Dead Kennedys Book:

				Publisher: Burning Flags Press - Glen E. Friedman Salesrank: 6639108
		Media: Paperback

My Rules: Photozine Reviews:
a must for serious collectors
2005-06-15 -
Here's a the background for this first ever "photo-zine".

Glen E. Friedman shot, art directed and published the influential punk chronicle My Rules, one of the first comprehensive looks at the American hardcore punk scene.

Including incredible iconic photographs shot by friedman of bands such as BLACK FLAG, DEAD KENNEDYS, MINOR THREAT, BAD BRAINS, MISFITS, CIRCLE JERKS, T.S.O.L., and many others including the GERMS, on the front cover (a live photo of Darby Crash, taken at their last show just days before his suicide.)

MY RULES is the "DIY" first ever solo publication of the work of Glen E. Friedman. Originally self-published in the fall of 1982, it was unique in it's time. The first ever "photo-zine". Billed as "The One and Only Issue", never planned to be a regular fan'zine that would be published on a regular basis, Friedman knew from the start it was to be a one off project. Basically a book put together in a fanzine format.

At the time it was made it was actually the biggest print-run for fanzine, ever. 10,000 copies were printed and distributed by Friedman himself. In the first 2 years over 8,000 were sold, and over the next ten years or so the rest were sold via mail order only. Nowadays it can be found occasionally on E-Bay often selling for over $100 a copy (It's original cover price was just $2.oo)

Once MY RULES was out-of-print entirely the folks at Henry Rollins' 2.13.61 publications, who would later split off and become CONSAFOS Press, approached Glen with the idea of re-publishing it as a soft cover book, he turned down the idea, but after the success of his first hardcover monograph F*CK YOU HEROES, instead agreed he would create a scrapbook of some of the images that were in MY RULES and many more, including his early skate and hip-hop shots, to create the book F*CK YOU TOO.

When G.E.F. was getting together the pieces for MY RULES he called upon some of his friends to ask if they would make written contributions to his special 'photozine'. These friends were all important figures of the American Punk Rock scene, from several of the major regions in the U.S. He told them: "What ever you'd like to communicate, or base it upon the MY RULES theme" (which itself was inspired by the BLACK FLAG song of the same name). He offered the UN-EDITED space, and this was to be the only writing in the entire 'zine. The contributors Included Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, H.R. of the Bad Brains, Al Barile of S.S. Decontrol, Keith Morris of the Circle jerks, Barry Hensler of the Necros, and Randy Turner of the Big Boys. (If you can't find a copy of My Rules, these essays can also be found on the Idealist Propaganda website)

All in all MY RULES in a punk classic as well as an incredible document of the early punk work of Glen E. Friedman.

Better than your grade school yearbook
2005-06-14 - In 1982, photography, BLACK FLAG and the value of $2.00 meant nothing to this then three-year-old kid. Some 20 years later, I picked up nearly mint copy of MY RULES for around $70.00 on eBay and finally experienced, albeit on yellowing paper, what I was born too late to witness at the time. But this is a vital time capsule worth preserving to remember the mentality and energy that's harder to find these days in these art forms. For me, it's better than any yearbook from grade school.