Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story

by Laurie Lindeen

A founding member of all-woman alternative rock band Zuzu's Petals recounts how after her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, her best friends and she relocated to Minneapolis and launched successful careers before she fell in love and reevaluated her priorities. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: Music, Memoir, Nonfiction, Rock N Roll

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right at the end of the fantastic Replacements bio “Trouble Boys” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), there’s a quick mention of Laurie Lindeen’s memoir, “Petal Pusher”, and obviously I had to check it out, even if I had never heard of her or Zuzu’s Petals before; my brain has been completely saturated with Replacements’ music and trivia for months, and yet, I wanted more! Sure, I was excited to read this because of my passionate feelings for Mr. Westerberg and I was curious to read a more personal account about him (I am only flesh and blood, don’t judge me!), but my interest was definitely heightened by the fact that this is a book that’s mostly about being in an all-girl alt-rock band in the late 80s-early 90s – a topic I am fascinated with regardless of who the side characters might be. That era of music, and the beginnings of the riot grrrl movement have been a huge influence on my taste and style, and it’s not written about nearly often enough to my taste.

As mentioned, I hadn’t heard Zuzu’s Petals’ music before, so I listened to “When No One’s Looking” as I read (and a shit-ton of Babes in Toyland and the Soviettes, because if I’m going to read a story about female musicians from Minneapolis, I might as well steer into the skid) and it’s a lovely record that sounds extremely 90s. You know how some music sounds timeless and some music might as well be time-stamped? They belong in the second category, but that’s not a bad thing. I miss the stupid 90s very much and I am pretty shameless about feeding my nostalgia for a time that felt much simpler and more hopeful than today.

I enjoyed reading this firsthand account of the indie and alternative music scene, though it is quite focused on the Petals and while she mentions plenty of people who were around at the time, she doesn’t discuss other bands and their work all that much. It actually made me quite nostalgic for my own wayward music years: my band didn’t go far (2 and a half gigs, if you must know), but it was so much chaotic fun, and reading something like this makes me wonder if I might have had stories like Laurie’s had I made a few different decisions. I also immediately related to the way her younger self yearned for a place on the punk rock scene, not as a hanger-on or a groupie, but as a peer to the other, mostly male, musicians she admired. In fact, I often found her relatable, and I really appreciated the way she did not try to make herself too much of a Mary Sue in her recollections; she was more than happy to admit that when she was young, she did a lot of dumb stuff, but that’s the right time in your life to do dumb things, after all!

I see that a lot of reviewers struggled with the Midwestern passive aggressiveness. We Canadians have that in common with the good folks of Minnesota and Wisconsin, so it didn’t really bother me, if anything I just rolled my eyes the way I would at some of my compatriots when they get going. I’ll take that over New England not-so-passive-aggressiveness, thanks. What did annoy me is that my copy is riddled with editing mistakes: there are typos and weird punctuation errors, and what is even the point of re-editing* if you don’t publish a clean version? I also thought that her choice to write her memoirs in the present tense was confusing. I can sort of see why she made that decision, to put herself back in her younger self’s shoes, but she often intersects her story with anecdotes that happened at another point in time, and the present tense can get confusing because it’s easy to lose the narrative thread. Is this the past, the past of the past, or the present? Context usually fills the reader in, but it struck me as odd. One of the first creative writing advice I was given was ‘don’t annoy your readers’ (thank you, Jeff VanderMeer!) and by the end, I was annoyed with this non-linear confusion. And a section at the end, that lists the unladylike behavior of some other female artists of the 90s who ended up being more successful than the Petals, felt... petty and resentful. I admit that I was very disappointed by that.

One of the most important takeaways from books like this one is that making it as a musician requires a level of dedication and hard work most people really don’t understand - especially in the pre-internet world. There is such a weird reputation about indie musicians being lazy but having dipped my toes in that world myself when I was in my twenties, I can tell you firsthand that laziness and waiting for someone to discover you and make things easy is extremely rare and should never be counted on or taken for granted. So much grunt work goes into being an indie musician and people who aspire to that life don’t always have a realistic view of that fact. Books like this one, or Henry Rollins’ tour diaries “Get in the Van” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), should be handed to all aspiring musicians, so they have an idea of what they are in for. Laurie’s career stalled when it did because of a combination of truly shit luck, but the attitude her and her bandmates brought to that bad luck did not help. I felt bad for her, but I also wanted to shake her. The real issue she had was not passive aggressiveness, but lack of communication skills! If those three girls had sat down and had a serious conversation, their trajectory might have been quite different.

