Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes

by Nic Brown

Genres: Music

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 2, 2026

About the author

Nic Brown is the author of the memoir Bang Bang Crash, as well as the novels In Every Way, Doubles, and Floodmarkers, which was selected as an Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Oxford American, and the Harvard Review, among many other publications. A graduate of Columbia University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has served as the Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi and is now a professor of creative writing at Clemson University.

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Probably the funniest 33 1/3 I've ever read – intentionally funny, at any rate. Granted, one of the many reasons music biopics are the single most worthless artform is their Procrustean insistence on matching every act to the same easily digested template. But that wouldn't have become established in the first place if band stories didn't tend to follow a certain outline. An outline to which, at almost every point, Violent Femmes go haring off at right angles. The band name is initially the rhythm section, who, somewhat to everyone involved's surprise, find themselves working with precocious, prolific schoolboy songwriter and "pint-sized Lou Reed imitator" Gordon Gano. Among their previous frontmen had been a local hobo known as Doorway Dave, alliteration clearly being more important than traditional star quality. Their weird set-up (acoustic bass as lead instrument; a drum kit so stripped down it barely qualifies as a kit), partly inspired by wanting to still be able to play after the surely imminent apocalypse, exists in a vicious circle with their inability to get proper gigs; it's lightweight so they can busk with it*, but also part of the reason they have to go busking, because nobody will put them on. And let's not get into the way that people seem only to buy said acoustic basses with money they conveniently find in the street. Even once the band record the album we're here to learn about (and Brown is much better than some writers in the series at sticking to the remit and the album, rather than trying to sneak in a potted complete history of the act), they do it in the studio attached to a bankrupt Playboy Club, where the eight-track recording rate is cheaper than 24, but there isn't actually an eight-track recorder, so they just have to pinkie promise not to use two-thirds of the tape. Then we're into the track-by-track analysis, where, as throughout, Brown has got enviable access to the people involved. You know how everyone knows what Blister In The Sun is really about? Its writer didn't. In fact, he's not even 100% sure of the lyrics. Amazing. It's all heaps of fun, even if you're not a huge fan of the band (I only really know the hits, though the nebulousness of 'hit' as applied to the Violent Femmes gets some discussion), and informative too, with lots of stuff about what mics &c they used which means nothing to me but will surely be very interesting for people who have a more practical understanding of that unique sound. Hell, I didn't even know, had never thought to consider, that there might originally have been a technical reason for albums so often finishing with a quieter song!

*This ingenious adaptation, and the great work it unleashed, being just one more reason, not that we need more, why amplified busking should be banned.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Femmes!

To music listeners of a certain age (let’s politely say late to mid-fifties), the Violent Femmes were a gateway to a whole new world, the introduction to what was college alternative in the 80’s. Every campus party in the USA someone would eventually play something off of the iconic first album, and the dance floor would fill up with drunk kids singing along to every word. I was fortunate enough to see them for the first time during their “The Blind Leading the Naked” album tour (with Dwight Yoakam as the opening act!), and I’ve seen them a dozen or more times since then. So I am definitely the target audience for Nic Brown’s entry in the 33 1/3 series, “Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes”, a review and appreciation of the classic first album from this Milwaukee (actually Racine) trio.

The book starts with a bit of background on the formation of the group and how they came to have such a distinctive sound and approach, including the famous story of opening up for the Pretenders in Milwaukee. Mr. Brown also delves into the unique instruments that they used when making their first album, from an acoustic bass to a stand-up drum setup. Recorded on the cheap in the old Playboy Club in Lake Geneva, the book gets to the best part, going into the songs one-by-one, providing a detailed blow-by-blow about how each one came to be, before a brief history of its reception and legacy. We also hear from the actual band members themselves, through interviews with Gordon Gano, Brian Ritchie, and Victor DeLorenzo.

A fine exploration about a remarkable debut album that only gets better with age. I wish that there was a bit more exploration of this album’s legacy, but that can be left for others to chronicle.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Violent Femmes' debut Violent Femmes was released in 1983 and had a slow build before eventually becoming the bands' best known work. Musician and writer, Nic Brown's, Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes for the 33 1/3 series is both a deep investigations into the formation of the band, a look behind the scenes recording the album and both the legacy and further work of the band. A special focus is on the way this album has served as a touchstone to fans.

Brown shares his ownfirst exposure to the album, as an 11 year old, overheard playing from the room of a friend's older sibling, but first he notes how the song "Blister in the Sun" has reached a level of cultural awareness that it can be recognized from an organist interpretation in a sports stadium. One song as an entryway. The narrative then follows a standard making the album story. It details the formation of the Violent Femmes, the development of their unique style, instrumentation, the process of recording the album and then goes track by track exploring the recording choices and writing of the lyrics. Brown was able to interview singer and songwriter Gordon Gano who hinted at other possibilities and roads not chosen for some of the songs.

The last section looks at the immediate reception for the album and how it had a gradual build to success, but is now seen as their definitive album. One of the stronger themes of the book is the grappling with the legacy of youth, with takes from the different members.

Recommended to readers of American popular music, album focused deep dives or fans of the Violent Femmes.

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[LibraryNinja_Beritk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is biased because I've been a fan of the Violent Femmes since the '80s. When I got the opportunity to read a book about their debut album, everything else in my life went on hold. While most of us know the lyrics, we don't know the stories behind them, and Nic Brown takes us there. He captures every little detail about the band and their odd rise to fame, which took a decade. Most of us who were familiar with the underground punk/anti-punk scene fell in love with them long ago. It's also the story of a band who, by all accounts, shouldn't have made it. They struggled to survive, yet their lyrics remain iconic and true to this day.

Thank you Bloomsbury Academic for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#violentfemmes #libraryninja📚

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes by Nic Brown from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley. This book will be published around May 14, 2026.

Violent Femmes' Violent Femmes by Nic Brown is part of the 33 1/3 collection of short books about music. Each book is a deep dive into a single album. This one is about the debut album from the Violent Femmes. Nic Brown is a fan and so am I. For as many time as I have listened to this album, I had a lot to learn. I feel like Nic did too. I didn't know that Gordon Gano was a teenager when he wrote so many of their songs or even when the band started. I never thought about the instruments they played or why they played those specific instruments and how that impacted their sound. As I read each chapter about a song on the album, I couldn't help but hear it in my head. I also couldn't have told you what the cover art was because I too came to the album from mix tapes made by friends. If you asked me when the album came out, I would have been extremely wrong. I went back and listened to the album a few times. Now with a deeper appreciation for every bit of it. What a great album! What a great book!