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How to Ru(i) n a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records
In 1987, off-the-grid punk agitator Larry Livermore began documenting the burgeoning DIY East Bay punk rock scene with the newly founded Lookout Records. He had no idea this little label, first run out of his solar powered cabin in the Northern California mountains, then a cramped room in the backstreets of Berkeley, would rise to international prominence, introducing the world to the likes of Green Day, Operation Ivy, and a host of other artists.
How To Ru(i)n A Record Label documents the author’s experiences from Gilman Street to Bialystok, Poland, as he built Lookout from the ground up, only to find himself losing control of the label a mere ten years later, and abruptly walking away from the multi-million dollar company when it was at its peak of success.
Throughout that time, however, he was central to the influential scene that gave birth to Gilman Street, Maximum Rocknroll, and a new generation of independent music that has had an everlasting effect on both the underground and mainstream. In the process, he just might even have found himself.
Larry Livermore was the co-founder of Lookout Records, the editor and publisher of Lookout magazine, and a longtime columnist for Maximum Rocknroll and Punk Planet. His first memoir, Spy Rock Memories, was published in 2013 by Don Giovanni Records. He lives in Brooklyn.
How To Ru(i)n A Record Label documents the author’s experiences from Gilman Street to Bialystok, Poland, as he built Lookout from the ground up, only to find himself losing control of the label a mere ten years later, and abruptly walking away from the multi-million dollar company when it was at its peak of success.
Throughout that time, however, he was central to the influential scene that gave birth to Gilman Street, Maximum Rocknroll, and a new generation of independent music that has had an everlasting effect on both the underground and mainstream. In the process, he just might even have found himself.
Larry Livermore was the co-founder of Lookout Records, the editor and publisher of Lookout magazine, and a longtime columnist for Maximum Rocknroll and Punk Planet. His first memoir, Spy Rock Memories, was published in 2013 by Don Giovanni Records. He lives in Brooklyn.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 24, 2017
"Everything bad was Ben Weasel's fault."
- Larry Livermore
- Larry Livermore
May 26, 2016
Another wonderful book by Larry Livermore. Lookout definitely made me who I am today. And the last few pages of this book made me so happy, I was nearly brought to tears.
November 4, 2019
It’s been some time since I read a book I was so eager to return to between breaks. So much of this book was of interest to me that the notes I took while reading it exceeded the Goodreads character limit. On one hand, it may not touch on every little thing Lookout, but, on the other hand, it doesn't get stuck in details that slow down the story. Events lead to events, moments build to other moments, themes reveal themselves on their own...overall, a great read.
April 26, 2024
A fun look into the east bay/Gilman Street scene
May 18, 2017
I read Kevin Prested's Punk USA, and was surprised to see that Larry Livermore was absent from the interviews included in the book. How could someone write a book about Lookout! Records without including Larry? Was it because he had removed himself from the label, or didn't want to look back on what it had become? No, it turned out that he was writing his own book about his time at the label, and didn't want to duplicate his thoughts. So of course once I finished that book, I had to move on to Larry's.
If you want to know about the bands and the shows and the tours and the releases, Punk USA is the better book to read, because Livermore's story is more personal. It makes sense -- Prested was looking at the story from the perspective of a journalist, while Livermore is writing a memoir -- but the two books pair well together. It's still hard to tell if the two books comprise the complete story of Lookout! (there are a few contradictions between the two books, and the heroes and villains are portrayed differently), but together they tell a lot more than what a casual fan would already know.
Livermore tells his story in a self-effacing manner, mostly in the way he tells about the conflicts he had with other people on the label. Tim Yohannon and Ben Weasel get as much attention in Livermore's book as they did in Punk USA, but Livermore relays his feelings with an amount of respect. He admires the people as much as he criticizes them, which isn't always evident in Punk USA. Prested himself avoids comment, but those he interviews have some choice things to say. I preferred Livermore's telling of those stories, just because it praised as well as criticized.
