top of page

SELECTED PRESS

SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC RADIO

​

11.1.23 - CODE SWITCH 

Where are the Black Punks Now?

​

7.27.23 - NOTES FROM AMERICA 

A Punk Rock Guide To Making A Scene

​

8.5.23 DECODER RING / SLATE 

What's Really Going on Inside a Mosh Pit

​

2.28.23 - KXEP - SOUND AND VISION

Stranger in the Punk House: A Look at Black Punks

​

6.20.22 THE TAKE AWAY

Becoming Afro-Punk

​

5. 21. 22  ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

New graphic memoir shows how punk rock helped a young Black man find his identity

​

10. 30. 06 ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

Film Looks at Lives of Black Punks

LA Times
festival.jpg
92932197_10158337875704642_1693340059593342976_n-1.jpeg
Screen Shot 2022-02-02 at 12.42.36 PM.png
Trace1.jpg
vibe4.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-02-03 at 1.11.35 PM.jpeg
92439617_10158328257019642_5876125876428472320_n.jpg
92827962_10158337876979642_7421261269065269248_n.jpg
razorcake_128_cover_web-min.png
BLACK PUNK NOW

 

Starred Review

— KIRKUS

​

Black Punk Means Liberation

— The Nation

​

Where are the Black Punks Now?

— Code Switch

​

Fear and Pogoing in Las Vegas

— Alta 

​

Review 

— Razorcake

​

10 Best Music Books of 2023

—  Pitchfork

 

5 of the Best Music Books of 2023

— Guardian UK

​

How Sista Grrrl Riot Made Room for

Black Queers in Punk

— Interview Magazine

​
THE HIGH DESERT
​

LA MADE: James Spooner and Kathleen

Hanna in Conversation w/ Sextile Performance

—Los Angeles Public Library

​

2022 Top 10 Books for Adults 

—New York Public Library

​

Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2022

—Washington Post

​

Top 10 Comics of 2022

—Publisher's Weekly 

​

Graphic Memoirs

—Publisher's Weekly Podcast Reviews

​

The Graphic Memoir of an Apple

Valley ‘Afro-Punk’

—LA Times

​

Becoming AfroPunk

—The Takeaway, NPR

​

An Illustrated Life

—Departures Magazine

​

Afropunk Pioneer Explores

‘The High Desert’ of His Origins

—AndScape

​

New Graphic Memoir Shows How

Punk Helped a Young Black Man Find Identity

—All Things Considered, NPR

​

Newly Published, From the California

Desert to Capitol Hill

— New York Times

​

Afropunk Goes Graphic Memoir: 'PW'

Talks with James Spooner

— Publishers Weekly

​

Starred Review

— Publishers Weekly

​

Starred review

— KIRKUS 

​

Publishers Weekly Exclusive

— Publishers Weekly

​

SPOONER PROFILES & 
BLACK PUNK HISTORY
​

A Punk Rock Guide To Making A Scene

WNYC - NOTES FROM AMERICA 

​

The Beauty and Freedom of Black Punks

— Harpers Bazaar

​

We Still Need To Be Seen 

— The Guardian

​

"Fuck That Thing." That’s all punk needs.

— Diaphanes

​

​The Afro-Punk Pioneers Who Defy Stereotypes

The Voice UK

​

The Very Black History of Punk Music

— Al Jazeera

​

The Rockers putting their Blackness at the fore of Punk and Hardcore​

The Guardian 

​

The Process: James Spooner on AfroPunk 

— Believer Magazine

​

James Spooner Shows a Different

Shade of Punk 

— Phoenix New Times

​

AfroPunk at The Hammer Museum (Q&A) 

–UCLA (video)

​

A Talk With James Spooner 

— High How Are You

​

The Musical Influences of Basquiat

with James Spooner

— The Broad Museum

​

The Lasting influence of Jean Michel

Basquiat with James Spooner and Ed Patuto 

— Auture Magazine

​

James Spooner on Minor Threat 

— Heat Rocks Podcast (audio)

​
AFROPUNK (Festival and Criticism)

​

AfroPunk Returns to Brooklyn

— CBS Sunday Morning

​

AfroPunk Is Back With New Message 

— Brooklyn Eagle

​

Riot Woman With James Spooner 

— Riot Woman Podcast (audio)

​

AfroPunk Staff Report Abuse 

— Vibe Magazine

​

AfroPunk Community Speaks Out 

— The Rad Voice

​

Couple Thrown Out of Afropunk

The Root

​

The Misguided Evolution of AfroPunk 

— Bitch Media

​

Gentrifying AfroPunk 

— New Yorker

​

Looking for The Punk 

— Nylon

​

The True Story of How AfroPunk

Turned a Message Board into a Movement 

— Fader

​

Is AfroPunk No Longer Punk 

— Vice

​

A Weekend at AfroPunk 

— PitchFork Magazine

​

Truly Indie Fans 

— New York Times

​

James Spooner’s Doc 

— XLR8R Magazine

​

AfroPunk Started With a Documentary 

— Village Voice

​

AfroPunk Stretches Racial Labels 

— MSNBC

​

The Evolution of AfroPunk 

— Forbes Magazine

​

AfroPunk’s Growing Pains 

— Mail & Guardian

​

James Spooner Goes in Depth 

— Tribes.org

​

AfroPunk Before AfroPunk 

— Ebony Magazine

​

The Evolution of AfroPunk 

— Mic

​

AfroPunk: More Than a Festival;

It’s Black Culture 

— Huffington Post

​

AFROPUNK (Early Years)

​

AfroPunk – A Black Punk Documentary 

— NPR

​

Afro on The Outside, Punk on the Inside 

— NY Sun

​

The Rock N Roll Nigger Experience 

— Brooklyn Rail

​

Fear of A Punk Planet 

— Vibe Magazine

​

AfroPunk Scene 

— MTV.com

​

How AfroPunk Became a Movement 

— Racked NYC

​

Director Interview 

— Indiana University Interview (video)

​

James Spooner Interview 

— AfroPunk Media (video)

​

AfroPunk – MTV Promo 

— MTV (video)

​

James Spooner on Grit 

— Grit TV (video)

​

Director Interview 

— AfroPunk Media (video)

​

Director Interview 

— DefKon (video)

​

Much Music Interview 

— Much Music (video)

​

Rock N Roll Nigger Experience 

— Documentary is Never Neutral

​

TATTOOS​
​

Vegan Dark Skin Tattoos 

— LA Sentinel

​

Tattooing the African Diaspora

with James Spooner

— Los Angeles Public Library (video)

​

Dark Skin Tattooing

— ATTN: interview. (video)

​

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Vegan Tattoo

— Driftwood Magazine

​

Samsung Commercial (video) 

​

MISC

​

What's Really Going on Inside a Mosh Pit?

Decoder Ring / Salt  

​

A Freedom Ride: Black Kids on Bikes 

— Street Films (video)

​

James Spooner's Ipod Commercial 

— Apple (video)

​

​

bottom of page