Flyover Country? Fly over THIS. This is the story of how postpunk crashed into the Midwest and rewrote the rules. When most people think postpunk, they picture London or Manchester-lThe Cure, PiL, Joy Division-or the coasts, from Minutemen in California to Bush Tetras in New York. But far from the major labels and media spotlights, a different kind of revolution was taking shape in the American heartland. No Choice but Action uncovers the wildly inventive, fiercely independent postpunk movement that erupted across Kansas between 1978 and 1994-and changed Midwestern music forever. The Embarrassment. Get Smart!. The Moving Van Goghs. Micronotz. Truck Stop Love. These weren't outliers. They were the beating heart of a vibrant, self-sustaining cultural ecosystem pulsing through Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, and Wichita. With no industry infrastructure to lean on, musicians built their own: basements turned into venues, cassette culture fueled DIY distribution, photocopied zines became lifelines, and word-of-mouth grew into a network strong enough to launch bands onto national stages. With the fervor of lifelong insiders and the rigor of scholars, authors Fran Connor and Darren DeFrain take readers inside this scene with unparalleled access and insight. They capture the personalities, the makeshift platforms, the electrifying shows, and the pure creative urgency that kept the music alive long before email, social media, or streaming. Their chronicle is as kinetic and unpolished as the era itself. More than a regional history, No Choice but Action argues for Kansas postpunk as a crucial, overlooked chapter in American independent music-one whose influence can still be felt in today's DIY culture. Kansas wasn't a footnote to postpunk. It was a force that helped define the possibilities of American independent music. Postpunk didn't just happen in the Midwest. It exploded there.
Francis X. Connor is associate professor of English at Wichita State University and Associate Editor for the New Oxford Shakespeare. Darren DeFrain is director of the writing program at Wichita State University. He has published a novel, The Salt Palace and a collection of short stories, Inside & Out.
"Francis Connor and Darren DeFrain have thoroughly researched and written a fantastic book about post -punk music in Kansas. They examine the history of zines and institutions like college radio. All to show that pop rebellion in the Midwest was intellectually engaged and smarter than we thought."--Kevin Mattson, author of We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America
