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Read any great biographies recently? Scenes, bands, self-penned or loosely related. Always on the look out for book recommendations

sal paradise wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:08 am

Read any great biographies recently? Scenes, bands, self-penned or loosely related. Always on the look out for book recommendations

I haven't read it yet but my bandmates both recommended this to me:

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53968530-sellout

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:41 am

sal paradise wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:08 am

Read any great biographies recently? Scenes, bands, self-penned or loosely related. Always on the look out for book recommendations

I haven't read it yet but my bandmates both recommended this to me:

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53968530-sellout

Ooh that’s literally perfect for me. Thanks!

The NOFX book is well worth a read if you haven’t already picked it up btw

I read The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's pretty much exactly as the title suggests.

Also Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost which is really good, but also unflinchingly covers his destructive alcoholism and is so unbelievably sad.

Our Band Could Be Your Life is evergreen.

wingnutkj wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:01 am

I read The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's pretty much exactly as the title suggests.

Also Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost which is really good, but also unflinchingly covers his destructive alcoholism and is so unbelievably sad.

Our Band Could Be Your Life is evergreen.

i’ve had the molina book since it was released. i can’t bring myself to read it. no musician has ever just dragged me straight through hell quite like he does. and no passing of a person i’ve never met has ever affected me so deeply.

This week I read Dave Davies’ and Pete Doherty’s autobiographies.

For lunatics, neither book was really that great. Especially Doherty, I expected a more stylised tone in the way he communicates.

Needs Must by Kris Needs was way more satisfying in a “I can’t believe he’s still alive” way. Definitely recommend. I’d never heard of him, thoroughly amazing character.

Also picked up the new Abbey Road book by David Hepworth. Find his books a bit mundane. There’s no passion, even though he’s clearly a huge music fan and massive nerd. He’s no Nick Kent. Or Barney Hoskyns. Or Derek Mitchell.

The three Peter Hook books are great!

Started Bob Daisley's book 'For Facts Sake' (bassist from original Ozzy solo band). Next up is Mikki's from Lush, 'How Music Saved Me from Success'

Been reading Black Coffee Blues by Henry Rollins, lucky enough to snag a copy went I saw him earlier this year. Came signed on the inside, not sure if they're all like that or not. Really like it so far, I want to read Get In The Van if I can get my hands on it.

Viv Albertine’s “Clothes clothes clothes music music music boys boys boys” is one of my favorite memoirs. Just inspiring on so many levels.

Other good ones:
Kristin Hersh “Rat girl” is equally amazing.
Dean Wareham’s Black Postcards (dry and depressing and great)
Brandi Carlile “Broken Horses”
The light pours out of me (John McGeoch bio)
Chris Frantz “Remain in love” was fun
Mark Lanegan “speak backwards” was harrowing but good
Tracy Thorn “Bedsit disco queen”
Johnny Marr “Set the boy free”
We listened to Dave Grohl’s Storyteller while on car trips this summer and it was fun (/ exuberant)
Peter Hook’s books are fun, and good to read in conjunction with Barney’s.

Oral histories
The LA ones edited by John Doe
Please Kill Me (NYC punk)
The Beastie Boys Book
David Bowie The oral history
Meet me in the bathroom (NYC)
Verschwende deine Jugend (in German only but good)

Other
Burning down the Haus (on East German punk. I kinda hate the title but interesting and harrowing)
Our band could be your life (just great)

And many more.

I went through a spell where I’d read any music bio pretty much (Thomas Dolby, Waylon Jennings, George Martin, Joe Boyd, Andy Taylor, Dave Stewart, etc etc) and have always been fascinated with the origin stories of bands. It led to my theory of many autobiographies: At some point, Beatles tend to show up and it gets less interesting (I know it’s amazing to be hanging out with George/Paul/etc but I’d read a book about them if I wanted to know about them).

Please Kill Me is awesome

Sound Man by Glyn Johns is quite good

White Bicycles by Joe Boyd is in a similar vein, but his memory is not as vivid.

The Richard Lloyd book is . Do not recommend.

"Spaceships over Glasgow" by Stuart Braithewaite, in which he recounts the rise of Mogwai. Or rather, recounts how drunk he was during the rise of Mogwai. Despite that, it's an entertaining read. As someone of similar age, moving in vaguely similar circles, our paths have not-quite-crossed a great many times throughout the years, and it's interesting to get his take on it all.

+1 on Cestlamorte's suggestions of Clothes Clothes Clothes and Rat Girl. Both excellent and essential reads, imo.

Let's see...

Great Reads:

Dream Brother about Tim and Jeff Buckley. Not a fan of either of them really but a very compelling narrative even if you know where it's going.

Let's Go So We Can Get Back by Jeff Tweedy is great. Again, not the biggest fan but he's a great writer and very engaging.

Dreaming the Beatles by Rob Sheffield. Essential and weird takes on the Beatles breathing life into a tired genre of books.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen was great. The part when the Boss goes to therapy at the height of Born in the USA was life-changing for me to read and sent me on a a similarly fruitful therapy journey.

A Beat Concerto by Paolo Hewitt about the Jam. Great great read if you're into the Jam.

Meh/Bad Reads:

Unfaithful Music by Elvis Costello -- Utterly terrible. He should be embarrassed that this came out. It's a mess and it's so boring.

Reckless by Chrissie Hynde -- Love love love the Pretenders and was't pretty underwhelmed by this book. Chrissie has always been kind of an introverted and bitter person and this does nothing to change that perception. Sometimes the whole story is already in the songs, I guess.

Set the Boy Free by Johnny Marr -- Vaguely interesting but honestly the man has lived such a charmed life it's a little boring after awhile. "Chipper man who likes to play guitar gets to continue to do so" is basically the through-line.

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:41 am

sal paradise wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:08 am

Read any great biographies recently? Scenes, bands, self-penned or loosely related. Always on the look out for book recommendations

I haven't read it yet but my bandmates both recommended this to me:

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53968530-sellout

Yep, just finished that a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic read. It's the Pop-Punk / Emo "Our Band."

My favorite chapters were Jimmy Eat World, At The Drive-In and Rise Against. (I don't even like Rise Against.)

Jonesie wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 29, 2022 8:50 am

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:41 am

sal paradise wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:08 am

Read any great biographies recently? Scenes, bands, self-penned or loosely related. Always on the look out for book recommendations

I haven't read it yet but my bandmates both recommended this to me:

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53968530-sellout

Yep, just finished that a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic read. It's the Pop-Punk / Emo "Our Band."

My favorite chapters were Jimmy Eat World, At The Drive-In and Rise Against. (I don't even like Rise Against.)

Cool. Sounds perfect. I’ve got a saved search on eBay, just waiting to find one for a reasonable price 2nd hand.