Review: Censorship Now!!

Censorship Now!!
Ian F. Svenonius

Akashic Books
Street: 10.09.15

Censorship Now!! is the latest book by Ian F. Svenonius—best known for his membership in the hardcore punk band, The Nation Of Ulysses, and is a collection of essays that range on topics of art censorship from “Censorship Now” to “The Rise and Fall of College Rock: Mow yuppies and NPR gentrified punk.” Initially these topics suggest that there are ideas that serve to provoke intelligent conversation and allow the exploration of the possibility of needed controversy. Unfortunately, despite this premise, I cannot help but find that the prose flounders like a fish on dry land and gets lost in the execution. While the subject matter that supports each claim is initially interesting, I find there is a struggle to maintain a solid idea. Although there is some enlightening conversation to be had from reading this, these essays only manage to hold my attention through the promise of interesting topics, but in the end I need something a bit more concrete beyond liberal use of provocative terminology. In other words, Svenonius has an impressive litany of words, but the subjects here need some more definition.