This could have been pure class but the book tripped up and fell flat on its face. Basically this is a ask-peole-who-say-they-know-rollins-biography. Seems the people who were asked were from pre-Black Flag days and I would doubt if Rollins associates with them any more. The only cool moments were the drop-rollins-in-it parts about the man rolling around on the floor on glass shards and taking some dodgy chemicals cunningly stored in an eye-drops bottle... A part from that, there are no kicking-ass moments here. Unless you like the tedium of hearing the ins and outs of the long gone DC punk scene don't buy this. Instead, for some night-churning, fist clenching, manic depression, buy Black Coffee Blues (Part one) or Solipsist!

This biography is a must for Rollins and Black Flag fans. Based on interviews, the book is peppered with quotes. This is not a fawning fan's account, although Parker is a fan he tells the story straight and shows the often negative ugly side of Rollins, his insight into the man and the music scene surrounding him can border on profound. A lot of time and detail is spent on the Black Flag years and reveals the personalities of the other band members making this a great companion to "Get In The Van", [a collection of photographs and Rollin's journal entries of those years]. Surprises are revealed, like a brief period of heavy LSD use by the straight-edge Rollins. If you ever wondered what made Rollins the unique intense person he is, this book will answer a lot of questions. A worthy often brilliant account of the early hardcore scene and its most fascinating survivor.

... but only to get up and slip another Black Flag cd into the stereo. This is a barnstormingly passionate celebration of music, so visceral you feel you're in the scummy clubs being battered by the serious sounds. Some of the writing is great, some is ludicrously florid, most of it is both. I had a great time.

A friend of mine sadly wasted his money on this book in the expectation that it might actually be worth reading, but just like everything else Pat Blashill writes, It sucked. I am saddened deeply, as well as embarrased to say I actually wasted the time reading some of it. Pat Blashill can't write Rolling Stone reviews, so of course she sure as hell can't write a book...

Misunderstood tripe parading itself as a journal of "Alternative Music." Punny, Unfunny title... quickly veers into unreadability. Stick to the acurate Rolling Stone reviews, Pat...

I bought this book when it first came out,somewhere in the mid-to-late 90's i suppose,and was looking forward to some cool info about alot of the bands that i grew up with of whom turned me on to music that wasn't the outdated guns'n'roses or aerosmith that i was into so damn much untill i found out about the likes of soundgarden and mudhoney and so on. to be honest, i mainly bought this book for the photography to learn more about all of those different scenes in a visual sense which worked quite well, but the story severely lacks - spewing out all of the blunt kind of info that i bet everybody who kept their ears to the ground would already know.i'd give this book 4 stars if it was only photos, which should be the main reason for anyone to purchase