From Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain: 17 of rock’s biggest memoirs

Rock ’n’ roll memoirs tend to be like fantastic train wrecks — you can’t stand to look away, even though what you’re reading is, in all likelihood, shocking, outlandish and incredibly far removed from your own day-to-day life. Lenny Kravitz is the latest artist to join a long tradition of rock stars to pen their autobiographies. The singer and guitarist reflects on the first 25 years of his life in ‘Let Love Rule’, set to release on October 6. From how rock changed his life to the events that shaped his world view, Kravitz bares it all. Ahead of the book’s release, we look back at 17 of the most iconic rock memoirs of all time.

Chronicles, Volume One — Bob Dylan (2004): Bob Dylan has a way with words, both heartbreaking and enlightening, so it’s no wonder that his 2004 memoir spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. It focuses on three points in his storied career: 1961, 1970 and 1989, when he was writing and recording his debut, 11th and 26th album, respectively. ‘Chronicles, Volume One’ is believed to be the first of a trilogy, but it’s the only volume Dylan has released to date.

Scar Tissue — Anthony Kiedis (2004): ‘Scar Tissue’, a poignant memoir by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ frontman Anthony Keidis, follows his life from birth onwards. This includes his first experience with drugs at age 11, which was with his father, a former drug dealer. Keidis years later said he had regrets about the book, until he realised people were reading it in prisons, hospitals and schools. “Whatever shame, pain or difficulty or discomfort I went through … it was worth it because I get so many people coming up to me saying their kids had read it and got their act together because of it,” said Kiedis.

Life — Keith Richards (2019): Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards covers the usual basis of rock memoirs — falling in love with music, romantic relationships, drug abuse and in-band disagreements (most notably his rocky relationship with frontman Mick Jagger). After the publisher saw a 10-page extract of Richards’ book, reports say they paid him an excess of $7 million in advance.

The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star — Nikki Sixx (2007): Not a happy read by a long shot, Nikki Sixx, bassist of Motley Crue, takes readers through some of the lowest points of his drug addiction between Christmas of 1986 to Christmas of 1987 (while the band recorded the ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ album), chronicling his life of excess in perturbing detail, including his paranoia, depression and the haze that his life had become under the influence of heavy substance abuse.

Girl in a Band — Kim Gordon (2015): As a founding member of Sonic Youth and a oft-too-rare voice of women in the rock scene, bassist and singer Kim Gordon bares her soul here, introspecting on everything from her disillusionment with her own band and the breakdown of her 27-year marriage to the group’s guitarist and singer Thruston Moore, to what it was really like to be the ‘girl in a band’.

Journals — Kurt Cobain (2002): Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of Nirvana, is on display here through a collection of his letters, musings and drawings… but is it right? Fans were divided by this posthumous memoir. While some were thankful to have more insight into this beloved fallen figure, others had been angered by what they saw to be a continued invasion of Cobain’s life, despite his death by apparent suicide. Nonetheless, ‘Journals’ debuted at No 1 on the NYT best-sellers list for non-fiction.

Autobiography — Morrissey (2013): Love him or hate him, Morrissey has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind — and what’s on his mind is often biting, pessimistic and misanthropic. Look no further than the book’s opening paragraph, which runs for four and a half pages, to realise that The Smith’s frontman does things his way. The fact that the book is not even divided into chapters further underscores that fact. The book was the No 1 best-selling book in the UK upon release.

Jimi Hendrix: The Man, the Magic, the Truth (2005): Right off the bat — this isn’t a memoir. But, it’s the closest that fans of the influential rock star can get to one today. The legendary guitarist died at age 27, leaving behind an timeless legacy. Here, journalist — and Hendrix’s friend and confidante — Sharon Lawrence shares rare and unpublished conversations with Hendrix to give an intimate look into who he was.

I Am Ozzy — Ozzy Osbourne (2009): Ozzy Osbourne is one of the more colourful characters in the rock scene, and the Black Sabbath frontman has embraced all the ups and downs of his life with a shrug and a wry sense of humour. In his own words: “People ask me how come I’m still alive, and I don’t know what to say … But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time. A lot of it ain’t gonna be pretty. I’ve done some bad things in my time. But I ain’t the devil. I’m just John Osbourne: a working class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time.”

Prince — The Beautiful Ones (2019): The elusive and enchanting rock star Prince died before he could finish his memoir. But his words ring truer than ever nonetheless. In early 2016, writer Dan Piepenbring, then the online editor of The Paris Review, was approached to help Prince get his memories, thoughts and words on paper. And in Part 1 of the posthumous memoir, published three years after Prince’s death, Piepenberg shares those handwritten pages that Prince shared with him.

I, Me, Mine — George Harrison (1980): Fans of George Harrison will love this window into the Beatles’ guitarist’s life. In conversation with Derek Taylor, the introspective Harrison shares everything from his years growing up in Liverpool, to the meteoric rise of the Beatles. He even famously ticked off Lennon with the book, since Lennon felt that Harrison underplayed his influence on his music. In addition, ‘I, Me, Mine’ includes reproductions of his handwritten lyrics.

Face It — Debbie Harry (2019): Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry has been named a punk icon, an activist, an actress and a style sensation. In her witty and frank memoir ‘Face It’, Harry knows exactly how cool she is, laying it out plain and clear as she fearlessly traverses back through the defining decades of her life. The book also features original art and evocative visuals.

Rat Girl: A Memoir — Kristin Hersh (2010): Leaving her hippie parents and her home at 15 years old in 1985, Kristin Hersh’s life has been a whirlwind to say the least. From founding the cult rock band Throwing Muses in college, to getting a bipolar diagnoses, to finding out she’s pregnant, Hersh delivers an unflinching reflection on an unconventional life.

Many Years From Now — Paul McCartney (1997): Though technically classified as an officially biography and not a memoir, this is Paul McCartney in his own words. As per the back cover of a 1998 edition, the book is born out of “hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews undertaken over a period of five years.” Here, McCartney shares his gripes over song credits and his own self-reflections over his influence on The Beatles’ sound.

Slash — Slash (2007): In collaboration with writer Anthony Bozza, Slash gives fans this no-holds-barred look into his tumultuous years in Guns N’ Rose, and takes readers behind the scenes of frontman Axl Rose leaving the band in 1994, describing Rose’s virtually tyrannical behaviours that contributed to the disintegration of the band. Plus, how Slash went from a near fatal drug addiction to sobriety after the birth of his children.

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. — Viv Albertine (2014): Viv Albertine, guitarist and songwriter for The Slits, stood at the forefront of the British punk movement. From forming a band with Sid Vicious (and being there when he met Nancy), to touring with The Clash and dating Mick Jones, this retelling of Albertine’s life is raw as they come. In fact, Albertine’s memoirs — ‘Clothes…’ and 2018’s ‘To Throw Away Unopened’ — were so visceral that, earlier this month, it was announced that they would be adapted for TV.

Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen (2016): The Boss’ memoir — also available as an audiobook, performed by Bruce Springsteen himself — was devoured by critics, who praised the American rocker for his honest and exhilarating prose. He wrote the memoir privately over the course of seven years, from his upbringing in New Jersey to his utter devotion to becoming a musician. In 2017, he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for ‘Born to Run’.