At just under 200 pages, Tyler Sonnichsen’s definitive biography of The Dead Milkmen can be read across a couple of mundane weekdays. However, there’s a lot to digest as the author digs deep into lore that far predates the band’s early ’80s emergence from Philadelphia’s hardcore scene. Even diehards should learn a thing or two, from the origin of “KKSUCK2” to the connection between “Beige Sunshine’s” unsettling choir of children and Austin’s now-defunct Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Sonnichsen shows he’s clever like his subjects with such storytelling devices as a chapter that frames the band’s formation and early ups and downs around a series of traffic accidents.
It’s informative and entertaining enough for me to want to seek out the author’s other book, Capitals of Punk. Per a description online, it “tells the story of Franco-American circulation of punk music, politics and culture, focusing on the legendary Washington, DC hardcore punk scene and its less-heralded counterpart in Paris.”
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