Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
by Michael Azerrad
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael AzerradEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-02
ISBN: 0316787531
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Book Reviews of Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
Book Review: Hey, it's new to me
Summary: 5 Stars
Now I don't know how one would feel about this book if they were big fans of any of these bands, but be it that 1981-1991 was about ten years before I even listened to "indie" music (I was born in '81) I ended up really enjoying this as an introduction to underground rock in the 80's. I was familiar with most bands by name, few by music, and almost none by back story, so I found this book interesting and informative. Azerrad gives the reader a great biography of 13 of the more successful/innovative underground bands from what he believes is the beginning of indie music, 1981-1991. The bios were written in a sit down, pow wow, interview without the questions, kind of style, that didn't seem afraid to honestly address the bands successes and short comings. He uses a sundry of resources to present a basic and accurate account of each band's struggles with success/anti-success, popularity, big labels, inebriating substances, and even with each other. With most, he gets the stories directly from (some) the band members, but with those he couldn't manage to talk with, he used quotes from fanzines, archived interviews, etc. to include the bands that were so detrimental to this time period. He also briefly introduces the small record labels (SST, Sub Pop, etc) that played a crucial role in their music.
As an introductory piece, this book made me want to know more about each band (particularly if they continued on after '91 since their stories stop there) and I found out that these bands are so often referred to and are such an important gateway to the music I listen to today. I know that a few of the bands in this book may have other bios devoted to them that are more in depth, and that's cool, but I highly recommend this to those who are indie fans that aren't familiar with this time period.
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Summary of Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
This is the story of post-punk indie rock in America and the bands whose do-it-yourself ethic paved the way for the grunge phenomenon of the 1990s. Without major label support, these bands depended on resourcefulness and creativity to survive.History & Criticism Books
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