If you are interested in women in music, especially that era of music, I recommend checking this book out, but there are better ones out there.


*The book was originally published in 2007 and re-edited in 2024. It should be noted that Laurie and Paul Westerberg divorced amicably in 2014, and that she passed away last year of a brain aneurysm.

[shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

maybe i just react badly to midwestern passive fucking aggression. or passive aggression in general. i don't know. writing this up just made me more irritated.

what could have been a really entertaining book was in my opinion marred by this obnoxious undertone of bitterness. she freely fesses up to insecurity and envy toward many of her female contemporaries, complains about all of the sexism and "you rock for a girl" and then is so completely undermining and nasty about how "these are the things we could have done to make ourselves more popular" [see her list on page 299 calling out many other female artists in a not-at-all-unrecognizable fashion] "but we don't because we're too ladylike and we have manners" [memorable songs would have helped, just saying]. she is obviously threatened by riot grrl so responds by being insulting, which is completely ladylike and polite, and seems to think that zuzu's petals were this unsung, overlooked force to be reckoned with. um, no.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by Melissa Cornwell

Here's the blurb for Petal Pusher:
In the years between the meteoric launch of Madonna and Courtney Love, Petal Pusher takes readers on a thrilling journey across rock-and-roll—from the bighaired 1980s to the grungefilled 1990s—when Laurie Lindeen brought her all-girl band Zuzu’s Petals to compete in the indie rock arena.

Minneapolis in the eighties was a musical hotbed, the land of 10,000 lakes and 10,000 bands that gave birth to Prince, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum. For Laurie Lindeen it was the perfect place to launch her rock-and-roll dream. She moved to the city with best friends Phyll (“Annie Oakley meets Patsy Cline”) and Coleen (“former cheerleader gone off the arty deep end”) to crash in decrepit apartments and coax punk rock from crappy used guitars. But unbeknownst to her friends, Laurie was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disability that fuels her passion to make it big on the local, national, and international rock scene. With inspiring determination, Laurie and her Zuzu’s Petals survive the many challenges of being underdogs in a man’s world. Laurie is thrown a curveball when she falls for Paul Westerberg of Replacements fame and reevaluates what it means to "make it big."

Always engaging, at turns hilarious and heartrending, Petal Pusher is an insightful behind-the-scenes look at music on the frontlines, and the aweinspiring tale of one woman’s triumphant fight against disease and the disillusionment of life in the rock underground.

This novel was a delight to read. It has all the components of a good fairy tale with a twist of real life. I think that all artists, in all sorts of professions, can relate to the struggles in this novel. The feeling of wanting to accomplish something in your life is something that everyone can relate to, but the feeling of wanting your work to be heard or published or viewed is something that the artist wants. Laurie Lindeen does a really good job of hooking the audience, and keeping it hooked. As soon as I was done reading the book, I had to look up Zuzu Petals on Youtube. It is a great story about overcoming obstacles, and knowing what you want to do in life. Then, life can throw some curves your way. I wish that I could have had some of the experiences that she went through. In addition, no fairy tale is complete without a little love and excitement in the personal life, and Laurie does not disappoint in that area. The romance spread throughout the novel is one of the best, which is that of meeting that special someone and developing a deeper relationship as time passes. The novel definitely touches chords in everyone, and I think that it is a novel that everyone must read, especially those in the arts. I also think it is a great novel for younger generations to read. I am part of an entirely different generation than the ones mentioned in the book, and it was interesting for me to read some of these events that happened in her life. It makes me want to go out and have some different experiences for myself. Petal Pusher is a fantastic novel to read!

http://www.romancing-the-book.com/200...

[Leah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

If possible, I'd give this book a 3.5 star ranking. It's a very engagingly-written description of being a woman in an indie rock band (Zuzu's Petals, to be specific) in the late 80s and early 90s in Minneapolis. I am a fiend for the music of this particular era and location, so just seeing everyone pop up in the story is really great. Mark Louris works as a fry cook with the author! Dave Pirner's just hanging about! Oh my gosh, Butch is Butch Vig! The first half is really zippy and fun, but then the real world comes up about halfway through...

While I do enjoy the turn where domesticity with her boyfriend started to appeal more than schlepping about the country in a nasty van, the author was just so sad through the back half of the book. And it ended in a saddish place. The stories were still funny, and she certainly made the case for breaking up the band, but I guess I wanted to see a little more of the happy at the end. What can I say, I'm a sap. Regardless, if you like books about rock, and you like this era of music, you'll enjoy this book.

