut following the success of his French publication "Au-delà de l'Avenue D." Beyond his writing, Marcade continues to work as a painter and graphic artist, bringing the same creative energy to visual arts that he brought to music and literature.
Phil Marcade left Paris in his late teens to begin "a few months" of travel that would lead to a 40 year-stay in the U.S., mostly in New York City. He was at the center of the origins of the punk rock explosion, as a musician (founder and lead singer of The Senders) and scenester, forming intimate friendships with artists and musicians including Johnny Thunders, Nan Goldin, Cookie Muller, Wayne Kramer, Debbie Harry, Nancy Spungen and Willie DeVille. His first book, Au-delà de l'Avenue D (Scali, 2006), was published in France. In addition to writing, he works as a painter and graphic artist.