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Feb 29, 2016 Jeff Scott rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoir, music, feminism, female, fav-15

Brownstein's memoir begins at the end. She describes the destruction of her band Sleater-Kinney by her own hands. It was a band that had saved her life more than once and now she must face life without it. She then takes us back to her beginning.

Just as much a travelogue of the early 90's Grrrl Riot punk movement in Seattle and Olympia as it is a memoir of Brownstein. She becomes one within the movement. She records her excitement and the need to be lost in the sound. Her memoir reads like her Brownstein's memoir begins at the end. She describes the destruction of her band Sleater-Kinney by her own hands. It was a band that had saved her life more than once and now she must face life without it. She then takes us back to her beginning.

Just as much a travelogue of the early 90's Grrrl Riot punk movement in Seattle and Olympia as it is a memoir of Brownstein. She becomes one within the movement. She records her excitement and the need to be lost in the sound. Her memoir reads like her music. It's deep, emotional, and visceral. It made me realize that I really should read Girls to the Front to fully appreciate everything that's going on with this memoir.

What's really gripping about this memoir is how well the story unfolds. It is extremely well written. The exciting beginning, her origins, and her struggle with success and the need to be authentic drive the narrative. She juxtaposes an incident with her shelter animals with the death of her music. She then fast-forwards to the reunion of the band and the catharsis that comes with it.

Favorite parts

“The role of a woman onstage is often indistinct from her role offstage—pleasing, appeasing, striking some balance between larger-than-life and iconic with approachable, likable, and down-to-earth, the fans like gaping mouths, hungry for more of you.” P169

“At our show opening for JSBX at La Luna in Portland, I grew agitated at their crowd’s indifference toward us and kicked the microphone stand into the audience. Jon voiced his dissatisfaction at my puerile behavior, more aware than I was that there is a difference between conjuring a sense of danger and actually harming someone. But I wanted our shows not just to be galvanic, I wanted to destroy the room. More than that, I wanted to obliterate myself, to unlock and uncork the anger, to disappear into the sound and into the music. In subsequent years when I kicked my legs out toward the crowd or swung my guitar close to the heads in the front row, it was about trying to physically harness the moment, to crash into strangers in a horrible but ecstatic impact, a shared bruising.” P176
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Feb 21, 2016 Sharlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, non-fiction, scribd, 2016, audiobook

I've never watched Portlandia and have only heard a few Sleater-Kinney songs but I really enjoyed this memoir by Carrie Brownstein. I could relate to being a young fan of music, that teenaged devotion to bands on the fringes, wanting to stand out and be different. I loved her stories about the struggles to make music, to find her voice, the troubles she had on the road. Far less glamorous than one would expect. This was my first audiobook and while I was occasionally frustrated by the speed of t ...more

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Dec 16, 2015 Cindy Bokma rated it it was ok

After all of the glowing reviews, I wanted to LOVE this book. I am a fan of memoirs and enjoy reading about successful, creative people.

I cannot deny that she's a good writer but this book didn't resonate with me at all. The book focused a lot on Carrie's musical journey and playing in bands and her rise to fame with Sleater Kinney, a band I never listened to.

When a book is loved by so many but I don't connect with it, I blame my mood and not the author. For some reason, I was not able to real ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 Julie rated it really liked it

So interesting! Depicts a world I don’t know much about: making music, touring, rockstar-ing. A quick listen, highly recommend on audio. Carrie Brownstein is a gifted and beautiful writer.

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