[Eric Kalenze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflecting on all the ways I enjoyed Laurie Lindeen''s 'Petal Pusher', I quickly lose count. The book (1) brought me back to the gigging/recording Twin Cities rocker I was in the 90s (even if her place in the scene was far more awesome than mine was), (2) reminded me how thrilling and fulfilling it is to write and play music, (3) comforted and counseled me with its wry reflections on life's struggles (dealing with illness, tough relationships, insecurites, etc), and on and on. Highly recommended.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't exactly horrible but I had a hard time with it because I could not manage to like the author. She came off as very unappealing to me. Also she was descriptive about what was going on in the band until the very end when she leaves out how the group breaks up. It bugged me. I'm glad it's over.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Defensive much?

[Richard Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurie Lindeen's Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story is an engaging, often funny, sometimes morose Bildungsroman about a young woman who took chances, followed her dreams, and eventually found her vocation after finding her voice leading a rock'n'roll band through the challenging landscape of indie rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Lindeen enjoyed a mostly stable suburban childhood, becoming an admitted school "overachiever" and taking inspiration from music. On the cusp of adulthood she slowly gravitated toward the idea of forming her own band rather than continuing to live on the margins of the music scene in which she was increasingly immersed. For several years Lindeen continued along a more conventional trajectory, enrolling in a university and occasionally showing up for classes, but her interests had shifted decisively and she finally gathered the confidence to implement her plan. During this transitional period her parents divorced, a split which shook and unnerved her.

Then, at 24 years old and on the eve of making a firm commitment to her band project, Lindeen was suddenly waylaid by a crippling illness which turns out to be multiple sclerosis. Among the most interesting sections in Petal Pusher is Lindeen's account of her recovery process, through which she taught herself how to walk again by means of strenuous physical therapy and single-minded determination. Refusing to be derailed by the disease, she was able to reduce the symptoms to a minimum and has managed them ever since, and she carried this effort forward into the next several years of band life.

In 1987 Lindeen moved with a friend to Minneapolis, which was then one of the shining beacons of independent rock music, having spawned bands like the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Trip Shakespeare, Hüsker Dü, and Babes in Toyland, among many others. She recruited a bass player and drummer for what would become the first version of Zuzu's Petals and began rehearsing in the basement of her rental home for months without the benefit of much musical training while working a series of low-income jobs to make the rent. Living a precarious bohemian existence but steadfast in their commitment, the band gradually assembled a set of self-penned material and played their first gig in a sparsely attended bar on Labor Day in 1988. It was here that Lindeen discovered the stage-fright that remained with her for the rest of her music career and which she describes in amusing detail. The band's first performance flies by in a 30-minute rush of noise, mistakes, and miscommunication. Yet what drives her to pursue music is a need for self-expression. Connecting with an audience, while always important in performing, seems to be a distant secondary priority, at least in Lindeen's account.

Zuzu's Petals pay their dues by doing, taking advantage of every social connection they have to secure gigs, get local exposure, and improve their playing and songwriting skills. After their first drummer suddenly quits, they acquire the great Linda Pitmon, who provides the essential foundation for their sound, and embark on years of career-building, step by do-it-yourself step. Despite Lindeen's frequent bouts of drunkenness, her constant insecurities, her often reckless behavior, and other misadventures, she and her bandmates maintain a critical maturity and focus that sustain them through the yawning indifference and daily sexism they encounter while trying to get a break. In the wake of the music industry shake-up driven by Nirvana's unexpected mass popularity, the band eventually obtains a contract with Minneapolis indie label Twin/Tone Records and record the album "When No One's Looking" in 1992. Lindeen and bass player Coleen Elwood write songs that are by turns quirky, literate, faux-punk, sweeping, romantic, and most often drawn from or inspired by their own experiences. While the melodies and chord progressions are relatively simple, the performances cohere well.

By this time Zuzu's Petals have become a road machine, touring the country in a semi-trusty van that requires daylong driving to connect the dots of small rock clubs willing to book original bands, a circuit created by the indie rock bands that emerged a decade prior in the wake of the punk explosion. Between tours they work day jobs back in Minneapolis to pull together enough cash to sustain them. Lindeen describes the frequent hazards of life on the road: tiny audiences, low pay, nightmarish club owners, bad food, hangovers, boredom, conflicts, and several other things she and the band are willing to endure for the promise and occasional reality of thrills performing their own music and really connecting with people. They even manage to produce a few low-budget videos and tour England following the release of their album.

