We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk

By Marc Spitz and Brendan Mullen Three Rivers Press www.randomhouse.com

The subject of L.A. punk takes me back to my teenage years growing up in Southern California, a time when Black Flag really scared parents and cops in ways that Marilyn Manson fans will never understand. Punk spelled danger — glorious danger.

Just like Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me, which covered the hallowed New York scene, We Got the Neutron Bomb tackles the Los Angeles punk bands that so richly deserve mention in the underground annals. From the Germs to the Go-Go's, Spitz and Mullen do a fine job of channeling the often hilarious recollections of punk rock luminaries such as John Doe (X), Keith Morris (Circle Jerks and Black Flag), and Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose).

Although Spitz and Mullen make it abundantly clear that they couldn't have devoted enough space to please everyone, it is a mystery that more pages are devoted to the Runaways than groundbreaking bands such as the Minutemen.