Strangely, the key moment of the book -- when Livermore decides to leave the label -- is told differently in each book. The way Livermore tells it, Chris Applegren came to Livermore when he was ready to have a legal intervention over a disparagement with Ben Weasel (Livermore stresses that it wasn't suing, even though it was perceived as such) and basically gave him an ultimatum: Drop the proceedings or I quit. Instead, Livermore himself quit and let Applegren take over the label.
It's clear that Livermore has fond memories of the label and its scene, even as he has no regrets over the decisions he made. As he sees it, the label's focus changed after he left, similar to how Sub Pop changed when Bruce Pavitt left, and that's ultimately what led to its downfall. It's hard to say if Livermore staying on would have prevented the label's demise (though the way Livermore tells it, it would have), but he does tell the story with reserved judgment. For that part of the story, he's on the outside looking in, and his hindsight is 20/20.
The most remarkable piece of the story is in his postscript, where he writes about art and the scene and nostalgia, and sums it up in a beautiful way. Livermore is a talented writer, and his poignant look to the past and future is an effective way to wrap up his story. Prested's book gives a better picture of the label overall, but Livermore's memoir tells the story the way a biography can't. They're inseparable works, and anyone interested in the label and its history should read both books.
If you want to know about the bands and the shows and the tours and the releases, Punk USA is the better book to read, because Livermore's story is more personal. It makes sense -- Prested was looking at the story from the perspective of a journalist, while Livermore is writing a memoir -- but the two books pair well together. It's still hard to tell if the two books comprise the complete story of Lookout! (there are a few contradictions between the two books, and the heroes and villains are portrayed differently), but together they tell a lot more than what a casual fan would already know.
Livermore tells his story in a self-effacing manner, mostly in the way he tells about the conflicts he had with other people on the label. Tim Yohannon and Ben Weasel get as much attention in Livermore's book as they did in Punk USA, but Livermore relays his feelings with an amount of respect. He admires the people as much as he criticizes them, which isn't always evident in Punk USA. Prested himself avoids comment, but those he interviews have some choice things to say. I preferred Livermore's telling of those stories, just because it praised as well as criticized.
Strangely, the key moment of the book -- when Livermore decides to leave the label -- is told differently in each book. The way Livermore tells it, Chris Applegren came to Livermore when he was ready to have a legal intervention over a disparagement with Ben Weasel (Livermore stresses that it wasn't suing, even though it was perceived as such) and basically gave him an ultimatum: Drop the proceedings or I quit. Instead, Livermore himself quit and let Applegren take over the label.
It's clear that Livermore has fond memories of the label and its scene, even as he has no regrets over the decisions he made. As he sees it, the label's focus changed after he left, similar to how Sub Pop changed when Bruce Pavitt left, and that's ultimately what led to its downfall. It's hard to say if Livermore staying on would have prevented the label's demise (though the way Livermore tells it, it would have), but he does tell the story with reserved judgment. For that part of the story, he's on the outside looking in, and his hindsight is 20/20.
The most remarkable piece of the story is in his postscript, where he writes about art and the scene and nostalgia, and sums it up in a beautiful way. Livermore is a talented writer, and his poignant look to the past and future is an effective way to wrap up his story. Prested's book gives a better picture of the label overall, but Livermore's memoir tells the story the way a biography can't. They're inseparable works, and anyone interested in the label and its history should read both books.
January 17, 2017
My introduction to Lookout was around spring 1988, when the legendary George Gelestino at Vinyl Ink Records, outside of Washington DC, saw me come into the store and beckoned me over. He know me as a kid who bought all the new New York hardcore 7"s on Revelation, but also loved all the 2-Tone ska records. He held up Lookout #3, Operation Ivy's "Hectic" ep and said "You're going to love this!" and slapped it down on the record player. Of course, I loved it, and for the next 5-6 years, played a lot of Lookout bands on my college radio show and bought a lot of their stuff.
I knew there was a guy named Larry Livermore who'd started the label, and that it was central to the East Bay scene, but that's about all. I picked this up to scratch a mild itch of curiosity, and was immediately sucked in. The book is his story, from growing up in 1960s Detroit and getting into trouble, all the way through his divestment from Lookout in 1997. The prose isn't great, but it's a very compelling read for anyone who was into that music and that time, because Livermore is writing from the heart.
