What sets Vacant: A Diary of the Punk Years 1976-79 apart from the slew of other books pertaining to British punk in the mid- to late-70s is its intimate feel. Included are excerpts from Nils Stevenson's personal diaries mixed with major punk players' own take on the short-lived yet thrilling era and his brother Ray's outstanding photography. The characters seem to come alive on these 127 pages.

For those of you who aren't too familiar with the people behind the scenes of the punk phenomena, Nils Stevenson was right there when punk erupted in 1976 and 1977, first witnessing the spectacle of the Sex Pistols in January '76. In 1975 he had been "drawn" to Malcolm McLaren (Pistols manager) and Vivienne Westwood's shop Sex, "where it smelt of rubber and leather." In early 1976 he began to work with Malcolm and the Pistols, becoming the band's tour manager and a crucial figure in their entourage. He ended his professional relationship with the Pistols in January '77 and then became manager of Siouxsie and the Banshees. In his diary we see that while the Pistols were on their first major tour, the aptly titled 'Anarchy in the UK Tour' with the Clash, the Damned, and the Heartbreakers, Nils had been "smuggling" the Banshees into the Pistols' studio so they could get some much-needed practice. Meanwhile his brother Ray, according to the book's overview, was "undercover publicist for the Sex Pistols, and the only photographer involved in the early days of punk."

The first section of Vacant, entitled "World's End: Punk's Beginnings," is Nils' account of significant events that preceded punk in England. For example, he relates his and Malcolm's (separate) art school experiences in the late '60s/early '70s, as he was "maintaining romantic purity" and Malcolm was involved in King Mob, a group inspired by the French Situationists and was quite affected by their radical politics. Nils goes on to describe in detail the Situationists' beliefs and tactics and proves how all these different things helped shape UK punk along with inspiration from Malcolm's trip to NYC: the New York Dolls, fetish wear, Andy Warhol's Factory, and the spiky haired, street-tough look and apathetic attitude of the godfather of punk, Richard Hell. After all, Hell penned the seminal "Blank Generation," which was the inspiration for the Pistols' "Pretty Vacant." We also get an in-depth look at Malcolm and Vivienne's now-legendary shop at 430 King's Road - from the early days when they just sold records out the back and didn't own it yet, to taking it over in 1971 and renaming it Let It Rock, then a year later Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die, and then Sex in 1974, which became the place to be, a "Mecca for 'outsiders' and 'wannabes'" like the Factory in New York. Similarly, Nils touches on the very beginnings of the Sex Pistols, with Malcolm's "patronage" of Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock's band in 1974 and in 1975 getting Johnny Rotten to front the act. And, of course he recounts the aforementioned first Pistols gig he ever witnessed, being taken by Rotten's revolutionary look and stage demeanor.

The second section is "The Punk Aristocracy: Colour Photographs," showcasing 16 glorious pages of Ray's fine work. Not only are there photos of the Pistols, the Clash, and Walter Lure and Johnny Thunders of the Heartbreakers playing live, but also portraits of Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Siouxsie and Steve Severin (Banshees), Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex), and the Slits, as well as the colorful, eccentric people who were in on the scene from the early days like Sue Catwoman, Jordan, and Debbi Juvenile. However, the photos of Ray Stevenson aren't only relegated to this section of the book. Throughout the final - and largest - section, entitled "A Diary of the Punk Years: 1976-79," his black and white photos appear on every page, allowing us to see all the movers and shakers of the movement and the then-outrageous fashions that really set them apart from the rest of society and made them outcasts (until the media got a hold of "punk" and instead of being despised and shunned by society, it was commercialized, packaged, and sold to the populace, which basically began to happen in the middle of 1977). Some great candid photos include ones taken while on the 'Anarchy Tour' - in hotel rooms with Joe Strummer and Rotten, pillow fights, riding on the tour bus, and Sid and Nils in bed together. Likewise the live shots of the Pistols, Banshees, Adverts, the Clash, Patti Smith, and Richard Hell, to name a few, are great.

This section, as the name reveals, features Nils' diary, including excerpts between February 19, 1976 and August 27, 1980 and includes everything from setting up Pistols gigs, managing Siouxsie and the Banshees, shagging in the Roxy's toilets, and shooting up with Johnny Thunders as well as describing some of the bands like the Buzzcocks, Subway Sect, and the Slits. He also describes how they are losing hold of the scene in mid-1977, as it is being publicized by the media and myriad bands are forming and infiltrating "their" scene. The elite were losing hold of their own movement. Yet, Nils' diary isn't that detailed. Amazingly, he's extremely brief in his relating of the Pistols dissolution: "14 January, Pistols break up in the USA after their Winterland gig." Likewise his reaction to the events of 1 February 1979 is quite concise: "Sid O.D.s in New York. Poor Sid. He believed the myth." However, his writing does give us a clue as to the events and atmosphere of the time, most importantly how pure the scene was from '76 to mid-'77. The world seemed to be theirs for the taking and they felt like they could do anything they wanted and get away with it (and basically, they did).

In any case, a great addition to his diary entries are the sporadic views on the punk phenomenon from such legendary figures as Paul Simonon (Clash), Steve Severin (Banshees), Viv Albertine (Slits), Walter Lure (Heartbreakers), Mark Perry (editor of Sniffin Glue), and Don Letts (DJ, filmmaker), to name a few. But the best has to be T.V. Smith and Gaye Advert, both of the Adverts, interviewing each other. All these accounts are in their own handwriting, adding a nice personal touch to an already genuinely candid book. When reading this book and perusing the photos, you really feel like you're being let in on a secret. It's great. The "elite" of the UK punk scene are letting us in on their extraordinary lives, some 26 years ago. There hasn't been a youth movement like this that has had such a tremendous impact on society since, and this book makes you wonder if there ever will be in the future.