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Music Biographies & Alt Related Books
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items A curated collection of punk and alternative music books that dive deep into the lives, scenes, and movements that shaped underground sound.
From raw memoirs and scene histories to cultural critiques and band bios, these titles capture the spirit, s...
Under the Big Black Sun is a first-person oral history of the Los Angeles punk scene from 1977 to 1982. Rather than a traditional linear history, the book is a collection of essays by key figures who helped define the scene. Edited by John Doe and To...
If you're into punk history, memoirs, or L.A. subculture, Under the Big Black Sun is essential reading.
If you're into punk history, memoirs, or L.A. subculture, Under the Big Black Sun is essential reading.
Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk
Violence Girl is the memoir of Alice Bag, co-founder of the seminal L.A. punk band The Bags, and one of the most influential figures in the early West Coast punk scene. The book traces her life from her childhood in East Los Angeles through her rise ...
Born Alicia Armendariz to Mexican immigrant parents, Bag grew up navigating the cultural expectations of her Chicana identity while dealing with the trauma of an abusive home. These early experiences of violence, along with the social and political r...
The memoir provides a detailed account of the formation of The Bags, one of the first punk bands in L.A. to feature a female frontwoman. Bag discusses her involvement in the early punk community centered around clubs like The Masque, highlighting the...
Beyond music, the book explores themes of gender, identity, activism, and empowerment. Bag reflects on the sexism present within both mainstream and punk circles and how she used her platform to challenge those dynamics.
Written in a direct and accessible style, Violence Girl offers insight into both the cultural history of East L.A. and the evolution of punk as a vehicle for social expression. It stands as an important document of both personal and musical history, ...
Born Alicia Armendariz to Mexican immigrant parents, Bag grew up navigating the cultural expectations of her Chicana identity while dealing with the trauma of an abusive home. These early experiences of violence, along with the social and political r...
The memoir provides a detailed account of the formation of The Bags, one of the first punk bands in L.A. to feature a female frontwoman. Bag discusses her involvement in the early punk community centered around clubs like The Masque, highlighting the...
Beyond music, the book explores themes of gender, identity, activism, and empowerment. Bag reflects on the sexism present within both mainstream and punk circles and how she used her platform to challenge those dynamics.
Written in a direct and accessible style, Violence Girl offers insight into both the cultural history of East L.A. and the evolution of punk as a vehicle for social expression. It stands as an important document of both personal and musical history, ...
Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage
The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band (2016) by Michelle Cruz Gonzales is a memoir that chronicles her time as the drummer and lyricist for Spitboy, a groundbreaking all-female punk band active in the 1990s. As a Xicana woman in a...
The book is a collection of vivid, personal essays covering Spitboy’s tours, internal dynamics, and their political stance against sexism and patriarchy, all while highlighting the racial and cultural tensions Gonzales often faced. She writes candidl...
The Spitboy Rule is more than a band memoir; it’s a sharp, introspective look at race, gender, and authenticity in punk, offering a necessary voice to the genre’s untold histories.
The book is a collection of vivid, personal essays covering Spitboy’s tours, internal dynamics, and their political stance against sexism and patriarchy, all while highlighting the racial and cultural tensions Gonzales often faced. She writes candidl...
The Spitboy Rule is more than a band memoir; it’s a sharp, introspective look at race, gender, and authenticity in punk, offering a necessary voice to the genre’s untold histories.
The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana Punk Band
American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush is a definitive account of the U.S. hardcore punk scene from 1980 to 1986. Through interviews with key figures, Blush explores how a nationwide underground movement formed in reaction to mainstream ...
Hardcore was raw, fast, and unapologetically aggressive, with a strong DIY ethic and anti-establishment message. The book maps major regional scenes—L.A., D.C., New York, Boston, and more—while profiling bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brain...
Blush documents not only the music but also the cultural and social tensions within the scene, including violence, sexism, and internal fragmentation. Despite its short lifespan, hardcore's influence on punk, metal, and indie culture was profound.
