Comments on: No. 58: ’90s Alt-Rock Memoirs

By: Chris Barrus

Chris Barrus — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:42:32 +0000

Just to throw another book out here, Jez's from Swervedriver hilarious memoir Rider is well worth tracking down.

and my favorite Luna CD is Pup Tent. Go figure.

By: hndinglove

hndinglove — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:32:36 +0000

i'm a sucker for these sorts of memoirs, and i'm almost embarrassed to admit that i've read them all. have to say that Dean's book is by far my favorite (although Jacob Schlichter's is by far the funniest; his self-deprecation is spot-on).

they all sort of tap into the lives of the artists just before the internet broke, when we didn't know what the stars, like, had for breakfast every morning. juliana was one of my idols/faves as a teenager, so reading about her life was illuminating, while sort of reaffirming why i related to her music.

and my favorite Luna CD is Rendezvous.

By: Mick Kraut

Mick Kraut — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:07:07 +0000

I read Jacob Slichter's book last year and found it very interesting.

Gave a good perspective on what dealing with labels, A&R and touring life is like in a non Van Halen-Motley Crue fashion.

As interesting as the retrospectives on the big artists can be, there is something more compelling about the average joe/jane who becomes a hit artist and then returns to average joe/jane status when the fickle tastes of the marketplace discard them...

By: John P Strohm

John P Strohm — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:10:56 +0000

@Michaelangelo Matos: No worries! Juliana's book is, in large part, about her battle with depression, which is in a way every bit as harrowing as Dean's separation from his son.

@bcapirigi: I haven't read Joyce's book (though I intend to); I think it's largely about Chick Graning's aneurysm - truly terrifying shit. I also really dig Scarce, and I consider Chick's late 80s Boston band Anastasia Screamed to be one that's due a re-appraisal. I loved that band...

By: bcapirigi

bcapirigi — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:51:02 +0000

I spent two hours lost in Boston trying to get to a Dean Wareham reading this past spring. Got there as soon as it let out, but he seemed like a really nice guy. (And handsome!)

Joyce Raskin from Scarce also put out a book this year. Although I haven't read it yet, they did put out one of my favorite alternative albums ever.

By: Michaelangelo Matos

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:50:36 +0000

Also, I just realized that Jen Trynin is a Bostonian too, and G500 were a Boston band. So that makes four Boston books, not two! (Well, three-and-a-half, since Wareham’s mostly a New Yorker.) Minneapolis has some catching up to do, apparently.

By: Michaelangelo Matos

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:45:59 +0000

@John P Strohm: Hahaha, I feel sheepish now for not remembering, as I wrote this, that (duh) you write for this site.

By: John P Strohm

John P Strohm — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:37:27 +0000

I enjoyed Juliana's book, but I'm a little close to it to be truly objective (I'm one of a few people in the book not given a pseudonym). I can say, objectively, that JH is a very good writer and that the book is poignant and often hilarious. And she doesn't trash me, that's a plus...

My band came up at the same time as Galaxie 500 in Boston, so I'm partial; however, I think Luna is fantastic. I've read a few passages from Dean's book, which seems great though at times harrowing.

I loved Jen Trynin's book - it's a great document of the absurdity of the 90s music biz.

By: Michaelangelo Matos

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:04:49 +0000

@Ned Raggett: Well, so do I. But Penthouse takes the cake--and it's pretty unanimous among Luna fans as the favorite, as far as I can tell.

By: Ned Raggett

Ned Raggett — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:44:13 +0000

I know I've talked about it with M. before but one thing I've noticed is how varied everyone's favorite Luna album is (if you're a fan in the first place). For me it's Bewitched as first among equals, though then again I tend to focus in on the sonics more than the storytelling (big surprise).