The Book of Drugs
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Published By Da Capo
Format Paperback
Number Of Pages 256
Publication Date 01/10/2012
ISBN 9780306818776
Dimensions 6.4 inches x 8.4 inches
“The Book of Drugs has many of the staples we’ve come to expect from a rock ‘n’ roll tell-all. There are stories about consuming ridiculous amounts of illegal narcotics, and having ridiculous amounts of raunchy sex with people you’ve just met, and hating your bandmates for not respecting your awesomeness, and then kicking the drugs and meaningless sex and stupid band and realizing what’s important in life…But The Book of Drugs manages to transcend its own clichés…Doughty’s misadventures are weirdly relatable, even if you’ve never spent a small fortune on heroin or had sex with strangers in multiple time zones.”
“A no-holds-barred look at that old music cliché, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”
“The Book of Drugs pulls the curtain back on this enigmatic songwriting gem and reveals a Doughty many people may not recognize. It's an often uncomfortable though delightful read…Doughty is open about everything…It's not a juicy, gossip-laden tell-all, but rather a simple account of one man's coming to terms with a perfectly imperfect life.”
“A fascinating read that’s as much a chronicle of the music industry in the waning days of the 20th century as it is a story of addiction and recovery…What makes this memoir so moving is the author’s unabashed honesty about his artistic and personal insecurities…A satisfying, moving, and at times hilarious study of drug addiction, the music industry, and, above all, the cacophonous jangle of bizarre and often contradictory impulses that define the human condition.”
“Fans of Doughty, those who hang on his drawn syllables and poetic songs, will appreciate the book. It has all the sardonic humor that someone familiar with his live show would expect.”
“A tell-all account of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll…Doughty advocates the need for self-acceptance, making The Book of Drugs a universal read…Doughty shines as a writer. His prose, both didactic and insightful, is nothing short of extraordinary.”
“An occasionally cringe-inducing and jawdroppingly honest recollection of [Doughty’s] myriad addictions. But to limit it—to suggest as Doughty’s title does—that it is a memoir only about drugs, is to do disservice to Doughty’s sharp wit and acute memoirist’s eye…Drugs is a self-deprecating, apologetic, fuck-off, roller coaster that reveals Doughty’s emotional wiring at its most exposed. But more than any such salacious adjectives, The Book of Drugs is also a subtle observation on the 90s alternative rock scene and the excesses that made that decade simultaneously abhorrent and jubilant…You may not think there needs to be one more drug narrative in an already crowded field of drug addicted memoirists, but The Book of Drugs is like a sharp knife to the skin. It’s quick and painful and bloody, but fascinating and tragic nonetheless. And it can make you feel stronger in a twisted way once the healing begins.”
“For fans of Doughty in his various incarnations it’s a fascinating look at a heretofore inscrutable character and for folks who know him in his new incarnation it’s nice to see from whence all his brilliance came. Non-fans may enjoy the story of redemption and the insider’s look at a dying music industry…Some of Doughty’s prose is transcendental—it’s down to earth, raw, and real.”
“[A] tell all rock chronicle…The book reads like Jim Carroll’s The Basketball Diaries, a close-up chronicle of a heroin addict.”
Lincoln Journal-Star, 3/25/12
“An honest, oft-funny memoir that captures his rock ‘n' roll heart while telling the clichéd drug story without resorting to cliché.”
“Full of weird and spastic drug stories, and desperately trying to stay off drug stories, and the glimpses of grace that come between those events. Doughty is a compelling writer, even when he rackety-rambles…The bones in a chair scenes of utter addiction are as throttling as any you’ve read…The eviscerating honesty, sometimes very charming self-deprecation, and attention to personal and musical cultural detail makes Book of Drugs an awesome read, more than once.”
“Doughty’s humble voice and one foot forever in the indie underground makes this book more “Cash” by Johnny Cash than “Life” by Keith Richards…[Doughty] writes as memory occurs to everyone, and his tone is loose and familiar enough to feel like a conversation…His humor is wry and self-deprecating.”
“It seems almost unfair that a talented singer/songwriter like Doughty should also turn out to be a good writer, but there you have it. The Book of Drugs is informative but not confessional, rock-snarky but tempered with a round of amends. It is also whip-smart and bitterly funny.”
Salon.com, 1/26/12
“The unspoken rule of rock ‘n’ roll memoirs—especially ones about drug-addled players who get clean—is that the author tends to mend fences rather than sling mud. Mike Doughty: not so much. In The Book of Drugs, the former Soul Coughing frontman writes with a lacerating candor about his family, his narcotic and sexual excesses, the idiocy of the music industry, and, most of all, his former band mates.”
“Much like his music, The Book of Drugs is intimate, witty and driven by Doughty’s masterful sense of storytelling.”
“[Doughty] describes his neurotic former bandmates and his own outrageous behavior with self-deprecating humor and brutal honesty.”
“[A] spectacular new memoir…A whirlwind, flash-fiction-style account of [Doughty’s] life…A painful, funny, acidic memoir.”
