LITERARY COLLECTIONS
270 Pages, 3.5 x 5
Trade Paper, $20.95 (US $20.95) (CA $23.95)
Publication Date: July 2006
ISBN 9780965618397
Rights: WOR X UK
Drag City (Jul 2006)
An anthology of both new and previously published essays and articles from one of the mainstays of the Washington, DC underground rock-and-roll scene, The Psychic Soviet is the most complete collection of writings by Ian Svenonius. The selections are written in a scholarly yet engaging style, filled with parody and biting humor that subvert capitalist culture, and cover such topics as the ascent of the DJ as a star, the “cosmic depression” that followed the defeat of the USSR, and the status of rock and roll as a religion. The pocket-sized book is bound with a durable bright-pink plastic cover, recalling the aesthetics of Mao’s The Little Red Book, and perfect for carrying into the fray of street battle, classroom, or lunch counter argument.
“The pocket-sized book—given Svenonius's communism infatuation, the parallel to Mao's Little Red Book is no mistake—contains well-thought out arguments on a variety of subjects from vampires to the origins of punk rock. It's often funny, but never in a self-consciously ironic way.” —The Washington Post
“In a sense the book is Mr. Svenonius's love letter to the good old days of do-it-yourself punk concerts, though it's cleverly disguised as a series of Marxian essays.” —New York Times
“Ian Svenonius has come a long way since Sassy Magazine first dubbed him the "Sassiest Boy in America" in 1991. The D.C. singer has never been anything less than political to the extreme.” —The Village Voice
Ian Svenonius has been lead singer of the bands Make Up, the Nation of Ulysses, Weird War, and Chain and the Gang, appearing on more than 15 albums. He is also a filmmaker, DJ, and host of Soft Focus on VBS.tv. He lives in Washington, DC.