LA Weekly, 7/28/16"A collection of essays by a fraternity of key members of L.A.'s early punk scene between 1977 and 1982, before any of them experienced major-label interest and mainstream success...Stories of hardscrabble living, house parties and shambolic shows...Includes loads of photos and vintage gig fliers."
Scanner Zine, 7/25/16"Each chapter works in its own right, focusing on a specialized area from each writer. As a collection, they create a comprehensive narrative that takes in all of those early LA legends...All of John Doe's pieces read like a noir film; his writing is incredibly stylized, panoramic and informative...This is the most complete and in-depth look at that initial LA Punk scene yet...Doe has collected a group of people who actually know how to write and write with flair...An informative and exciting book...It's deftly written, beautifully presented and makes the reader yearn for a time machine."
Red Dirt Report, 7/25/16"[In]
Under the Big Black Sun, we get a truckload of stories, mixed in with haphazard memories and hilarious situations, set against the angsty punk scene of Greater Los Angeles circa 1977-82, before everything was MTV-ized and sanitized for your protection...Offers a quick, 249-page peek into a scene that was so important to the music that would follow. A bloody good read."
