In the summer of 1987, Anthony Civorelli—better known as CIV—left Queens, New York, with six friends to take their hardcore band Youth of Today across the United States on the Break Down the Walls tour. Seventeen and armed with energy, conviction, and a van full of gear, they set out to play music and change the world.

Based on Civ’s daily journal from the road, the book offers a firsthand account of a formative moment in the 1980s punk and hardcore scenes. His entries capture the pace, chaos, and camaraderie of touring as a teenager, alongside the ideals that fueled the band.

Reproductions of flyers, photographs, and other original materials provide an unfiltered record of the period’s DIY visual culture, making this volume valuable to designers and those interested in the aesthetics of the time, as well as to fans of the music.

Edited by Arthur Smilios

Designed by Patrick Kitzel

Published by Unterwelt
Second edition, 2025

Softcover, [162 pages], full color, 7 × 9 inches

ISBN: 979-8-98-687360-2