Although she has subordinated all other considerations for the sake of her dream, Lindeen breaks one of her own personal rules (against dating a fellow rock musician) when she begins a relationship with Paul Westerberg, who until 1991 was the frontman for the Replacements. In the midst of his own transition to a more conventional (and sober) existence, Westerberg finds in Lindeen a kindred spirit of sorts and they enjoy a quiet courtship that is opposite to every aspect of the "rock" lifestyle. Compartmentalizing this new part of her life, Lindeen carries on with the band, but the realities of the struggle for an elusive popular success become wearing on the entire group. Coerced against their better judgment by their record company to produce a second album in 1994, they hastily write and record "The Music of Your Life," which is poorly received, and confront another tour with more indignities and frustration - and less joyful euphoria - than they had experienced in the past. Exhausted after seven years of diminishing returns on their effort, Zuzu's Petals fizzled out shortly thereafter.

Lindeen has since gone on to a new career as a writer an writing instructor at the university level. Petal Pusher, her first book, indicates her intelligence and wit are as sharp as ever. She even occasionally straps on her guitar again, just to remind us that she still knows how to rock.

[Jenny Ahern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because it has so much history about the Minneapolis rock scene. At first, I was bothered because parts of the book seem unpolished, but honestly, that's perfect. That fits right in with what Laurie Lindeen says about Zuzu's Petals, and how she didn't want their albums to sound too slick. It's much more than a book about music, though. It's about being human among humans. It's reflective, raw, and honest. After reading it, I feel inspired to embrace my own creativities, frustrations, and faults.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I'm fascinated with the scene she was in and described. My mom's best friend and her family lived in the same area of Madison as the author, my friends went to the same schools, and I totally nerded out over the connections she had to Butch and Steve, who eventually formed Garbage. The Midwestern passive aggressive nature and self-loathing fit did a great job of telling this story. Maybe it's because I'm a Wisconsinite myself. I was disappointed when she said she hated the Packers, but I'll let that slide. Very honest, very true.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather disappointing. I need to read some sexy groupie books, I think. Laurie Lindeen's style is incredibly annoying, or it's probably just her personality. Really vapid! I can't believe she managed to marry Paul Westerberg. She's probably a nice person - just a lousy writer.

[Trixie St. Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Jacob Slichter's book about his experience in Semisonic, I enjoyed this book because it provided a peek into a life choice that sounds incredibly fascinating to me. Getting the scoop of what it's like to be in a band, tour, and touch fame during the 90s is what kept me going from page to page. Lindeen didn't hold too much back about her behavior, her relationships or her physical and mental challenges, which really made me feel more immersed in the situations she portrayed. There were moments after the first album was released that this book tended to meander a little too much towards Lindeen's family moments, but the flashbacks were relatively brief before moving on with the ups and downs of the rock band experience. Although making it big as a rock 'n roll band sounds like a thrill, this book made it clear that it takes a massive amount of dedication to pull it off.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, at the time, ZPs music and singing was pretty unremarkable...let’s just say I liked a lot of other bands around this time a crap ton more! I really liked the extensive story’s about the tours of England and the deets on what those were like. Hard not to fall hard for indie spirit, as privileged as it no doubt was. Refreshing to hear the unapologetic drinking tales as well. An odd use of made up names and use of first names for persons in the book. Perhaps she didn’t want to come off as a name dropper, idk.

[Elisa Speranza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant, hilarious, brutally honest. Laurie Lindeen's memoir brought me right back to my own misspent youth, watching my favorite bands play in dark, seedy venues where our feet stuck to the floor and the air was thick with cigarette smoke. It's an inspiring story about finding that one thing you must do, and making it happen against all odds. Lots of great characters too: friends, lovers, unwelcome f'ing diseases, family. And screaming guitars. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. I think what was most surprising about this book was how unimportant it was to be a fan of Laurie's band to enjoy it. I think her writing was great and her story of trying to succeed in the music business during the nineties is inspirational. Not that it was perfect, but I think this is a great book about a place and time in our culture and women who worked hard doing what they loved.

[Jeanne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read many memoirs by musicians, especially female musicians, this one tops my list!
It’s the most clear and comprehensive memoir toward her own story. It’s humble and honest and most of all relatable and funny. On top of all this I love her writing, riffing, at times. It’s a top notch book and I’ve given it out to many friends. Hope there are more books to come!

