Stealing All Transmissions begins in 1977 when select rock journalists and DJs aided The Clash's quest to depose the rock that dominated American airwaves. This history situates The Clash amid the cultural skirmishes of the 1970s and culminates with their September 1979 performance in NYC, which concluded with Paul Simonon treating his bass like a woodcutter's axe. The book represents a distinctive take on the history of punk, for no other book gives proper attention to the forces of free-form radio, long-form rock journalism or Clash bootleg recordings.