To be sure, it's his perspective, but for someone who got so much mud slung at him, he's remarkably restrained about throwing mud back -- at least in this book. (That said, if you've ever suspected that Tim Yohannon and Ben Weasel were jerks, this will certainly confirm it.) More than a straight "here's what happened" history, it's a reflective look at personal responsibility, friendship, jealousy, and is a great cautionary tale for anyone in the independent creative space. The final chapter is a great anti-nostalgia speech and a great call to arms in the truest spirit of DIY. So glad I read this.
Note: If you're looking for another take, there's a book written by a former Lookout staff member called Punk USA: The Rise of Lookout Records. But I've heard it's not that great, so will probably pass on it.
I knew there was a guy named Larry Livermore who'd started the label, and that it was central to the East Bay scene, but that's about all. I picked this up to scratch a mild itch of curiosity, and was immediately sucked in. The book is his story, from growing up in 1960s Detroit and getting into trouble, all the way through his divestment from Lookout in 1997. The prose isn't great, but it's a very compelling read for anyone who was into that music and that time, because Livermore is writing from the heart.
To be sure, it's his perspective, but for someone who got so much mud slung at him, he's remarkably restrained about throwing mud back -- at least in this book. (That said, if you've ever suspected that Tim Yohannon and Ben Weasel were jerks, this will certainly confirm it.) More than a straight "here's what happened" history, it's a reflective look at personal responsibility, friendship, jealousy, and is a great cautionary tale for anyone in the independent creative space. The final chapter is a great anti-nostalgia speech and a great call to arms in the truest spirit of DIY. So glad I read this.
Note: If you're looking for another take, there's a book written by a former Lookout staff member called Punk USA: The Rise of Lookout Records. But I've heard it's not that great, so will probably pass on it.
March 6, 2025
HTRARL tells the story of enigmatic Larry Livermore’s contributions to legendary punk rock venue 924 Gilman Street, and his co-founding of corresponding Lookout Records.
Livermore experienced tremendous and unexpected success as the head of an independent label, yet you can’t help but wonder the following: What if Op Ivy hadn’t disbanded? What if Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid had all released their seminal works on Lookout? He repeatedly brushed up against meteoric fortune, and, admirably, remains completely unfazed by it. Actually, it seems more than likely he sabotaged himself to prevent it.
It’s interesting that he considers himself somewhat responsible for the label’s eventual downfall, considering he left well before its official dissolution. In fact, it all went entirely to shit after he voluntarily -even courageously- stepped away.
If Larry’s the protagonist/anti-hero here, then the antagonist is certainly Ben Weasel, a longstanding and irredeemable prick. I can honestly say that I never liked Screaching Weasel, but by now the “art” would be truly impossible to separate from the “artist”.
More is known about peer labels Epitaph and Fat and their respective rosters, so I was happy to at last procure a copy of this somewhat rare publication.
It’s essential reading for fans of the genre and its heavyweights, but I found the general DIY and entrepreneurial elements to be equally intriguing. The closing chapters were an especially brilliant love letter to East Bay punk. They made me nostalgic for a place I’ve never physically been, and for a time I only experienced after the party had basically ended.
Livermore experienced tremendous and unexpected success as the head of an independent label, yet you can’t help but wonder the following: What if Op Ivy hadn’t disbanded? What if Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid had all released their seminal works on Lookout? He repeatedly brushed up against meteoric fortune, and, admirably, remains completely unfazed by it. Actually, it seems more than likely he sabotaged himself to prevent it.
It’s interesting that he considers himself somewhat responsible for the label’s eventual downfall, considering he left well before its official dissolution. In fact, it all went entirely to shit after he voluntarily -even courageously- stepped away.
If Larry’s the protagonist/anti-hero here, then the antagonist is certainly Ben Weasel, a longstanding and irredeemable prick. I can honestly say that I never liked Screaching Weasel, but by now the “art” would be truly impossible to separate from the “artist”.
More is known about peer labels Epitaph and Fat and their respective rosters, so I was happy to at last procure a copy of this somewhat rare publication.