[Priscilla Ott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subpar writing with a lot of passive aggression. If this book is a testament of the author's songwriting, then I see why they never "made it big." It seems like she has some underlying idea that her band should've been a lot more famous that they were.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book, however it could have delved a bit deeper into the lives of the principals.

[Sheba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lindeen captures perfectly the world of the 80s post-punk DIY aura in Minneapolis. It helps that she writes the book from a place of first-person past. Her youthful self is portrayed as snotty, naive, a little crass, a lot self-absorbed, inappropriately flippant, unconsciously manipulative, unnecessarily provocative/provoking and youthfully cruel. Lindeen's honesty in this kind of portrayal is refreshing, even if one comes away from the book disliking her youthful narrator one can respect that Lindeen mines the shit with the gold. It's also very clear throughout "Petal Pusher" that there's a great deal of passion behind her motivations during the rise and fall of her band.

If her descriptions come across as pissy it's because that was (and most likely remains) the prevailing tone of a certain Midwestern party girl who subconsciously or consciously tries to obtain the rewards of a princess without seeming like she even wants them. It's a subject that most Midwesterners don't talk about, much less write about, but Lindeen does a masterful job in describing the "I'm really not plain" mindset of many Midwesterners and what happens when that thought is thrown in the pot with attempts at Midwestern humility, Midwestern ruthlessness, and Midwestern restlessness.

Oddly enough, the best moments in "Petal Pusher" are when Lindeen doesn't place the focus on herself or the band--which I understand is the purpose of the book--but rather on the often dull but achingly real moments of ordinary, small-town little life on the big prairies.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the books I had marked as to read several years ago. That list existed when I moved back, and so I'm reading them, even though in most cases I have no idea what the book's about or why I wanted to read them. Which is its own sort of mysterious adventure.

It's the story of Zuzu's Petals, a band I'd heard of but never listened to - they were ever-so-slightly before I was in college. (Also apparently they don't merit a Wikipedia page? Really?) But despite not being a fan, it was an interesting book. To me the most interesting part was the fact that she decided she wanted to be in a band, even though she didn't play an instrument. So she bought an instrument (and her like-minded friends did the same) and learned to play. That had literally never occurred to me. I always sort of thought you played the instrument first and then joined a band.

It's a bit of personal history, touring with the band, songwriting, which was interesting. I will warn you that she appears to go through a depression phase and becomes kind of whiny, and it's hard to sympathize with her for parts of it. There is a bit of wandering through time in this - one section will be the band on tour, then suddenly she's in high school again.

It just so happens that at the moment I have a professional musician staying in my living room, so it was particularly interesting to compare Ms. Lindeen's experience to my friend's. That said, I think even without that connection it would be an interesting read.

[Gene]

An interesting book you might want to look into is Petal Pusher by Wisconsinite Laurie Lindeen about her adventures in the all woman band she founded, Zazu's Petals. (I really love this book!)

Lindeen is very engaging and fun to read. A really serious story running through the whole narrative is the attacks of Multiple Sclerosis which happened during the band years. The first one she had paralyzed the left side of her body. It lasted about 10 days, and of course, could have continued much longer without letup. She told of visiting a neurologist, and on her way out after the consultation, grabbing pamphlets from the Dr's office on CP and Lupus, "In case I needed cheering up." This is a fun book but shows a really mordant sense of humor on Lindeen's part. And there is a happy ending. The band does not survive beyond their Sophomore release, but Laurie marries Paul Westerberg of The Replacements who went on to have a solo career. They've been married over 15 years, have a son, and Laurie's MS has not recurred in some years either. As this is Laurie's story, she doesn't mention a lot about Paul, but it becomes clear at the end they are devoted to each other.

A recommended book!

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurie Lindeen is Paul Westerberg's wife. She has MS. She was in the 1990s Minneapolis rock band Zuzu's Petals. In her memoir, she writes about her childhood in Madison, WI, summers in Martha's Vineyard, road stories from her life on tour, one debilitating MS attack, a six month recovery session from said MS attack, and things she is annoyed with (sightseeing, her job at Al's Diner, her job as a low-paid musician, being in a rock band, people's obsessions with Paul Westerberg, her sister's wedding location, her band mates and their charms, club managers, and roadies). I enjoyed reading about the 1980s rock scene in Minneapolis from an insider's view, but overall, I wish Lindeen had condensed some of the uncomfortable 1990s tour stories with more about her life since then. Also, I find the subtitle of this book to be odd-"A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story". Is this because she quit her band and married the prince(Westerberg)?

