Some Things Don’t Burn: Art, Activism, and Arson at the Bugle American

A fierce, vibrant portrait of a newspaper that refused to go up in smoke. 

From 1970 to 1978, the Bugle American wasn’t just an alternative newspaper—it was the sparkplug that propelled Milwaukee’s emergence as an influential cultural hub. With its incisive political coverage, razor-sharp cartoons, and in-depth reporting on the city’s explosive music scene, the Bugle American became a lifeline for artists, activists, and readers from Milwaukee to Madison hungry for independent journalism. 

Then, on a cold night in February 1975, everything nearly ended. A firebomb ripped through the Bugle American offices, threatening the lives of staff and burning the building to the ground. The crime was never solved. But the paper didn’t die. Supported by a stunned but determined community—and high-profile allies including Leonard Cohen and George Reedy—the Bugle American rose from the ashes to publish the very next week. 

In Some Things Don’t Burn: Art, Activism, and Arson at the Bugle American, author Aurore Sibley tells the full story of this influential underground paper: its founding ideals, its creative energy, its brushes with fame, and its lasting impact. With access to rare materials and family insights—her parents met at the Bugle American, and her father served as one of its editors—Sibley layers investigative research with personal narrative, exploring how revisiting the past helped her reconcile with her father’s complicated life and death. 

Featuring 40 photographs and illustrations, including cartoons and sketches by renowned underground artist and Bugle American co-founder Denis Kitchen, this book brings readers inside the quirky, passionate, and often chaotic world of a newsroom fighting to stay alive and independent. 

A gripping story of art, activism, community, and resilience, Some Things Don’t Burn reminds us that while buildings can be destroyed, the ideals that ignite a movement are much harder to extinguish.