New York rocker - Gary Valentine

By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead - the sound track to revolution had become a multi-million dollar industry, and 'rock' had lost its 'roll'. Glitter tried to save music's soul, but was too commercial to be cutting edge for long. Then in 1974, a rescue movement arrived on the streets of New York City. Within two years it had spread West to California, and then East to London. Punk was born.Three chords, black jeans, a pair of shades and a lot of attitude accompanied music whose intensity matched the hard facts of life on its home ground, New York's East Village. This is a first hand account of this little documented era - of life alongside Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, David Bowie and the New York Dolls, of the gigs at CBGBs hitting the news as Warhol and his glittering crew descended - to its worldwide explosion, with Malcom McLaren hijacking the scene's momentum...

'Gary was pretty much everywhere at the right time . . . it's fortunate that the man who wrote X Offender and Presence Dear survived to tell the tale so well.' MOJO