It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military
radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin and it ended with the collapse of the East German
dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery. The buzz-saw guitars the messed-up
clothing and hair the rejection of society and the DIY approach to building a new one: in
their gray surroundings where everyone's future was preordained by some communist apparatchik
punk represented a revolutionary philosophy--quite literally as it turned out. But as these
young kids tried to form bands and became more visible security forces--including the dreaded
secret police the Stasi--targeted them. They were spied on by friends and even members of
their own families they were expelled from schools and fired from jobs they were beaten by
police and imprisoned. Instead of conforming the punks fought back playing an indispensable
role in the underground movements that helped bring down the Berlin Wall. This secret history
of East German punk rock is not just about the music it is a story of extraordinary bravery in
the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history. Rollicking cinematic deeply
researched highly readable and thrillingly topical Burning Down the Haus brings to life the
young men and women who successfully fought authoritarianism three chords at a time--and is a
fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution.
