Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and The Germs

Lexicon Devil is a look into the LA underground scene of the 1970s, with Darby Crash as its very embodiment - from his childhood adulation of Bowie to his tragic demise, accompanied by frenetic music, drugs, and mohawks (never say "mohican"). With the contributions of over a hundred protagonists and 140 never-before-seen photos, Lexicon Devil goes beyond the genesis of a turbulent musical movement, delving into the dark realms of suicide, mind control, repressed sexuality, corrosive humor, self-destruction, and addiction to fame, drugs, and cults.

In the late 1970s, the worst of the small-time crooks clashed and jostled in a boiling Los Angeles. Here, at last, are the censored chapters of a frenzied Babylonian Hollywood. It took the unexpected collaboration of three writers to construct this remarkable work. Brendan Mullen, the author of We Got the Neutron Bomb, the history of rock in 1970s LA, is also the founder of The Masque, the dubious underground where LA punk was born. Don Bolles, drummer for The Germs, Vox Pop, 45 Grave, and Celebrity Skin, also spends his spare time polluting teenagers' ears on the airwaves of KXLU. And Adam Parfrey is known as the sociologist of the apocalypse.

This multifaceted work delves deep into the LA punk scene's origins, tracing the trajectories of its key figures and revealing the underbelly of a cultural movement that has left an indelible mark on music history. From the frenetic energy of the music to the dark undercurrents of addiction and self-destruction, Lexicon Devil paints a vivid and unflinching portrait of a subculture that refused to be silenced. With its mosaic of perspectives and never-before-seen visual documentation, this book offers a comprehensive and compelling exploration of a pivotal moment in the evolution of LA's cultural landscape.

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