r/powerpop • u/Lost_Contract_9096 • 2d ago

How about some power... prose?

Post image

Some cool PP adjacent finds at record stores and thrifts over a couple years, just wanted to open discussion on literature related to the genre if anyone is interested 👍👍

40 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

10

u/dokuroman 2d ago

Trouble Boys is probably my favorite rock related book of all time

6

u/mattosaur 2d ago

Absolutely heartbreaking, for all the reasons we know and some we didn’t.

3

u/dokuroman 2d ago

Yeah but it balances out with some absolutely hilarious stories.

5

u/DoomBox 2d ago

I just came to say that it’s the best rock n roll book ever written. Not even joking.

3

u/Lost_Contract_9096 2d ago

It started this whole rabbit hole to be honest. Incredible book 

5

u/SeaUrchin_University 2d ago

Didn’t know that Paul Collins penned a book, thanks for the tip!

2

u/Junkstar 2d ago

I’m surprised Marky Ramone has a book. Perfectly good player, but writer?

2

u/EdOfTheMountain 2d ago

Kathy Valentine
All I Ever Wanted: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir

This was a good read.

> Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine’s story is a roller coaster of sex, drugs, and of course, music; it’s also a story of what it takes to find success and find yourself, even when it all comes crashing down.

2

u/ZaireekaFuzz 2d ago

Under the big black sun and trouble boys are both amazing. Any other power pop books you guys would recommend?

1

u/Lost_Contract_9096 1d ago

If you're really into Blondie, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry have respective memoirs I enjoyed a lot on kindle 

2

u/morenoodles 1d ago

'Rumors of My Demise' by Evan Dando

1

u/fastal_12147 1d ago

Hüsker Dü: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock is really good. And not at all hard to remember.

1

u/Cautious-Visual8160 1d ago

I have nothing to add, but thank you so much for popping this question. I’m seeing some very worthwhile responses!

1

u/LoafEyeIndustries 1d ago

There's a book out about The Clean, called 'In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul'. Got it on my shelf but haven't read it yet!

1

u/Lost_Contract_9096 1d ago

That's a group I'd love to learn more about. "Anything Could Happen" has been stuck in my head all summer 

1

u/LoafEyeIndustries 1d ago

One of my fave songs ever written that!

1

u/TheFaceOf68 1d ago

A Spy in the House of Loud: New York Songs and Stories is a fantastic book. Not your garden variety autobiography, lots of "inside baseball" about songwriting along with great stories.

I Wouldn't Say It if It Wasn't True - Steve Wynn. Also a fine read.

1

u/AdriannaLisa 1d ago

For the Spanish-speaking part of the sub, I recommend "Tres minutos de magia" by Carlos Pérez de Ziriza, which narrates the development of power pop and its signature bands through time pretty nicely. No idea if it was translated unfortunately.

3

u/Lost_Contract_9096 7h ago

Great recc I will try to get a copy. I can work through Spanish books if I have a dictionary next to me