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great read for people who were into the Minneapolis music scene in the 80's and early 90's. Laurie Lindeen headed the all-girl band, Zuzu's Petals and is still married to Paul Westerberg, of Replacements fame.

It was a good read - I read it in two days - I enjoyed the name dropping and the stories about how the band came together. But you know? Lindeen spent a lot of time complaining, second-guessing herself, putting herself down. After a couple hundred pages, it detracts from the story - or perhaps it IS the story.

Nearing the end, as her relationship with Westerberg intensifies and the band begins to fall apart, it seems as if the book becomes a series of somewhat disconnected vignettes. There is a story about how the band fell apart, I'm guessing, but I don't think it was told here. All the same, a good read if you want to hear the gritty side of 'making it.'

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Music fans of Lindeen's era will probably appreciate this entertaining account of her band's struggle to make it big while gender, age, and style work against them in the face of the early 90's grunge revolution. Lindeen also chronicles struggles with her own inner demons, most notably her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Her writing is casual and her voice is wry and often sarcastic, but just like some other recent memoirs written in the same style by women, this one seemed to fizzle a bit and lose substance when it got to The Relationship. There is also a strong undercurrent of low self-esteem and insecurity that kept me rooting for Lindeen and hoping for the big reveal of life lessons learned at the end, but there seemed to be no real resolution and the ending seemed rather arbitrary and abrupt. An easy, fun, and entertaining read overall though...it kept me turning the pages!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this out at the library yesterday and cant stop reading it; it's an account of the band Zuzu's Petals (late 80's early 90's Minneapolis) as told by the guitarist Laurie Lindeen. A great romp through the underbelly of incessant touring, recording and album promoting, this book really focuses on the music business and the super unglamorous side of being in an all girl band in the early 90's. The camraderie of the three bandmates and their hijinks remind me of my youth (however I was never in a band nor linked to Replacement Paul Westerberg) but did enjoy many late nights surrounded by super sketchy people with the girls and still have many laughs to show for it. The story is told honestly and is hilarious.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the parts of this book where she writes about her experiences in the indie rock world in the late late eighties and early nineties. I was "transported" back to that time and it felt good to get away from the current era that depresses me so much. However, I did not like a lot of the memories from her childhood she included. I don't think they meshed well with her main objective, which was to discuss her life in the band Zuzu's Petals. Maybe I just didn't get it, but I don't think that's it...also, her editor didn't do a good job. Several descriptions of people and references to events were repeated, also interrupting the flow. Overall, I enjoyed it especially since Lindeen is married to my man Paul Westerberg...had to to get a feel for this woman!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever thought life in a rock band is glamorous, Laurie Lindeen is more than happy to dispel your fantasy.

I'd never heard of Zuzu's Petals (found this on the bookstore's $1 rack), but Petal Pusher made me wish I'd been a fan in the '90s. (Started to buy some songs on iTunes, but the preview function quickly changed my mind. I might've really liked them at 18, but not so much these days.)

Still, Lindeen's brushes with greatness -- touring just ahead of Nirvana before the band made it big, hanging with Soul Asylum, trying to sneak into a Stones' private party -- made this a fun read. And the days of monotony, nights sleeping in the van or crashing at a fan's house, made me happy for my suburban life.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know who this woman was, and I only have a vague idea who the replacements were. I don't really understand how their band made it as far as it did, especially since the whole book talks about how horrible they were. In the early chapters I had Hole's Olympia in my head as she complained about how common she was and how common everyone in Madison was.... yawn.

I cannot believe how vapid this woman is. What is it that she thinks will endure us to her tale? The whole final scene where she's crying because her sister is getting married in Martha's Vineyard and she's upset because it should be her in her special place? The only solace I got was in looking up who this woman is, I see that her and that "God" Paul are now divorced.

[Shay Mcallister · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad. It chronicled the rise of Zuzu's Petals (of which I'd never heard of), a girl band that came out of the Minneapolis scene in the 90's.

It was fairly well written, and I enjoyed the "history lesson" about some of the great bands that were out there in the early 90's. It brought back a lot of memories: L7, Babes in Toyland, Hole, The Replacements, riot grrls, etc.

I didn't like the ending though. It seemed really abrupt and I want to know more.

All in all, a decent book to pass the time.