#autobiographies

We got Jim, Jimmy and Jimi first up (all second hand)

I read The Doors one during lunch breaks while interning at a hospital. The book first sets the scene by re-establishing the political scenario of the time and then going song by song per album. The structure makes it so readable and the writing is gorgeous.

Hammer of the Gods is crazy because Zeppelin is probably my favourite band and it felt like being a part of their inner circle the entire time I was reading this. Also, the opening paragraph is pure insanity.

The Jimi Hendrix one opens up with a proper forensic investigation of Jimi’s death and it’s a crazy set up, because you get a piece of the writer’s mind as you go into the rest of the book. It’s wonderful.

Next up, 2 Stones books gifted by an acquaintance who was a musician. Haven’t read either, but appreciate it!

Next we got Mötley and Gn’R! I’ve read The Dirt and absolutely love it (it’s a prized possession because even the book’s got lore!) Haven’t read Slash’s biography yet but a friend who also bought his copy when I did let me know it was insanely funny. Anyway, I left a Marlboro Red in it for Slash :)

I also had Steven Adler’s book (My Appetite for Destruction) but I let a drummer who had invited me to his show have it because Steven was his hero :) But all 3 books are from people who were present when Nikki Sixx famously died, so I’m looking forward to read what Slash has to say about it.

Next, my very annotated copy of Just Kids by Patti Smith, a book I need to say nothing about. I am someone who has always found comfort in androgynous self-expression and Patti is an icon. And a biography of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason, the drummer, which I also haven’t read yet.

And last we got my current read, Brothers by Alex Van Halen. His humour is so refreshing and just based on the writing you know how much fun they had. And because this book came out recently it’s also quite modern. Either way, I got 60 pages left and I’ve enjoyed it so far.

Lastly, and yeah it’s not literally rock n’roll but very much so in spirits, a biography of Hunter S Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Jan Wenner (a founder of Rolling Stone magazine). Hunter S Thompson was so rock n roll. (Also fun story: My friends and I went to see Avenged Sevenfold a few years ago and they played Bat Country which is based on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and later I made all my friends sign the first page which had a quote that the song also straight up borrowed for its beginning. So that’s double rock n roll.)

I’ve also got Pamela Des Barres’ I’m With The Band as an audiobook, which i finished a couple years ago and loved so very much.

Bye bye Bank Holiday, you were such fun Now it is Tuesday & I’m come undone Freshening up takes forever A poetry session, it’s now or never. Grace Lintzen takes us through our paces Prompts us with themes of people & places We jam together, the lines are flowing That sounds illegal but you know where this is going. Verses emerge, line by line, poetry in motion What’s coming next? We…

And I really don’t want to feel this way because of the aforementioned facts, but I can’t help but find her annoying

Don’t misconstrue: I do not think that what happened to her should have happened to her. I feel very terrible, and if I could do something to take the pain away or ease the suffering, I would

But maybe because I’ve read so much fiction, it’s hard not to think “this character is annoying” before reminding myself that this is a person, not a character

I’d probably think she was a little annoying in real life, too, but I don’t know. I’m going to finish this autobiography

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby (2016)

🌟 My rating: 5 stars

How do you review someone's life experiences? Their hardships and triumphs? I always feel odd giving ratings to people's life stories, but I'll give this 5 stars to show how highly I recommend it.

Ma-Nee life story is undescribable. She endured horrific abuse, substance addiction, poverty and houselessness, and yet at 63 years old when this book was written, she is full of joy and compassion.

Lessons like the importance of community, healing, self-exploration, grit/determination/refusal to give up or give in are all important, but it's just as important to hear them from other perspectives. It's one thing to say "I know Indigenous people have struggled", but it's so different to actually read about them.

Indigenous perspectives are still so rare to see integrated into mainstream knowledge but the intersection of Ma-Nee being a woman, a lesbian, and living with two spirits along with her struggles experienced by other Indigenous people give her an even more unique perspective on top of that.

From the afterword, a quote from another book within the similar vein of wanting to tell untold stories: "Our intention is to open a space for women who are seldom heard on their own terms, women who are highly visible on the street and in media representation but whose daily realities remain largely concealed." There's a huge homeless population in my city and many of them are Indigenous, and the way they're talked about, you'd think all of their circumstances are exactly the same, but they're not. But knowing and understanding that is very different and I'm grateful for these books being written to have them be heard.