This time of year, we're bombarded with biographies from and about the biggest names, but often the real treasure is to be found on the road less travelled. A case in point is Keith Morris' music-driven memoir My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor.
Morris is the co-founder of not one but two iconic hardcore bands: Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. He's still raging on stages all over the world as the frontman for OFF!. Aged 61. If you ever needed a guidebook on underdog spirit and how to keep on keeping on, this is it.
This is the work of a born raconteur who handles youthful abandon, drink-and-drug-dominated despair and latter day wisdom with the same sure touch. Whether he's being serious or funny, his searing honesty shines through; this is not the work of someone trying to make themselves look good, 'just' real.
Amidst the victories, anecdotes, altercations and great escapes, Morris brilliantly brings to life the California of the 60s, 70s and 80s as a "five-foot-five on a good day" misfit finds his calling and becomes an underground legend.
You don't have to be a fan of hardcore or punk to enjoy My Damage - an open mind and a love of music will be more than enough. While Morris' self-sabotage and the burnings and bad luck encountered at home and on the road may suggest a wearying read, it's anything but. As we face into another 12 months, it's all too human to wonder just what you're doing with your life and what the world has in store. Here's Morris' advice: "You can't go through life afraid that you're going to be screwed over. You have to go where your passion takes you or you'll miss out on more than you'll ever achieve."
And like every great gig and album, My Damage ends on a high note. "I'm psyched to be able to be here and carry on," writes Morris. Hopefully you will be too after reading.
Harry Guerin
My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor is published by Da Capo Press
