Kristin Hersh's memoir focuses on a single year of her life but doesn't have a beginning, middle, or end. The writing is based on a diary she kept at the time and the story (or lack of it) picks up with her band and home life in a state of barely controlled chaos, uncertainty and turmoil and ends with her band and home life in a different state of barely controlled chaos, uncertainty, and turmoil. Along the way, the action (or lack of it) takes in an eclectic cast of friends and bandmates, which is where the real action is. Scenes, moments, concerts, and conversations are recalled in exquisite and sometimes absurd detail. The minutiae of daily life gives us a charming, and touchingly personal look at the people involved. Her writing is beautifully strange and lyrical much like her songs. Sometimes I found myself humming tunes from her solo albums while reading the words and slotting them in as newfound lyrics, especially in the earlier chapters.
There's a precocious air to the entire book, and a "smartest kids in the room" vibe at times that could be offputting to some. But it's a brutally honest memoir, and the well meaning innocence of all involved makes this a great underdog story. I don't often find myself rooting for the author of music memoirs, but with this one I definitely did.
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