Blush presents the movement as a tribal, youth-driven rebellion, capturing its intensity, purpose, and lasting legacy. The book also inspired a 2006 documentary of the same name.
Hardcore was raw, fast, and unapologetically aggressive, with a strong DIY ethic and anti-establishment message. The book maps major regional scenes—L.A., D.C., New York, Boston, and more—while profiling bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brain...
Blush documents not only the music but also the cultural and social tensions within the scene, including violence, sexism, and internal fragmentation. Despite its short lifespan, hardcore's influence on punk, metal, and indie culture was profound.
Blush presents the movement as a tribal, youth-driven rebellion, capturing its intensity, purpose, and lasting legacy. The book also inspired a 2006 documentary of the same name.
American Hardcore (Second Edition): Tribal History
Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division is bassist Peter Hook’s firsthand account of the rise and tragic fall of Joy Division, one of the most influential post-punk bands of all time. Told with honesty, humor, and often brutal detail, the book offers ...
Hook recounts the band’s early gigs, their intense dynamic, and the growing legend of frontman Ian Curtis, whose epilepsy and emotional struggles ultimately led to his suicide in 1980, just before the band was set to tour the U.S.
Far from a romanticized rock biography, the book captures the gritty reality of Joy Division’s world—cheap gear, cold rehearsal rooms, fights, and deep camaraderie. Hook also reflects on the band’s lasting influence and his own evolving relationship ...
It’s a raw, compelling look at a band that reshaped modern music.
Hook recounts the band’s early gigs, their intense dynamic, and the growing legend of frontman Ian Curtis, whose epilepsy and emotional struggles ultimately led to his suicide in 1980, just before the band was set to tour the U.S.
Far from a romanticized rock biography, the book captures the gritty reality of Joy Division’s world—cheap gear, cold rehearsal rooms, fights, and deep camaraderie. Hook also reflects on the band’s lasting influence and his own evolving relationship ...
It’s a raw, compelling look at a band that reshaped modern music.
Unknown Pleasures - JOY DIVISION
Trouble Boys is the definitive biography of The Replacements, one of the most beloved and self-destructive bands in American rock history. Written by journalist Bob Mehr, the book traces the band’s story from their formation in Minneapolis in the lat...
Mehr draws on extensive interviews with band members, family, and associates to reveal the troubled personal histories—especially of frontman Paul Westerberg and guitarist Bob Stinson—that fueled their music and dysfunction. The Replacements were kno...
The book explores how the band constantly sabotaged their own success, torn between punk defiance and mainstream ambition. Despite never achieving major commercial success, they became legends, influencing generations of alternative and indie rock ac...
Trouble Boys is both a cautionary tale and a tribute to the reckless spirit of rock and roll.
Mehr draws on extensive interviews with band members, family, and associates to reveal the troubled personal histories—especially of frontman Paul Westerberg and guitarist Bob Stinson—that fueled their music and dysfunction. The Replacements were kno...
The book explores how the band constantly sabotaged their own success, torn between punk defiance and mainstream ambition. Despite never achieving major commercial success, they became legends, influencing generations of alternative and indie rock ac...
Trouble Boys is both a cautionary tale and a tribute to the reckless spirit of rock and roll.
Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements
Rebel Girl is the memoir of Kathleen Hanna, frontwoman of Bikini Kill and a founding figure of the Riot Grrrl movement. In this candid and powerful account, Hanna traces her journey from a troubled childhood marked by poverty and abuse to becoming on...
The book details her early involvement in spoken word and activism, the formation of Bikini Kill in the early '90s, and the explosive impact of Riot Grrrl—an underground movement that challenged sexism in punk and society at large. Hanna also writes ...
Told with honesty, rage, and wit, Rebel Girl captures the urgency of Hanna’s voice and the cultural shifts she helped ignite. It’s a vital document of punk history, feminist resistance, and creative resilience.
The book details her early involvement in spoken word and activism, the formation of Bikini Kill in the early '90s, and the explosive impact of Riot Grrrl—an underground movement that challenged sexism in punk and society at large. Hanna also writes ...
