Michael Azerrad

I read Our Band Could Be Your Life at a time when some of these bands were my life. I read and can recall reading half of the book, based on what was currently playing out of my computer speakers. I was a punk rock kid and my much hipper and much older brother (who only listened to bands in the second half of the book) let me borrow it to read about Black Flag, Minor Threat, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Replacements, and then, begrudgingly, Fugazi (who I had thought at the time took themselves too seriously, let alone how serious their pompous fans took them). This book is one of the best of its kind: punk memoir, ethnography and history.

Music at the time that I read this book was necessary to my life, and it makes sense that I would want to read about its vital importance, especially DIY possibilities. I was in love with punk rock, and it consumed me. Now I would sooner read anything else. DIY naivete bores the shit out of me (in the era where Justin Bieber was found on Youtube, and every shithead has a stupid blog), and punk holds very little allure, except as nostalgia and defiant posture. Alas. These bands were my life. And then I found a life outside of them.… (meer)