Finished 5/6/18
I got this used hardback after listening to Brownstein on WTF, and then I listened to several podcasts about her. I had always loved Sleater Kinney, but only 'appreciated' Portlandia. And, pleasantly surprised with her role on Transparent.
This is one of my favorite rock star bios. Keith Richards is in first place, followed by Bob Mould, and then this one.
Whether it's that she is just an excellent writer or a supernaturally gifted deceiver, she honestly comes across as an interesting and 'real' person.
It only covers her early life and her experiences in the rock world and ends before her career in comedy.
I can't imagine her Duran Duran cover band.
Her father was a corporate lawyer who came out as a gay man when he was in his mid-fifties, and her mother suffered from anorexia all her life. By her mid-teens Carrie lived with her father only. Her mother was institutionalized, but later married. 'Dig Me Out' refers to the time after the album was released and Carrie and the band lived for a few days with her mother and new step-father after a huge blizzard.
From Redmond, Washington, and was energized by 'the scene' at Olympia, WA. Also lived in Portland, OR.
Took guitar lessons from the guy that went on to star in Sunny Day Real Estate, Jeremy Enigk. He happened to live just a few streets away.
She was outed by Spin magazine at 21, and none of her family were aware of her sexuality.
She really makes clear that although the band was critically acclaimed and famous, they were almost always flat broke.
After the band folded she did volunteer work with animals. She was obsessive about this aspect of her life- won 'the best' volunteer of the area.
The epilogue of the book deals with her own 'family' of pets. One of her dogs kills the cat that had been with Carrie most of her life. This was a very moving part of the book and had nothing whatever to do with her professional career, but really highlights her excellence as a writer.
Sleater-Kinney; Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, Janet Weiss (drummer); Classic Trio- 2 guitars and one drummer/ no bass.
The group's name is derived from Sleater Kinney Road, in Lacey, Washington; where signs for Interstate 5 exit number 108 announce its existence.
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