Sassenberger, Bill
Toxic Shock Records - Assassin Of Mediocrity
Presented here is a full-colour, 200-page book that chronicles the history of the punk record store/mail order enterprise and groundbreaking record label Toxic Shock from its origins in 1980 in the grimy suburbs of Pomona, CA to its demise in Tucson, AZ in 2014. Loaded with many rare photos and gig flyers, and through a combination of a very personal biography, oral history and extensive imagery, the book covers the many twists and turns that made Toxic Shock an often misunderstood punk rock institution. It also covers how the death rock band Christian Death inspired the co-owners to create the record label. Graphic artists such as Pushead, Vince Rancid and Jim Blanchard lent their work to its earliest label releases and mail order catalogues.