false 6416929 1 For almost two decades, rumors have swirled around Jim Cassady, the quasi-legendary punk-rock frontman who disappeared without a trace shortly after his girlfriend’s apparent suicide. Though largely written off as dead, some claim to have had brushes with Cassady, now said to be homeless and bumming change on the streets of his native Los Angeles. Intrigued, Jason Maddox, a would-be filmmaker and Cassady fan, decides to investigate. But the man he eventually finds and befriends is damaged in ways he could never have imagined, and Jason’s own life begins to unravel as he tries to save the hapless Jim Cassady from himself.<p> A mystery wrapped in a love letter to overlooked American rebels, “Banned for Life” has already amassed a cult following in L.A.’s underground music scene, where D. R. Haney has long been a fixture. “Banned For Life is about punk rock? Sure, just like Moby-Dick is about whales. This is the thrilling story of Jason Maddox, 80s musician turned 90s screenwriter, who embarks on an Ahab-like quest of his own—although the blubbery object of his fascination is a vanished punk-poet. Like Melville, D.R. Haney has created a world so rich in detail, so authentic, so damned cool, you want to take up a harpoon—or, in this case, a guitar—and join the fray. Banned For Life is literary fiction at its best—funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, and every bit as inspiring as the punk music it extols.” —Greg Olear, author of "Totally Killer" "Flashing back from the particular flavor of boredom that was late 1990s Los Angeles, "Banned for Life" captures the inchoate brilliance of punk - the 20th century's last social movement - better than any account I've ever read. It's a eulogy to dead friends and those who died trying to transform personal pain into something extraordinary that happens outside the body. It's also pitch-perfect, laugh-out-loud funny and heartrendingly sad. Haney remains faithful to the spookily truthful insights of adolescence while keeping his eye on the big picture. By turns broadly epic and embarrassingly specific, "Banned for Life" is one of those rare books that tells the story of a generation." - Chris Kraus Author of "I Love Dick", "Aliens & Anorexia", "Torpor" "D. R.’s book takes you down all the roads of the seventies and eighties that most people never knew existed. Those who traveled those roads will recognize the tribulations of youth and essence of that time that D. R. captures perfectly. Those that weren't will regret that they never dared. In Jason, D. R.’s lead character, all of us who dared, or, more likely, had no choice but to live on the outside, will see ourselves, not only in light but in shadow. Which in these days of pat, one-dimensional characterizations is not just a relief but something profound." - Sab Grey Author of "Skinhead Army" and "Hated and Proud" "At a party, on a couch, you find yourself next to a man who has survived himself. Twenty-six letters have been arranged and rearranged to describe the goings-on and happenings he has weathered. As he turns away, the pages fall together at your feet, and if you are smart, YOU GRAB IT, TUCK IT UNDER YOUR COAT, AND READ. This is a story that belongs to everyone, but is our best kept secret." - Jennifer Lynch Author of "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" ""Banned for Life" is a rock ‘n’ roll novel that truly rocks. Not merely is the novel obsessed with hard rock music—it sounds like rock as you read it. Rock music pulses and pounds on every page. Jason, the book’s non-hero, is a disaffected filmmaker and musician who wanders through Los Angeles at the end of the twentieth century only to find himself in Kostunica’s Serbia at the beginning of the twenty-first. An anti-Bildungsroman, Banned for Life takes you on a journey without a terminal point, an in-finite journey in which the road is more vital than the destination. You watch a life unfold across the page; you feel that you are experiencing Jason’s life with him from the inside." - Joseph Suglia Author of "Watch Out" "With his character Peewee, Haney has extracted probably one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. He’s that good." - Bryan Price Author of The "First Book of You" "D. R. Haney is more punk rock than me!" - George Tabb Author of "Surfing Armaggedon" 6606001 5 5 2009 Banned for Life total:19|5:16|4:2|3:1|2:0|1:0| 19 91 70 13 5 1 false false Sat Sep 19 01:07:13 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 01:22:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 19:47:02 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 20:35:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 3 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 05:33:14 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 19:03:30 -0700 2009
Before reading this book, I was pretty much at peace that I would never write or perform my music again. After becoming a mom, I just couldn't ever pull myself away to have the life I did before. I could barely lose myself in a new book. That ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 13:08:49 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 20:40:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Sep 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 19:50:54 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 20:23:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Sep 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 00:33:14 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 10:18:38 -0700 2009 Banned for Life starts out much like other memoir-style stories, with the main character Jason relating some tale from his past that's bound to lead someplace, but quickly becomes something more. After you've found yourself hooked by the story you realize that what's really holding your attention is...more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Sep 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 18:05:41 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 09:47:15 -0700 2009
Haney's first book 'Banned for Life' seems hellbent on destroying all three. Born out of this is a type of raw fiction which redeems its...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 08:21:26 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 06:27:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 19:28:31 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 07:06:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 4 false false Mon Jun 22 13:25:18 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 19:44:42 -0700 2009 Banned For Life is about punk rock? Sure, just like Moby-Dick is about whales. This is the thrilling story of Jason Maddox, 80s musician turned 90s screenwriter, who embarks on an Ahab-like quest of his own -- although the blubbery object of his fascination is a vanished punk-poet.

Lik...more...]]> 5 7 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 22:45:56 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 22:58:35 -0700 2009 5 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jul 13 11:08:55 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 11:09:42 -0700 2009 0 1 false false Wed Jun 24 03:35:57 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 06:26:00 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 19 12:43:22 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 12:43:22 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 13 16:16:28 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 16:16:32 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 23 06:53:43 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 06:53:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 21 18:46:30 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 18:46:30 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Sep 25 19:41:57 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 19:41:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Sep 10 06:36:58 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 06:36:58 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Sep 09 17:30:04 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 17:30:13 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6416929