Books

READ THIS!

Posted on by JL

27 April 2021

Book: LYDIA LUNCH: THE WAR IS NEVER OVER:
A Companion To The Film By Beth B

Author: Nick Soulsby
Published: 2020

You can buy the (e)book here.

Info: “Before #MeToo, before Riot Grrl, there was Lydia Lunch. A central figure in
the No Wave scene of the seventies—as founder of the seminal Teenage Jesus & The
Jerks—Lunch has pursued a four-decade-long career turning the substance of her
life into unapologetic, stark, and beautiful art.

From the eighties onward, Lunch became a lone voice publicly calling out the patriarchal aggression and day-to-day violence enacted by the powerful—and never gave a good goddamn whether you wanted to hear it or not. Refusing to be silenced, she took to stages the world over, fearlessly speaking the truth, whether of her own life with its legacy of parental abuse, her wild times owning the streets of New York City, or the world she saw around her.

Across these pages, Lunch and her numerous collaborators—including Thurston Moore, Jim Sclavunos, Kid Congo Powers, Bob Bert, Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, and Vivienne Dick—recount
life at the front line of the musical extremes of the seventies and eighties underground, the wild times, the disciplined productivity, life lived as a defender of the voiceless, and an unapologetic force of righteous fury.”

Here the awesome trailer of the docu-movie
made by renowned NY filmmaker Beth B…

LYDIA LUNCH: Facebook

‘WAITING FOR ANOTHER WAR’ – A History Of THE SISTERS OF MERCY

Posted on by JL

21 April 2021

Book: WAITING FOR ANOTHER WAR
A history of The Sisters Of Mercy
Volume I: 1980-1985

270 pages / 50 illustrations / $35.00 excl. shipping
You can order the book here.

Info: “The thrash of Motörhead. The mechanized anxiety of Suicide. The poignancy
of Leonard Cohen. The arrogance of Bowie. The Sisters Of Mercy combined it all to
create an unforgettable noise. From 1980 to 1985 lead singer and master strategist
Andrew Eldritch maneuvered The Sisters Of Mercy from the grimy pubs and student
unions of Northern England to London’s storied Royal Albert Hall. Then the whole thing
fell apart. Based on original research and a thorough reading of hundreds of interviews,
articles and reviews, ‘Waiting For Another War’ is a chronicle of The Sisters Of Mercy’s
brilliant years from ‘The Damage Done’ to First And Last And Always.”

​

Louder Than War interviewed writer Trevor Wistow. Read it all here.

The sisters’ ultimate classic…

THE SISTERS OF MERCY: Bio

Learn To Write One Song With JEFF TWEEDY

Posted on by JL

11 April 2021

Book: HOW TO WRITE ONE SONG
‘Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back.’
Released: 30 October 2020 – order info here

Author: JEFF TWEEDY
Who: Best known as the compelling singer
and songwriter of Americana band Wilco.

Info: “The idea of becoming a capital-S songwriter can seem daunting, but approached
as a focused, self-contained event, the mystery and fear subsides, and songwriting becomes
an exciting pursuit… How to Write One Song brings readers into the intimate process of writing one song–lyrics, music, and putting it all together–and accesses the deep sense of wonder that remains at the heart of this curious, yet incredibly fulfilling, artistic act. But it’s equally about
the importance of making creativity part of your life every day, and of experiencing the hope, inspiration, and joy available to anyone who’s willing to get started.”

Jeff Tweedy: “I came up with the title for the book to help myself organize my thoughts
and focus my attention on what it is that I’m doing at its most basic level. I never wanted
to write a step-by-step, craftsman manual about music theory and stuff like that. I don’t
have a firm grasp on that myself, and I kind of consider that an asset.”

JEFF TWEEDY: Facebook

Jeff Tweedy: Facebook

(image: cover solo album ‘Warm Warmer’)

DAVE GROHL – His First Book THE STORYTELLER: TALES OF LIFE AND MUSIC Coming Up

Posted on by JL

6 April 2021

Dave Grohl, former drummer of Nirvana and frontman/guitarist/gentleman of his own mega successful band Foo Fighters (who celebrate their 25th year of making noise this very year) publishes his first book, titled THE STORYTELLER: TALES OF LIFE AND MUSIC on 5 October 2021 via Day Street Books.

With lots of time on his hand, because of the tour-canceling-coronavirus, he started the @davetruestories Instagram account, sharing stories and anecdotes, which led eventually to this book.

Publisher Day Street Books says the book includes “spectacular stories about Nirvana,
Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, playing drums for Tom Petty
on Saturday Night Live, performing at the White House, and even swing dancing with AC/DC.”

Dave Grohl about the project: “It’s a collection of memories of a life lived loud. From my
early days growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, to hitting the road at the age of 18, and all the music that followed, I can now share these adventures with the world, as seen and heard from behind the microphone. Turn it up!”.

More info here.

Early Foo days…

BOOK THIS!

Posted on by JL

5 April 2021

SIREN RISING

Bio: PJ Harvey
Auteur: James R Blandford
Published: 2009

Amazon info: Polly Jean Harvey has won worldwide recognition for her raw, bluesy
music while remaining one of rock’s most enigmatic and private figures. Starting out
as PJ Harvey, the first female artist to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize has
spent more than a decade creating a series of scorching albums. This groundbreaking biography traces Harvey’s personal and artistic development from her childhood in
a small Dorset village right up to her headlining World Tour of 2004.

PJ HARVEY: Facebook – Discography

Young NICK CAVE On Fire

Posted on by JL

BOY ON FIRE
The Young Nick Cave

A new autobiographical 432-page book about Nick Cave as
a young man (‘the Dark Lord’ as one of his friends called him).
From growing up in Wangaratta to joining the music scene in
Melbourne, Australia.

Author: Mark Mordue.
Australian writer, journalist, and editor.

Louder Than War (Melanie Smith) writes: ‘Although it is primarily about the younger
Nick, we still get a flavour of how the Nick of today thinks and feels about the world around him. Nick has had no easy ride in life as he’s been hard on himself, pushing himself to achieve greater things. I’d say he was a perfectionist, constantly driven to create, whether it be music, art, screenplays, or books. It’s taken a considerable time for him to emerge and be accepted as one of the greatest songwriters and live performers of our generation; experiencing him live is like a religious experience. Colin Cave (his father) would be proud of the good son he turned out to be.” Full review here.

Available via Amazon

Influential All-Round Artist – New DON LETTS Biography

Posted on by JL

22 March 2021

THERE AND BLACK AGAIN

Autobiography Don Letts
Written by Letts & Mal Peachey

Don Letts is a filmmaker, musician, DJ, broadcaster and social commentator
who has always defied conformity. A British-born son of Windrush parents, he
seamlessly pivoted between London’s punk and reggae scenes earning his
reputation as the Rebel Dread.

In ‘There and Black Again‘, Don Letts looks back on his exceptional life, which has
seen him befriend Bob Marley after sneaking into his hotel, join The Clash‘s
‘White Riot’ tour as manager of The Slits and become one of the UK’s most highly regarded video directors just as the MTV boom hit. Letts is still highly active today.

The book – hardcover and kindle – available, among others, via Amazon.

Watch Don Letts‘ 1978 documentary – shot with a
Super 8 camera – about the 70s punk days in London…

DON LETTS: Facebook