It’s essential reading for fans of the genre and its heavyweights, but I found the general DIY and entrepreneurial elements to be equally intriguing. The closing chapters were an especially brilliant love letter to East Bay punk. They made me nostalgic for a place I’ve never physically been, and for a time I only experienced after the party had basically ended.
December 31, 2023
LITERATURE in PUNK ROCK - Books #68
------------------------
BOOK: How to Ruin a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records
ALBUM: The Beautiful & Damned by The Potatomen
https://youtu.be/5oMRdKVwhCk
--------------------------
Lookout Records was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation Ivy’s only album, Energy, and Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.
The local record label nourished and encouraged the burgeoning pop-punk scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s and had incredible early successes. Unfortunately, despite being instrumental in the US pop-punk movement, dwindling sales and financial mismanagement meant that come 2012, this once-successful punk-powerhouse had to shut up shop.
Finished Early December 2023.
------------------------
BOOK: How to Ruin a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records
ALBUM: The Beautiful & Damned by The Potatomen
https://youtu.be/5oMRdKVwhCk
--------------------------
Lookout Records was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation Ivy’s only album, Energy, and Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.
The local record label nourished and encouraged the burgeoning pop-punk scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s and had incredible early successes. Unfortunately, despite being instrumental in the US pop-punk movement, dwindling sales and financial mismanagement meant that come 2012, this once-successful punk-powerhouse had to shut up shop.
Finished Early December 2023.
May 27, 2022
Enjoyed the inside take on history, context and the feeling of the scene that comes across. The writing is entertaining and easy going.
But whoa, lots of little beefs and axes getting ground here. It's hard to go very many pages without a criticism sandwich, wherein Larry points out a flaw in himself, then criticizes someone else (as an aside or directly), and then caps it with some more self criticism and talk of growth or change. It ends up making it feel a little more personal than is comfortable sometimes.
But whoa, lots of little beefs and axes getting ground here. It's hard to go very many pages without a criticism sandwich, wherein Larry points out a flaw in himself, then criticizes someone else (as an aside or directly), and then caps it with some more self criticism and talk of growth or change. It ends up making it feel a little more personal than is comfortable sometimes.
December 26, 2024
I figured I'd like this book, but I ended up loving it. Reading this back to back w/ Larry's book about Spy Rock has been a treat. It's a swift, engaging read that keeps your interest end to end, and while it divulges some interpersonal strife, it's handled with a light touch. Or, at least, Larry provides plenty of introspection re: his own personal mistakes and shortcomings to balance it out. I love how the story concludes. Excellent and highly recommended.
April 25, 2019
awesome parts:
- detailed look into building/running a record company
- no punches pulled in the constant self doubt / impostor ness
- glorious, beautiful outro that I want on my wall (i'm putting it on my wall)
other parts:
- definitely rambling a lot in chapters, hard to follow
- writing varies in quality
- detailed look into building/running a record company
- no punches pulled in the constant self doubt / impostor ness
- glorious, beautiful outro that I want on my wall (i'm putting it on my wall)
other parts:
- definitely rambling a lot in chapters, hard to follow
- writing varies in quality
August 22, 2024
This was a really fun read. I appreciate Larry's honest look at the label and the East Bay scene, and his own shortcomings when needed. It also reminded me there are a whole lot of Lookout releases I've never actually listened to. A great read if you're at all interested in the scene that gave us Green Day, and the aftermath of the little label that could until it couldn't.
April 18, 2023
Most of Lookout's history happened long before I first heard three chords, so I wasn't familiar with a lot of this, but enjoyed hearing about bands I like (Op Ivy and Green Day) and then learning more about a ton of bands I didn't know much besides their name.
August 29, 2017
Loved the history, wish it were longer, more in depth.
September 7, 2017
Really loved this book was such a huge fan and wanted my label to be like lookout They were such a huge part of my life at the time.
November 6, 2022
maybe the best book i’ve read about punk music , easy to read and interesting story - even though i prefer the LA punk stuff from the era
March 25, 2023
Loved it. Great to get the story straight about whatever happened to Lookout! records.
May 6, 2023
Excellent history of the label/autobiography by Larry himself. Very well written account, but I also suggest reading Punk USA to hear the label history from those outside of Larry.
