"Kogan-himself part of a distinguishable lineage of committed contrarians which includes Richard Meltzer, Lester Bangs, and Chuck Eddy-laid the intellectual foundations for the 'Blogging' era with his interactive fanzine ... this first collection of his work promises (and delivers). " -The Independent (UK)

"To label Kogan a music journalist understates the philosophical and exploratory qualities of his verbiage ... He draws out pre-conceived notions and puts them under the microscope. It's in this process that Kogan truly shines as not just a critic of music, but of the culture at large ... The voice in his head spills out onto the printed page with both style and substance. Witnessing his words in action as they unfold is at once baffling and alluring ... Any random page throughout the book is an easy entry point ... Grasping the linear motion of his writing is not essential to the Kogan experience, but tuning into the drawn-out processes his thoughts follow is the key to unlocking a real punk's true colors."-Creative Loafing

"Kogan's autodidactic obsession with making a precise point reminds me a lot of the short stories of Woody Allen. With both writers, we are treated to large quantities of self-deprecation that result in humor which makes the traveling through discussions that might otherwise get dry a fascinating trip ... an inspired look into the world of sounds we make and the attitudes of those who make them as well as the dances we do because of them."-Denver Daily News

"Kogan's collection ... comes alive in his well-told reflections, where he examines when and how we define ourselves through choices in music. His rockin' auto-analysis shares a quality with his inspirer, Richard Meltzer, though Kogan straddles the line between the gonzo poet and the upper-crust of rock critdom"-Harp

"Kogan is piercingly intelligent without ever being pompous, pedantic or inscrutable ... Kogan is funny, perverse and contrarian without resorting to shtick or insincerity ... [Real Punks Don't Wear Black] never fails to be an illuminating and entertaining ride."-Chicago Sun-Times

"The best writing needs to be as sharp, romantic, challenging and catchy as what it's trying to describe, but also willing to be as profane, stupid, noisy and contradictory. And that's why Kogan's brilliant, all-over-the-map collection Real Punks Don't Wear Black has something to offer people who-unlike the author-don't fret much about whether Mariah Carey is great or god awful or what . you get 'music writing' that's also about the social terrors of junior high school, about the lure and numbness of the suburbs, about how communities are created and threatened, about bohemian self-hatred, about the limits of deconstruction and ultimately about what music writing-in fact, all writing-can and should do . [Kogan] writes as if he's dancing, fighting, killing time and trying to change the world."-Frieze

"Kogan has a way with a turn of phrase . but he can also go the distance, endlessly questioning preconceived ideas and leading the reader to question them herself . Frank Kogan's writing changed my life."-Austin American Statesman

"One of the smartest, shrewdest and most honest critics in publishing today. Kogan is an obsessive thinker, an interrogator returning again and again, testing new methods to see if his subjects will reveal their secrets . He wants, illuminates, and conveys a sense of discovery in the widest range of individual and musical possibility." -No Depression

"Kogan ... dishes up heaping platefuls of malcontent, angst, sniping critical analysis, and anti-intellectual rants in a dizzying mishmash of essays, lists, reviews, and salvos focusing on an eclectic menu of singers and bands ... Kogan's essays never fail to shock, amaze, or question, and his critical reviews are probing and often surprising ... Read the book."-Feminist Review

"If there's a book which should make you want to write about (and think about) how you came to music and what you tried to use it for, this is it." -Pitchfork