(But hey, at least it’s more interesting than your cousin’s podcast)
Here’s the thing about Howard Wuelfing: the guy’s been running his mouth about punk since before your favorite band learned how to plug in their guitars. Actually, a lot of bands were still swimming around in their dad's balls when Howard was using a non-electric typewriter to document punk history.
The result is Descenes and Discords—two gloriously ragged fanzines that smelled like Xerox toner and indignant rage. Those pages captured the birth of DC and then national punk in all its sweaty, beautiful chaos.
Now, Howard’s gone and anthologized the whole mess into a book: Descenes and Discords: An Anthology. It’s basically a time machine made of paper, except instead of dinosaurs you get stinky nightclubs, questionable haircuts, and bands that changed music forever.
And since putting this monster together, Howard’s been yapping to anyone with a press badge and a working recorder:
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Over at Dying Scene, he spilled about the DC punk scene and admitted that editing an anthology of old punks is like “herding cats, if all the cats were hungover.”
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At The Big Takeover, he waxed poetic about journalism, DIY publishing, and why he’s still allergic to proper margins.
But the real gold is in Howard’s “quotes” (okay fine, we may have made some of these up):
“I didn’t want to be a historian. I just wanted free 7-inches and maybe a ride to the show.”
"Documenting this shit was a dirty job, but someone had to do it."
“Punk was never about perfection. Which is great, because I was terrible with Letraset.” (If you don't know what Letraset is - look it up.)
So yeah, Howard still won’t shut up—and bless him for it. Descenes and Discords isn’t some sanitized coffee table book. It’s messy, loud, and a little dangerous around the edges. Just like the scene it came from.
Grab a copy. Read the interviews. And remember: if it feels too polished, you’re doing it wrong.