Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk 20th Anniversary Book Tour at Ace Hotel featuring writers Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil.

"We figured the best way to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Please Kill Me; The Uncensored Oral History of Punk and the 40th Anniversary of the Ramones playing CBGB's for the first time, would be to take the show on the road, touring the Ace Hotels throughout the summer, reading from the 20th Anniversary Edition, as well as telling stories, playing great tunes as guest DJ's, and partying up a storm!" – Gillian McCain 

"The raw humanity and free spirit of artists such as Patti Smith, The Ramones and Iggy Pop have always been an inspiration for Ace. Please Kill Me was one of Alex's favorite books, so to host the 20th anniversary tour with Legs and Gillian is an immense honor." – Kelly Sawdon, Partner and Chief Brand Officer, Ace Hotel.

A Time Out and New York Daily News Best Book of the Year when it came out in 1996, PleaseKill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk has now become a contemporary American classic, giving a complete analysis of the punk phenomenon from its origins in Andy Warhol's New York to its last gasps in the 1980s. The book features reports from famous and infamous punks who lent their voices to chronicle a musical and social revolution, including lggy Pop, Richard Hell, Patti Smith, Dee Dee and Joey Ramone, Malcolm McLaren, Jim Carroll, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed and many more. 

As 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of Please Kill Me, Grove Press is issuing a special edition of the book complete with new photos, interviews and an afterword by authors Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. When Please Kill Me came out in 1996 it was revolutionary, not just because it unabashedly chronicled America's punk movement through first-hand accounts, but because it helped to popularize the oral history style, later perfected in Edie: American Girl by Jean Stein and George Plimpton. McNeil and McCain sum up the beauty of the form: “The narrative oral history is such an incredible format because it draws from every art form,” they write, “the chapters have the rhythm of song, the cuts are cinematic, newspaper headlines can punctuate incidents, slang is celebrated, and first-hand accounts bring the poetry of the spoken word.”

In celebration of the anniversary, Ace Hotel – who cites punk amongst its influences – is honored to host a series of events across six properties, which will combine readings by the authors along with DJ parties and festivities to mark the occasion. 

Free, All Ages