December 23, 2023
Four stars. Why wasn't it five? I blame it on Ben Weasel.
January 13, 2024
Larry Livermore may be one of my favorite people to ever have their hands in the music industry. Lookout was and is so influential. We need to put more respect on punk rock. GEEZ!
January 24, 2024
I’m waiting for a sequel of just Ben Weasel shit talk and stories
December 19, 2024
Funny & informative dive into a label that was the soundtrack of my youth & still guides so much of what I do in my personal and professional life.
June 11, 2025
Larry Livermore thank you for discovering the greatest band of all time.
You can kill Lookout Records but you can never kill punk rock
You can kill Lookout Records but you can never kill punk rock
September 2, 2020
A relatively good story about entirely disposable music. Somehow I convinced myself to keep reading after Larry Livermore called Green Day "the greatest band in the world."
February 20, 2017
As someone who grew up on the zine Maximum Rock’nRoll (I tried in vain to get New Jersey scene reports published there, as well as band interviews but they never bit)…
As someone who had the first pressing of the "Turn It Around" double-7" EP...
As someone who got to interview Op Ivy for a small zine in NJ and then helped Crimpshrine to play a gig in Newark, NJ during their insane tour...
A someone who dug Larry's contribution to Threat By Example (another great book, by the way)...
As someone who started a label that crumbled after just 1 release…
I can unequivocally state that this book is awesome. (Probably not a surprise to hear Tim Yo of MRnR was a prick and Ben Weasel was/is an even bigger prick.)
“Larry, you gotta check us out. We’re playing today. Are you gonna stick around and watch?”
“Sure, of course. What’s your band called?”
“Operation Ivy.”
I stood at the back of the room, not expecting much. After all, they’d barely been together three months.
By the time they went into the first chorus, I was up front singing along to words I’d never heard before. It was one of those moments I’d experienced only a handful of times in my life, when music moved beyond the level of entertainment or inspiration, and opened a door to dimensions previously undreamed of.
As someone who had the first pressing of the "Turn It Around" double-7" EP...
As someone who got to interview Op Ivy for a small zine in NJ and then helped Crimpshrine to play a gig in Newark, NJ during their insane tour...
A someone who dug Larry's contribution to Threat By Example (another great book, by the way)...
As someone who started a label that crumbled after just 1 release…
I can unequivocally state that this book is awesome. (Probably not a surprise to hear Tim Yo of MRnR was a prick and Ben Weasel was/is an even bigger prick.)
“Larry, you gotta check us out. We’re playing today. Are you gonna stick around and watch?”
“Sure, of course. What’s your band called?”
“Operation Ivy.”
I stood at the back of the room, not expecting much. After all, they’d barely been together three months.
By the time they went into the first chorus, I was up front singing along to words I’d never heard before. It was one of those moments I’d experienced only a handful of times in my life, when music moved beyond the level of entertainment or inspiration, and opened a door to dimensions previously undreamed of.
January 12, 2016
This is a great book on a few levels if you're at all interested in the independent record label boom of the late 80s, the story of Gilman Street and its particular brand of punk rock, or the trials and tribulations of running your own business. Livermore explains the mechanics of how an indie label can make and distribute records, gain market exposure and create a recognizable brand while spending almost nothing on marketing, growing organically with its fanbase -- doing everything right with little or no guidance or experience.
Larry Livermore, who founded the label (named after his band and zine), does a great job of describing Lookout's place in the greater story of the East Bay music scene in from its humble beginnings in the 80s through the rise of alternative music internationally, typified by Lookout's most well known band, Green Day. The story of Lookout is as much about the label as it is the philosophy of Gilman Street, the collectively run Berkeley music venue that filled the void of all ages clubs at the time, and incubated dozens of serious and not so serious bands. The label was designed as an alternative to corporate record labels -- no contracts and an almost equal profit split with the bands. A corporate label might pay a band 2% of their gross record sales IF they're lucky enough to sell over 500,000 records.
