X Gang
3 primary works
Book 1
How a group of Portland, Maine, punks defeated a murderous gang of neo-Nazis.
The X Gang is a group of punks led by the scarred, silent, and mostly unreadable Christopher X. His best friend, Kurt Blank, is a hulking and talented punk guitarist living in the closet. Sisters Patti and Betty Upchuck form the core of the feminist Punk Rock Virgins band, and are the closest to X and Kurt. Assorted hangers-on and young upstarts fill out the X Gang's orbit: the Hot Nasties, the Social Blemishes, and even the legendary Joe Strummer of the Clash. Together, they've all but taken over Gary's, an old biker bar. Then over one dark weekend, a bloody crime nearly brings it all to an end.
Based on real events, Warren Kinsella tells the story of the X Gang's punk lives - the community hall gigs, the antiracism rallies, the fanzines and poetry and art, and what happened after the brutal murders of two of their friends.
The X Gang is a group of punks led by the scarred, silent, and mostly unreadable Christopher X. His best friend, Kurt Blank, is a hulking and talented punk guitarist living in the closet. Sisters Patti and Betty Upchuck form the core of the feminist Punk Rock Virgins band, and are the closest to X and Kurt. Assorted hangers-on and young upstarts fill out the X Gang's orbit: the Hot Nasties, the Social Blemishes, and even the legendary Joe Strummer of the Clash. Together, they've all but taken over Gary's, an old biker bar. Then over one dark weekend, a bloody crime nearly brings it all to an end.
Based on real events, Warren Kinsella tells the story of the X Gang's punk lives - the community hall gigs, the antiracism rallies, the fanzines and poetry and art, and what happened after the brutal murders of two of their friends.
Book 2
The X Gang face off with Earl Turner, a presidential candidate straight out of their nightmares.
It is a dangerous, divisive time in America. A far-right political candidate is seeking the presidency and stirring up hatred against minorities. The X Gang, meanwhile, have lost one of their friends to that presidential candidate - and are encountering manifestations of hate practically everywhere they go.
With his band, the Hot Nasties, about to embark on its first North American tour, and several recent murders in the punk
scene linked to its gigs, Kurt Blank and the rest of the X Gang have some difficult decisions to make.
New Dark Ages is about surviving in a nasty, brutish, and short-sighted time - and whether one should just go along or fight back.
It is a dangerous, divisive time in America. A far-right political candidate is seeking the presidency and stirring up hatred against minorities. The X Gang, meanwhile, have lost one of their friends to that presidential candidate - and are encountering manifestations of hate practically everywhere they go.
With his band, the Hot Nasties, about to embark on its first North American tour, and several recent murders in the punk
scene linked to its gigs, Kurt Blank and the rest of the X Gang have some difficult decisions to make.
New Dark Ages is about surviving in a nasty, brutish, and short-sighted time - and whether one should just go along or fight back.
Book 3
The X Gang must stand up for their beliefs in a changing world.
A new face of violence and hate has come to Portland, Maine, and the punks in the X Gang find themselves targeted once again. It is the early eighties, and the youth subculture they have grown up in is changing. Kurt, X, and the others have reluctantly concluded that they are unlikely to ever change the world with their punk anthems, but that injustice is still worth fighting against. The friends lean on each other for the strength to deal with death, addiction, sexism, and racism they see all around them.
Meanwhile, the police and the FBI are on the trail of a killer, and a member of the X Gang holds the secret to the fugitive's sinister motivations. Age of Unreason tells the shocking story of how hatred can become a cause, and how we must stand together against it no matter the cost.
A new face of violence and hate has come to Portland, Maine, and the punks in the X Gang find themselves targeted once again. It is the early eighties, and the youth subculture they have grown up in is changing. Kurt, X, and the others have reluctantly concluded that they are unlikely to ever change the world with their punk anthems, but that injustice is still worth fighting against. The friends lean on each other for the strength to deal with death, addiction, sexism, and racism they see all around them.
Meanwhile, the police and the FBI are on the trail of a killer, and a member of the X Gang holds the secret to the fugitive's sinister motivations. Age of Unreason tells the shocking story of how hatred can become a cause, and how we must stand together against it no matter the cost.