Need To Ditch The Doomscrolling? Get Into These Music Books

Tana Douglas - Loud 

The blurb: At just fifteen, Tana Douglas ran away to the circus that was rock 'n' roll in the 1970s, taking a job with a young and upcoming band called AC/DC. While still a teenager she headed to the UK and later the US to work for a who's who of bands and artists… Whether wrangling Iggy Pop across Europe, climbing trusses while seven months pregnant, drinking shots of JD with Bon Scott backstage at Wembley, or donning a tailor-made suit to do lights for Elton at Windsor Castle, Tana did it all.

Why we think you should check it out: Tana Douglas is not just an icon but also, for many, an inspiration. Having cut through the male-dominated industry with a sharp wit and even sharper tongue, she has lived a hell of a life and has more than a few stories to tell. It's not just us that think so either, former The Go-Betweens drummer Lindy Morrison has said that “this is much better than any other roadie book" and that "it’s an extraordinary story about a woman in rock and the way she had to behave to get ahead, the sacrifices and so on, so many lessons but then this is also a rock history of real note" and that's more than reason for us. 

Carrie Brownstein - Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl 

The blurb: Before Carrie Brownstein became a music icon, she was a young girl growing up in the Pacific Northwest just as it was becoming the setting for one of the most important movements in rock history. Seeking a sense of home and identity, she would discover both while moving from spectator to creator in experiencing the power and mystery of a live performance. With Sleater-Kinney, Brownstein and her bandmates rose to prominence in the burgeoning underground feminist punk-rock movement that would define music and pop culture in the 1990s.

Why we think you should check it out: From music to comedy to filmmaking, Carrie Brownstein has done it all. Anyone familiar with her acerbically earnest lyrics will be thrilled to see her voice translate so well to the page, and newcomers will feel welcomed with ease.

Brownstein with Sleater-Kinney at The Triffid in Brisbane in 2016. Pic by Stephen Booth. 

Laura Jane Grace with Dan Ozzi - Tranny 

The blurb: It began in a bedroom in Naples, Florida, when a misbehaving punk teenager named Tom Gabel, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a headful of anarchist politics, landed on a riff… But underneath the public turmoil, something much greater occupied Gabel - a secret kept for 30 years, only acknowledged in the scrawled-out pages of personal journals and hidden in lyrics. Through a troubled childhood, delinquency, and struggles with drugs, Gabel was on a punishing search for identity. Not until May of 2012 did a Rolling Stone profile finally reveal it: Gabel is a transsexual, and would from then on be living as a woman under the name Laura Jane Grace.

Why we think you should check it out: Laura Jane Grace is one of only a handful of contemporary musicians to ever come out as trans. Her experiences, chronicled through childhood diaries and first-person accounts, makes for a beautiful and compelling read.

Laura Jane Grace at Unibar Wollongong in 2017. Pic by Jodie Downie.

John Cooper Clarke - I Wanna Be Yours

The blurb: John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator. At 5 feet 11 inches (32in chest, 27in waist), in trademark dark glasses, tailored suit, shock of black hair and mouth full of gold teeth, he is instantly recognisable. As a writer his voice is equally unmistakable and his own brand of sick humour is never far from the surface.

Why we think you should check it out: Dr John Cooper Clarke - Performance poet. Punk. Legend. Let the man himself take you through his incredible life the way only he can - while leaving plenty of room for his manifestos on fashion and cereal.

Grace Jones - I’ll Never Write My Memoirs

The blurb: Born in 1948 into a family of ministers in Kingston, Jamaica, the statuesque and strikingly beautiful Grace Jones lived with her family in Syracuse, NY, before launching a career as a model in New York City. Gaining fame as the cover girl for such publications as Vogue and Elle, Jones's flamboyant look proved to be a hit on the New York City nightclub circuit and she became a darling of the disco scene, which led to a recording contract and a substantial following among gay men. With her sexually charged, outrageous live shows, Grace soon earned the title of 'Queen of the Gay Discos.'

Why we think you should check it out: Everyone has heard a story about Grace Jones at some point or another. A wild-child of pop and disco, Jones has always been herself in the most unapologetically awesome ways. Now, it’s her turn to set the record straight.

Grace Jones. Pic by Andrea Klarin.

David Byrne - How Music Works

The blurb: How Music Works is David Byrne's buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. Equal parts historian and anthropologist, raconteur and social scientist, Byrne draws on his own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators - along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists - to show that music-making is not just the act of a solitary composer in a studio, but rather a logical, populist, and beautiful result of cultural circumstance. A brainy, irresistible adventure, How Music Works is an impassioned argument about music's liberating, life-affirming power.

Why we think you should check it out: How Music Works is a deeply fascinating dive into the science of music and sound, and why it moves us as humans in such a multitude of ways. This is the book for anyone who has wondered not just why a song sounds good, but also how.

David Byrne

Viv Albertine - Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.

The blurb: In 1975, Viv Albertine was obsessed with music but it never occurred to her she could be in a band as she couldn't play an instrument and she'd never seen a girl play electric guitar. A year later, she was the guitarist in the hugely influential all-girl band the Slits, who fearlessly took on the male-dominated music scene and became part of a movement that changed music. A raw, thrilling story of life on the frontiers and a candid account of Viv's life post-punk - taking in a career in film, the pain of IVF, illness and divorce and the triumph of making music again - Clothes Music Boys is a remarkable memoir.

Why we think you should check it out: The Slits are one of the most important groups to come out of the ‘70s punk movement. A band of teenage girls were seen at the time as being simply unable to create punk music, but Albertine and co made quick work of the lot of them. Hear from the woman herself about how they made it all possible.

Shane Simpson & Jules Munro - Music Business: A Musician's Guide To The Australian Music

The blurb: This book will guide you through every aspect of the Australian music business. An invaluable reference for any music industry person in the US dealing with the Australian or New Zealand market.

Why we think you should check it out: This is the Aus music industry bible, and picks apart every single aspect of that world in minute detail. Confused about copyright? Need the lowdown on label deals? This is the book for you.

Briggs - Our Home, Our Heartbeat

The blurb: Adapted from Briggs’ celebrated song The Children Came Back, Our Home, Our Heartbeat is a celebration of past and present Indigenous legends, as well as emerging generations, and at its heart honours the oldest continuous culture on earth. Readers will recognise Briggs' distinctive voice and contagious energy within the pages of Our Home, Our Heartbeat, signifying a new and exciting chapter in children's Indigenous publishing.

Why we think you should check it out: Celebrated as a new kind of children’s book, Briggs invites kids with a warm hand and a cheeky grin to learn all about First Nations history and bring that representation to the page.

Briggs

These titles are all available at time of publishing so we think pop on down to your local bookstore (either in person or online) and check them out while supporting a small business.