Told with honesty, rage, and wit, Rebel Girl captures the urgency of Hanna’s voice and the cultural shifts she helped ignite. It’s a vital document of punk history, feminist resistance, and creative resilience.
Rebel Girl
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (2001) is an explosive and unfiltered autobiography of Mötley Crüe, co-written by band members Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, and Mick Mars, along with journalist Neil Strauss. The boo...
Told through multiple perspectives, The Dirt reveals behind-the-scenes chaos—overdoses, arrests, rehab stints, and internal conflicts—while also highlighting the band’s creative drive and brotherhood. It doesn’t shy away from the dark consequences of...
Brash, vulgar, and addictive, The Dirt is both a cautionary tale and a celebration of rock-and-roll excess, considered a defining chronicle of the hard rock and heavy metal scene of the '80s.
Told through multiple perspectives, The Dirt reveals behind-the-scenes chaos—overdoses, arrests, rehab stints, and internal conflicts—while also highlighting the band’s creative drive and brotherhood. It doesn’t shy away from the dark consequences of...
Brash, vulgar, and addictive, The Dirt is both a cautionary tale and a celebration of rock-and-roll excess, considered a defining chronicle of the hard rock and heavy metal scene of the '80s.
The Dirt: Confessions of Notorious Rock Band
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground (1998), by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind, is a controversial nonfiction book that explores the violent and chaotic world of Norwegian black metal in the late 1980s and early 199...
Blending journalism, interviews, and cultural analysis, the book examines how black metal evolved from a music genre into a subculture rooted in anti-Christian sentiment, paganism, and nihilism. It also explores how media sensationalism and myth-maki...
Lords of Chaos is both a true-crime narrative and a deep dive into one of music’s darkest corners. Though criticized for tone and accuracy, it remains a key—and disturbing—account of black metal’s early, violent years.
Blending journalism, interviews, and cultural analysis, the book examines how black metal evolved from a music genre into a subculture rooted in anti-Christian sentiment, paganism, and nihilism. It also explores how media sensationalism and myth-maki...
Lords of Chaos is both a true-crime narrative and a deep dive into one of music’s darkest corners. Though criticized for tone and accuracy, it remains a key—and disturbing—account of black metal’s early, violent years.
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of Satanic Metal
Black Punk Now (2023), edited by James Spooner and Chris L. Terry, is a groundbreaking anthology that amplifies the voices of Black artists, writers, and musicians in the punk and alternative scenes. Through a mix of essays, personal stories, poetry,...
Contributors reflect on themes like identity, resistance, community, alienation, and creativity, highlighting the ways Black punks have shaped—and been shaped by—the genre. With a focus on intersectionality and authenticity, the book challenges mains...
A follow-up in spirit to Spooner’s influential 2003 documentary Afro-Punk, Black Punk Now is both a celebration and a reclamation. It stands as a vital and contemporary record of Black presence and influence in punk, past and present.
Contributors reflect on themes like identity, resistance, community, alienation, and creativity, highlighting the ways Black punks have shaped—and been shaped by—the genre. With a focus on intersectionality and authenticity, the book challenges mains...
A follow-up in spirit to Spooner’s influential 2003 documentary Afro-Punk, Black Punk Now is both a celebration and a reclamation. It stands as a vital and contemporary record of Black presence and influence in punk, past and present.
Black Punk Now
A Punk from East L.A. (2022) by Eddie "Angel" Lopez is a vivid memoir chronicling the life of a Chicano punk growing up in East Los Angeles during the rise of the Southern California punk scene. Lopez recounts his personal journey through music, stre...
The book explores themes of poverty, family, violence, racism, and the tension between cultural heritage and subcultural belonging. Lopez captures the DIY ethos of early punk, while also addressing the unique experience of being a Latino punk in a sc...
A Punk from East L.A. is both a coming-of-age story and a crucial piece of L.A. punk history, told from a deeply personal and underrepresented perspective.