Lookout's success ended up being its downfall. Emerging from a collectivist, anarchist mindset, the fame of bands like Operation Ivy and Green Day alienated the label from its roots. Livermore's lark of a business grossed 10 million dollars at its peak in 1994 at the height of the alternative music trend. What began as a fun hobby had become a job, and one that conflicted with the roots that inspired the label's creation. Livermore essentially abandoned the label to his co-partners -- a pair of 24 year olds with little to no experience running a multi-million dollar business.
Anybody watching knew Lookout was done when word came out that Green Day wasn't being paid royalties on the albums that they generously left with Lookout and had been subsidizing a string of high budget record failures (the antithesis of Lookout's low budget, conservative approach). With no contracts to force bands to stay on the label, Lookout's back catalog was soon emptied and what was once a touchstone of a youth movement became a sad victim of mismanagement and losing sight of its core audience and purpose.
Larry Livermore, who founded the label (named after his band and zine), does a great job of describing Lookout's place in the greater story of the East Bay music scene in from its humble beginnings in the 80s through the rise of alternative music internationally, typified by Lookout's most well known band, Green Day. The story of Lookout is as much about the label as it is the philosophy of Gilman Street, the collectively run Berkeley music venue that filled the void of all ages clubs at the time, and incubated dozens of serious and not so serious bands. The label was designed as an alternative to corporate record labels -- no contracts and an almost equal profit split with the bands. A corporate label might pay a band 2% of their gross record sales IF they're lucky enough to sell over 500,000 records.
Lookout's success ended up being its downfall. Emerging from a collectivist, anarchist mindset, the fame of bands like Operation Ivy and Green Day alienated the label from its roots. Livermore's lark of a business grossed 10 million dollars at its peak in 1994 at the height of the alternative music trend. What began as a fun hobby had become a job, and one that conflicted with the roots that inspired the label's creation. Livermore essentially abandoned the label to his co-partners -- a pair of 24 year olds with little to no experience running a multi-million dollar business.
Anybody watching knew Lookout was done when word came out that Green Day wasn't being paid royalties on the albums that they generously left with Lookout and had been subsidizing a string of high budget record failures (the antithesis of Lookout's low budget, conservative approach). With no contracts to force bands to stay on the label, Lookout's back catalog was soon emptied and what was once a touchstone of a youth movement became a sad victim of mismanagement and losing sight of its core audience and purpose.
July 7, 2016
I was a little too late for Lookout's prime period, but I certainly found lots of their bands later (and living in Chicago it's hard not to hear about Ben Weasel all the time, though he's been blessedly quiet lately). That said I found this book comfortably engaging - Livermore's writing style is not overly flowerly, he seems to work hard to address his own biases and memory failings (a small thing, but often not done in memoirs), and there's enough gossip to make it really really fun. The bit at the almost end about the breakdown of Lookout is a little sad and a little weird (even though Livermore wasn't with the company anymore I don't think you could say he was an objective bystander), but then the last few pages about the power of art and music were some of the best words I've ever read.
June 28, 2016
An incredibly tender and honest account of one of the most important record labels ever told by the man behind it all. Green Day, Op Ivy, Screeching Weasel, MTX and honestly more bands than can reasonably be listed flourished on this imprint and to this day (and, no doubt, for years to come) Lookout's impact on punk and the music industry at large will resound. Larry weaves insightful behind-the-scenes stories with brutally honest takes on the decisions made by the label to create a book that was nearly impossible to put down.
June 21, 2025
Re-read, 06/2025: Just as enjoyable the second time around. Livermore’s acceptance of the role he played in Lookout’s downfall is honest and, in terms of classic Lookout albums that never got released (because you know there would have been more), brutal.
Another fantastic book by Livermore. There are several Lookout records that have become a part of my DNA from repeated listening, and his story of the rise and fall of the label was exactly what I wanted out of a punk rock memoir.
Another fantastic book by Livermore. There are several Lookout records that have become a part of my DNA from repeated listening, and his story of the rise and fall of the label was exactly what I wanted out of a punk rock memoir.
May 1, 2016
While I love the subject matter, I sometimes wished that Larry was a stronger writer. Still the ins and outs of the East Bay punk scene in the late 80's to early 90's is fascinating to me and I found many stories included in the book very entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews