Comments on: Our Band Could Be Your Life

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:14:55 +0000

Have you read the book? Azerrad doesn’t inject his opinion of the characters in question – it’s more an opinion that reader gets after reading accounts of some of their more questionable exploits. One of the guys who came off looking like a jerk – Bob Mould – was impressed enough with Azerrad’s work that he co-wrote Mould’s own memoir.

Read our other review of the book for more. It really is a well-balanced book and is surprisingly inspirational, too: http://www.babygotbooks.com/2008/07/18/our-band-could-be-your-life/

By: Frank E.

Frank E. — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:39:59 +0000

Please let me add that the music of the “a-holes” in question would never have been made, nor gained its prominence, nor have endured as both influential and time-tested, if not for the healthy arrogance and vexingly intransigent drive of those musicians. One pays homage to those qualities in honoring and enjoying the music of the bands profiled in this book.

By: Frank E.

Frank E. — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:23:39 +0000

It’s important for such books to document, however belatedly, that era of American underground culture – although it is unfortunate that such books often have the last (or only) word on the characters of the persons it describes; that such books can amount to little more than academically-legit hipster gossip. I knew personally some of the people whom the book describes, and for the author to have unanimously conveyed to readers that those guys were “a-holes” says more of the writer than of the gents in question. Some of them may not have liked Mr. Azzerad; the reader should take such things into consideration. Also worth considering is that, to have successful musical careers, as they had, under such conditions at the time, required a healthy dose of healthy arrogance (that is to say, belief in their music and the awareness that it was head-and-shoulders above most bands’) and assiduous, vexingly intransigent drive. Bear in mind having to threaten or commit violence in order to get paid for a gig or a tour, living in a van with three to five others for months at a time, being physically attacked by yahoos and drunk people, financing the recording and manufacturing of their own records with the hard-earned money from gigging, dealing with the indescribable weirdness of people in the underground scene at the time, and eating in soup kitchens, when necessary, on tour, and it’ll make for some serious-minded folks who aren’t about to kiss some journalist’s butt.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:04:14 +0000

I think that Paul nailed it, Beat Happening are in the book because of their DIY ethos – they founded K Records, which is still doing their thing,and at one time were considered cool enough that Kurt Cobain had their logo tattooed on his arm.

Make it happen, Flava

By: Shaft

Shaft — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:12:58 +0000

I initially thought about toning down my comment about these guys’ personalities, but then I decided to let my gut reaction stand.

As for your mission, I’ll be handing the copy Tim and I read back to Tim tomorrow at lunch . . . .

By: Flavawheel1

Flavawheel1 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:04:19 +0000

Yeah, Beat Happening is virtually unlistenable yet oddly endearing, and back in the day I enjoyed many an evening torturing my neighbors to their droning skronk.

I have to say, though, I don’t find it that surprising that some of these guys were jackasses. For instance, it doesn’t come as huge shock that Steve Albini, who brought us “Songs About F@cking” and the band Rapeman, might not be the nicest guy in the world. And as far as I can tell, Gibby Haynes has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. According to the Daniel Johnston documentary, for example, it seems as though Haynes took no small joy in feeding the unstable, schizophrenic Johnston all the LSD he could get his hands on. That’s nice.

But as glowing review after review comes down the pike, I realize that I’d have to be an idiot not to get my hands on this book. I’m making it my mission this week.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:05:29 +0000

Admittedly, Beat Happening is the odd man out in this collection. But in many ways that band exemplified the DIY, this-is-our-thing-and-we-don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass-whether-you-like-us-or-not ethos that Azzerad champions.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:50:04 +0000

He does have a few other titles.

By: Shaft

Shaft — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:35:25 +0000

If he invests as much time in his next book as he must have invested in this one, I’d expect a release date sometime around 2015.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:54:03 +0000

I’ve been listening to Mission of Burma and The Minutemen since finishing this book. I need to find more of Azzerad’s writing.