The book explores themes of poverty, family, violence, racism, and the tension between cultural heritage and subcultural belonging. Lopez captures the DIY ethos of early punk, while also addressing the unique experience of being a Latino punk in a sc...
A Punk from East L.A. is both a coming-of-age story and a crucial piece of L.A. punk history, told from a deeply personal and underrepresented perspective.
A Punk from East LA
What Is Punk? (2015) by Eric Morse, with illustrations by Annie Yi, is a playful and educational children's book that introduces young readers to the world of punk rock through rhyming verse and vibrant clay art. The book traces the history of punk f...
Using accessible language and colorful visuals, What Is Punk? celebrates punk’s message of individuality, resistance, and creative freedom, making it an engaging entry point for kids and a nostalgic treat for adults. It emphasizes how punk isn’t just...
The book serves as a fun and informative tribute to punk history, helping a new generation understand why punk mattered—and still does.
Using accessible language and colorful visuals, What Is Punk? celebrates punk’s message of individuality, resistance, and creative freedom, making it an engaging entry point for kids and a nostalgic treat for adults. It emphasizes how punk isn’t just...
The book serves as a fun and informative tribute to punk history, helping a new generation understand why punk mattered—and still does.
What Is Punk?
Girl in a Band (2015) is a memoir by Kim Gordon, co-founder of the influential noise-rock band Sonic Youth. The book traces Gordon’s life from her California childhood through her time at art school, into New York’s underground music and art scenes, ...
Gordon offers a candid account of what it meant to be a woman in a male-dominated music world, reflecting on both the empowerment and the alienation she experienced. She explores her creative partnerships, including her marriage and eventual divorce ...
Girl in a Band is not just a behind-the-scenes look at Sonic Youth, but a thoughtful meditation on feminism, identity, creativity, and aging in the public eye. It’s both intimate and sharp, much like Gordon’s music itself.
Gordon offers a candid account of what it meant to be a woman in a male-dominated music world, reflecting on both the empowerment and the alienation she experienced. She explores her creative partnerships, including her marriage and eventual divorce ...
Girl in a Band is not just a behind-the-scenes look at Sonic Youth, but a thoughtful meditation on feminism, identity, creativity, and aging in the public eye. It’s both intimate and sharp, much like Gordon’s music itself.
Girl in a Band: A Memoir
How to Ru(i)n a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records (2015) by Larry Livermore is a firsthand account of the rise and fall of Lookout Records, one of the most influential independent punk labels of the late 1980s and 1990s. Co-founded by Liverm...
The book explores the DIY ethic, idealism, and eventual internal tensions that defined Lookout’s trajectory—from grassroots success to financial collapse. Livermore reflects on the challenges of balancing artistic integrity with business demands, off...
Both a cautionary tale and a tribute to punk’s community spirit, How to Ru(i)n a Record Label is a smart, self-aware memoir about music, mistakes, and staying true to your roots.
The book explores the DIY ethic, idealism, and eventual internal tensions that defined Lookout’s trajectory—from grassroots success to financial collapse. Livermore reflects on the challenges of balancing artistic integrity with business demands, off...
Both a cautionary tale and a tribute to punk’s community spirit, How to Ru(i)n a Record Label is a smart, self-aware memoir about music, mistakes, and staying true to your roots.
How To Ru(i)n A Record Label: Lookout
Disco’s Out... Murder’s In! presents a chilling, firsthand account of the darker side of early 1980s L.A. punk, as recounted by Frank “The Shank” Salvador, leader of the La Mirada Punks (LMP) gang. Through his vivid narration, the book documents how ...
The narrative is raw, unapologetic, and steeped in regret and mythos. Although some details blur the line between truth and legend, the story offers deep insight into how youth subculture morphed into a criminal underbelly. Illustrated by Raymond Pet...
The narrative is raw, unapologetic, and steeped in regret and mythos. Although some details blur the line between truth and legend, the story offers deep insight into how youth subculture morphed into a criminal underbelly. Illustrated by Raymond Pet...
Disco's Out...Murder's In!: Frank the Shank Story