“Rather than being depressing and feeling voyeuristic, Doughty’s tale of eventual recovery and peace actually abounds with moments of humorous, wry, self-deprecating writing, and a sound analysis of the phenomenon of addiction. If you liked the band, like his subsequent solo work, or just like the idea of a rock star getting clean, give this quick read a try.”
“The book reads as straightforward as the title, striking in its chillingly honest, matter-of-fact tone that still makes for an intensely readable tale…Unlike many drug memoirs, the stories here are devoid of the hint of self-congratulatory pride of having a crazy story to tell—and having survived to tell it…It’s the clear-eyed self-awareness that makes this book so compelling and keeps you turning the page even if you’re disgusted, surprised or disappointed…The Book of Drugs is an intimate and compelling tale of one musician’s drug abuse and recovery, refreshingly devoid of hyperbole and self-congratulatory platitudes.”
“[If] you are a fan of Doughty and want to hear his version of how he became a better musician and better person through and beyond drugs, then The Book of Drugs is for you.”
“The themes are often dark, but they also underscore the absurdities that often accompany life's greatest traumas. The book recalls, in places, the wildest work of Hunter S. Thompson but with considerably more heart.”
“Written in more of a conversational collection of anecdotes, remembrances and one-off stories, though largely chronologically, Doughty eschews the traditional chapter by chapter story in the life of, opting for a more original take on the standard rock memoir…His time in Soul Coughing and his relationship with drugs clearly made for some fascinating stories.”
“[A] conversational, rambling, and picaresque memoir…Anyone with an interest in pop culture generally and rock music in particular should appreciate this insider’s account of life on the road.”
“A thrillingly lucid and bravely honest memoir.”
“[A] revealing new memoir…Doughty recounts his impressively numerous sexual exploits without the kind of dick-waving braggadocio that often accompanies such tales and his copious drug consumption and subsequent hard fought sobriety are each recalled without the soap opera drama and disingenuous after-school-special reflection of similarly redemptive narratives. Doughty is a compact writer, a wildly hilarious raconteur and a fairly insightful memoirist, making The Book of Drugs a fast, funny and casually poignant read.”
“[Doughty] gives us an unflinching look into his life with his memoir…He shares his sordid tales of addiction, stripped away of any of the glamour or romance that’s often applied to the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle…It’s full of “weirdness, and messed-up-ness,” as Doughty puts it, but within, you see his humor and brilliance shining through.”
Nashville Scene, 2/22/12
“We’ll probably never see a Soul Coughing episode of BTM [Behind the Music], but Mike Doughty’s new book, The Book of Drugs: A Memoir, does a hell of a job in its place.”
Bucks Local News, 4/18/12
“Doughty gives readers an inside look at what it’s like to love creating music while dealing with bipolar disorder, drug addiction, alcoholism, and finding and defining relationships…If you’ve experienced addiction, know someone who has experienced addiction, or are simply open-minded and curious about others’ experiences, this memoir is an honest depiction.”
“For any fans of Soul Coughing who wonder why Doughty will not render songs from the group’s three album canon, pick up a copy…The book is a revelatory look back.”
Dan’s Hamptons
“A chronicle of Doughty’s journey through making music for a living and all that came/comes with it.”
Tucson Citizen, 1/23/12
“A funny, haunted tale in which no one—bandmates, producers, fans, A&R reps, fellow musicians such as Jeff Buckley and Redman, and least of all Doughty himself—is spared.”
Billboard.com, 12/7/11
“Not only an open look by Doughty at his past addiction problems, but a smart, funny, and honest view of the late 80s/early 90s NY music scene, Doughty’s years with the band Soul Coughing, and what it was like to reach the other side of a very dark place. Don’t for a moment think that Mike Doughty has written your typical I-got-clean-and-now-I’m-above-all-that sort of book."
Bookviews (blog), April 2012
“This story will interest those who following the contemporary music scene and who will enjoy a look behind the spotlights and glamour.”
You’re Beautiful, New York, January 2012
“Full of succulent period errata, much like Patti Smith's Just Kids and Eileen Myles' Inferno. We go to legendary places and meet legendary people along the way…Like Smith and Myles, Doughty recreates downtown Manhattan in his formative moment with adroit and insouciant deftness. One comes to see and know as he has. It is a deeply enchanting backdrop for a deeply disenchanting behind-the-scenes.”
Publishers Weekly, 10/3/11
“Hardly your typical rock star memoir. Doughty is brutally honest about life as an addict…Bringing the writing skill that he has crafted to his underground poetry, magazine articles, and songs, Doughty conveys his message with both despair and humor…A compelling look at one man’s struggle to come to terms with the much-discussed connection between addiction and art.”
“Doughty’s life, as chronicled in these pages, is not so much a revelation for its narrative arc (kid makes the big time, starts in with the dope, the band breaks up, kid is redeemed), as it is for the astonishingly vital, energized, and natural voice contained in its pages, one which never once had a ghost writer presiding over it, likewise its acerbic and sometimes lacerating honesty.”
Boston Globe, 11/11/11