The Last Mad Surge of Youth

The Last Mad Surge of Youth focuses on John Barrett whose band, Killings Stars, toured the world and enjoyed numerous Top Ten hits while holding on to an integrity they forged through the revolution of punk and new wave. Inevitably, the hits dried up, his time ran out. He's now washed up, an alcoholic who considers his current album 'utter shit' and says so on national televisionl It is an intelligent, literate read covering the legacy of punk; girls, loved and lost; friendship; suicide, mortality, where it all went wrong. And right. The novel side steps the usual cliches of rock books and its authenticity and authority is never compromised, a viewpoint punk held dear.