Awhile back I blogged about autobiographies and memoirs written by rock musicians and I have some new suggestions for you!
Girl in A Band, opens a new window
Sonic Youth wasn't on my radar back in the day; I wasn't quite "alternative" enough, I guess, although many of my friends were fans of this band. Gordon's memoir is a really good read, even if you aren't familiar with Sonic Youth. She starts the book off describing the band's last show ever and then goes back to her childhood and proceeds from there. What I found enjoyable about the book was her honesty about her feelings regarding the breakup of her marriage (and hence, the breakup of Sonic Youth). She pulls no punches about the "other woman" but I think she's able to express her anger and disappointment without coming off as "woe is me". I also found her observations about fellow musicians (Neil Young, Kurt Cobain, Henry Rollins, Lana Del Rey, Courtney Love, etc.) enjoyable.
It's A Long Story, opens a new window
I didn't read this one from beginning to end, but Willie Nelson's writing style is very much like his singing and speaking style, simple and to the point. If you're looking for a quick, light read, this is a good one. I'm not sure there are any bombshell revelations, but that's OK.
Stevie Nicks, opens a new window
This is a rather unfortunate biography of Stevie Nicks because it's obvious this book was not sanctioned by her. I think many people are hoping Nicks will write her memoirs, but in a recent Rolling Stone interview she made it pretty clear it's unlikely to happen. This book has a sort of gossipy feel to it and the author adds some of her own snarky commentary throughout,which I didn't care for. It almost feels like the author has something against Nicks. This is another one I skimmed through, but I figure it's the best shot most of us will get at a full biography of Nicks.
Dancing With Myself, opens a new window
You might be surprised, but I thought this was actually pretty well written and Idol is honest about his failings, which I thought was rather refreshing. There's a nice story in here about Idol helping to deliver his son. For those of you looking for some salacious rock star stories, he includes some of those too.
--GingerMusicKid
