Legs McNeil, co-founder of the iconic punk magazine Punk, recalls the initial reaction from the original CBGB bands in 1975 when they heard the name of the magazine he helped launch. “Absolutely no one wanted to be called a punk back then,” he said. “Not even the Ramones. Johnny Ramone demanded that we cross out every reference to punk in an article about them.” However, a few years later, the label suddenly became a badge of honor. “Suddenly, everybody wanted to be called a punk!” McNeil said. “The Ramones started running around telling everyone, ‘you know, we were the first punk band!’” McNeil’s deep connection to the punk ethos led to him being dubbed the magazine’s “resident punk.” The publication, co-created with John Holmstrom, was known for its bold, illustrated style and irreverent tone. McNeil was often depicted as a sly, seedy cartoon character, echoing the snarky spirit of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman. His new memoir, Resident Punk: How I Smoked, Drank and Stumbled My Way Through the ’70s Punk Scene (and Beyond), was discussed during an interview at a Brooklyn diner. At 70, McNeil’s opinions remain as sharp and unfiltered as they were in his early twenties. In a wide-ranging conversation, McNeil expressed strong, often humorous views on music and culture. He praised only one song from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band—John Lennon’s “A Day in the Life”—calling the rest of the album “a stupid record.” On Tom Verlaine of Television, one of CBGB’s most respected bands, McNeil said, “He was full of shit, and he couldn’t sing.” He was dismissive of both artists and academics, stating, “You can flush ’em both down the toilet as far as I’m concerned.” On music criticism, he said, “I hate it! Writing about music is not something that comes across on the page. I’d rather read about action and crime and war.” McNeil left New York in 1998, when smoking bans made the city less hospitable to his lifestyle. He now lives in a small Pennsylvania town, far from the punk scene that defined his early life. He credits the success of his 1996 book Please Kill Me, a definitive oral history of punk, for helping fund his move. The book, co-written with Gillian McCain, has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. McNeil’s memoir provides a candid look at a life filled with chaos, creativity, and a deep love for the punk spirit that shaped his identity.