From the author of the bestselling The Catcher Was a Spy comes an exhilarating exploration of the performers; places; and experiences which form country music--a genre which is uniquely and authentically American. 40 photos.From the Hardcover edition.
#124841 in eBooks 2011-09-27 2011-09-27File Name: B005R17ZYG
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. 4.5 stars... "I took a big hungry bite out of life. and I am still not full"By Paul Allaer"Violence Girl" East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage. a Chicana Punk Story" (2011 publication; 381 pages) is the memoir from singer-songwriter-social activist Alice Bag. Bag is best known for her time with the legendary LA punk band the Bags from the late 70s. which has a brief (2 year) run before imploding (and never recording a proper album).Bag recounts her upbringing in Los Angeles. living in poverty but not realizing it. as her parents try to make do (and along the way have huge fights). When her dad steals Alices savings and she cries out in despair. her dad responds "Never trust anyone but yourself". One should be so "lucky" to have a parent like that... A pivotal moment comes in August. 1970 during protests and riots in LA: "I had never before realized that I was part of a minority". Alice describes in glorious detail how she idolized Elton John (even buying the big-rimmed glasses just like Eltons). but also Queen. Led Zeppelin. etc. The "meat" of the memoir covers the 2 years starting mid-1977 when the Bags made a go of it (they are briefly covered in the now-legendary 1979 documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization"). Alices life would take some wild detours after the Bags. This 2011 memoir concludes with Alices thought that "I took a big hungry bite out of life. and I am still not full".And has she ever! Since this memoir was published. Alice has returned to the music business. released an excellent album in 2016 simply called "Alice Bag" and has taken up touring again. I happen to catch her show last year here in Cincinnati at the beautiful Woodward Theater. and her set was nothing short of outstanding. A few months ago. Alice started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the expense for recording another album. and I am happy to say that I contributed to that (which is how I got a copy of this memoir. among other goodies. signed by Alice no less!). The new album should be out first half of 2018. Cant wait for that! Meanwhile. "Violence Girl" is an essential book both to understand the early LA punk scene and to grasp the lifes journey of remarkable woman. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. One of the Best Books About Music Life. Ever WrittenBy CustomerIm about 4/5ths of the way through this book. and I just looked at it wistfully andthought. "I wish this book didnt have to end. I wish there was another one rightafter it (Ive already read "Pipe Bomb For The Soul".) and then it occurred to methat my sentiments are really about the highest honor I give to books I love.If you love music. read this book. If you love human beings. read this book.Its just. THE BEST. Thank you. Alicia. for writing your life. Please. please.PLEASE KEEP WRITING!!!!!14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. An original voiceBy BitterOldPunkAlice Bags memoir is less about the first-wave LA punk scene that she was such an integral part of and more about family. growing up. finding yourself. and testing your limits. A discursive book written in short chapters. "Violence Girl" is a quick read. even though its more than 300 pages long. Alices voice shines through -- a thoughtful. confrontational. sometimes confused but rarely cowed woman. Alice goes from being an awkward. overweight teenager with an Elton John obsession and crooked teeth to being the lead singer of the seminal proto-hardcore band. The Bags. Along the way. she befriends and bemuses a bevy of LA scenesters like creepy impressario Kim Fowley; doomed. nihilistic Darby Crash of The Germs; the women who would become The Go-Gos; Patricia Morrison. who co-founded The Bags and would go on to be in both The Gun Club and influential Goth act Sisters of Mercy; even Tom Waits makes a cameo. But the book is more than a name-dropping trek across the glittery landscape of late-70s Los Angeles. Its about struggling with family and faith. its about reconciling ambition with reality. and its about how punk rocks D.I.Y. ethos helped a young woman define herself and claim her place in the world. While many in the early punk scene burned bright and died young. Alice Bag seems made of sterner stuff. Near the end of the book. readers get a glimpse of her post-punk rock trajectory -- she travels to Managua. Nicaragua at the height of US meddling in Nicaraguan affairs and finds a country stripped to the bone and surviving on little more than willpower and pride. I wish this section of the book had been longer. and I would have enjoyed hearing more of the tantalizing anecdotes she only hints at. A love affair with a prisoner? Rebuffing an invitation to dinner with Oprah? Tell me more! Ans thats what I take from this book: Alices voice. Wise. wry. funny. bold. and honest. its a voice I wanted to spend more time with. Violence Girl and Babylonian Gorgon -- Alice Bag is an undeniable original. and youll enjoy your time with her. Well worth reading.
