$25 postpaid in Canada

$30 postpaid in rest of world

The product of six years of work, this 300 page book by Eighties punk veteran George Hurchalla is quickly running out of its second printing, having captured the imagination of punks throughout the country. It is being lauded for its voluminous size and scope - an oversized 8.5 x 11 inches, it's huge! -  and regarded in many corners as the most comprehensive look yet at the nationwide punk underground of the era. Featuring over 100 photos never published before, the book is graphically rich as well as a great read. Rather than trot out the usual suspects from LA, NY, and DC that are typically written about, Hurchalla delves deeper into the underground's underbelly to root out stories from Chicago, Philadelphia, Austin, Lawrence, Annapolis, Iowa, Cincinnati, Florida, and elsewhere.  The second edition features a variety of dramatic improvements from the first, including an index, making it easier for ego-driven punks to do a Hollywood read and find out where they are in it. Also due to multiple focus group trials, the author gave it a much better ending. (I.e., unlike some authors, he got his head out of his ass and just told the story of his era without wallowing in "when punk was punk" geezerhood that too many others have. Despite all the garbage notions the mainstream has fed us over the years from "punk died with Sid Vicious" to "punk was reborn with Nirvana", if you follow where the real punk underground went with any given generation, you find the DIY spirit of punk has survived quite well.) Check out a sample chapter. 

Reviews:

 "Hurchalla gets it right for using Idle Timer Dixon Coulbourn's blazingly punk rock, Cash-esque photo of Randy "Biscuit" Turner, late of the Big Boys and this earth, as his cover shot. This second edition is dedicated to both of those Austin punk icons – now presumably gigging across the great wide open in a winged Ford Econoline with Will Shatter, Joe Strummer, et al – and includes an additional chapter on the Austin/Texas scene that's invaluable, both as historical record (the perpetually inclusive Big Boys contretemps with homophobic DCenesters Bad Brains is thick with menace) and as decidedly un-rose-tinted backward glance (MRR No. 6 sported the arresting cover header "The Dicks: A Commie Faggot Band!??!"). Trying to encapsulate the entirety of American punk rock, even with the 1992 cutoff in which Hurchalla wisely caps this exhaustive look-back, makes Hercules' Augean stable-boy routine seem positively fun, fun, fun. Nevertheless, Hurchalla's efforts are impressive, given the fragmented and regional nature of American hardcore in the Eighties, a time well before the Web made for a truly Punk Planet. Mimicking an Eighties-era tour, it meanders all over the place without ever fully wearing out its welcome. To paraphrase the Butthole Surfers: Regret is not having been there the first time round." - Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

"Getting lost in George Hurchalla’s terrific Going Underground: American Punk 1979-1992, I can almost smell the spilt Fosters beer and rancid bathrooms of the many punk palaces across America that kept it lively back then, from the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and Club 57 in New York City, to the Gilman Center in Berkeley and the legendary Jockey Club in Newport, Kentucky. Chapter by chapter, Hurchalla captures each major cities’ contribution, with the formation and rise of seminal clubs, bands and indie record labels, all told through the anecdotes of the musicians, club promoters, zine publishers and scenesters themselves. Peppered with original show flyers and rare photographs, this anthropological perfect storm might leave latter-day punks thirsty at the trough, as baby, those were truly the golden years. “Honey – what’ll it be tonight? The Necros, the Dickies, Bad Brains, or Die Kreuzen?”  - John James in his Positively Yeah Yeah Yeah column in the Cincinnati CityBeat, Anchorage Press, Chattanooga Pulse, and River Cities Reader

"As a person who was there for a good chunk of the time period this book covers, it was not only a wonderful trip down memory lane, but also served as an enhancement to my 'punk rock education' as there was plenty of stories I've never heard before, and information I wasn't aware of. If someone who wasn't there at the time were to read this, they'd come out of it with a great understanding of what the world of punk rock was like back then and will hopefully appreciate it and respect it as much as the author, who's passion for the old punk scene never seemed to fade or sour like some people. I can't recommend this book enough, and hopefully there is more like it to come in the future." - Mike Vinikour of The Punk Vault/Spontaneous Combustion, click this link for full review

"...what makes Hurchalla's book so important is that it captures the spirit of the movement, its idealistic sense of purpose that, despite punk's many shortcomings, has managed to survive and continues to influence a wide swath of people...Coupled with the equally excellent Fucked Up and Photocopied, Going Underground now stands as the definitive statement on the history of America's punk/hardcore scene. George, I tip my worn-out beret to you." - Jimmy Alvarado, Razorcake

"Exactly what it says it is - an exhaustive look at the American punk scene from the So-Cal days to NoMeansNo. Drawn in large part from zines of the times, every page brings another memory. Naked Raygun on one, countered by Black Flag or the Butthole Surfers on the next. This isn't some prettied-up, big publisher look at ancient history, but rather like the music it documents, it's a raw and passionate take on a revolution of sorts. This music never died, but it did get co-opted, yet Hurchalla steers clear of all that, and just records what matters. Good stuff! - James Mann, The Big Takeover

"Going Underground is the way books about punk should be written - from a personal and local perspective... This book's informal and very personal tone is a refreshing and much-needed counterpoint to the string of pretentious and overbearing retrospectives on American punk that have been written in recent years... Another thing that sets Going Underground apart from other books is that Hurchalla makes no effort to retrofit the scene with some kind of seriousness or importance. Yeah, sure, the fashions and sounds of punk have gone mainstream. But Hurchalla correctly argues that it was the utter lack of a sense of importance that made punk rock so fun. An excellent stab at a complicated and interesting subject." - Jeff Fox, Barracuda

"...despite the fact that this seems to be, essentially, a one-man affair, Going Underground is probably the most well-put-together book on post-Pistols punk (with the possible exception of Our Band Could Be Your Life, which had the backing of a large corporate press). Indeed, Going Underground is far better-looking, better-written and better-edited than its main competition, American Hardcore: A Tribal History, which had the backing of an independent but experienced press. - DeadMetaphor.com

"Through interviews he did, old interviews from zines, photos, fliers, and his own memory Hurchalla has put together an informative book on punk that goes from the early days of the L.A. scene (Dickies, Circle Jerks, etc.) up through the early 90’s and bands that I didn’t care much for like Gorilla Biscuits and No Means No.  You get some great info on bands like Government Issue ( the band’s final difficult years when they released their best work but Stabb was involved in a relationship with a 15 year old girl), The Feederz’ Frank Discussion and the prank he pulled on an Arizona school district, and other bits on Naked Raygun, Husker Du, JFA and, of course The Big Boys (singer Randy “Biscuit” Turner graces the cover of the book) and many more. Hurchalla has done a good job and if you collect (and eat up ) books on old punk like I do then you’ll find it essential. - Dagger

"Much more rooted in reality than the rumor-ridden and extremely flawed American Hardcore book from a couple of years ago, Going Underground will remain a punk classic for years to come!" - AlternativeTentacles.com

"Every time I hear about a new book or article that touts knowledge on the early U.S. Hardcore scene I always wonder what self appointed 'expert' has popped out of the woodwork this time to kluck about something they were never a part of and never understood or cared about. See, everybody these days has some secret 'Hardcore' past they have been keeping silent for all of these years but now feel they must tell everyone about.  So when I heard about "Going Underground" I thought who is George Hurchalla and what lame hipster rock did he possibly crawl out from under. Well it turned out that Hurchalla was not some sniveling hipster and shock of shocks here was someone actually writing about something they were a part of and did understand. Putting it simply, George Hurchalla got it. What is the "it" I speak of ? The vibe, the feel, the just go out and do it because you don't need anyone else to do it for you spirit of Hardcore. George Hurchalla was there, learning from and contributing to the old Hardcore scene but instead of coming off like some look at how cool I once was codger, Hurchalla conveys with passion and enthusiasm his respect for those times and the people who made it all happen: the semi famous, not so famous, and just plain forgotten. "Going Underground" is an enthusiastic yet factual account of the 1980's U.S. Hardcore scene presenting both the good and bad aspects of this Do It Yourself music movement. Hurchalla is a good writer and understands what it takes to put together a great book. For anyone with an interest in the 1980's U.S. Hardcore scene this is a must read book." - Brian/Grand Theft Audio

 "Punk is an integrated part of American culture now, but it hasn’t always been that way. Hurchalla’s book serves as a window into a time and place where punk meant something completely different. Celebrities didn’t have Mohawks and people didn’t always think you were cool for dressing totally punk. But it was an independent movement where people were taking complete control over their music and culture." - Encore Weekly, Wilmington, NC