I could tell you The Book of Drugs is an honest and darkly humorous account of one man’s descent into addiction and his return through sobriety. I could tell you that M. Doughty’s short-lived brush with celebrity was enough to jar him and his fragile genius into the dark and beautiful world of drug addiction only to end his rock and roll career. I could even tell you that addiction ravaged yet another creative force, the likes of which we all too rarely see, destroying one of the 90’s most pioneering bands and driving Doughty to alienate himself from the world he was poised to be a historical part of. But I won’t, because if you read The Book of Drugs you will see these obvious observations and also read … Read entire article »

It was only second period and Ari was already hiding in her favorite stall in the girls’ restroom on the third floor. She often skipped class there, smoked a few cigarettes or took a few hits off her pipe, since no one ever used that bathroom. She was certain no one used this bathroom because it was out of the way; never had soap or toilet paper (which prompted her to carry a few squares in her bag) and the mirrors were all corroded and cloudy. She had discovered the bathroom purely by accident last year when she had been drug in there by Teddy Gilmore during a fire drill. What initially started as sharing hits off of Teddy’s zeppelin pipe and the usual, “You’re new here aren’t you?” ended … Read entire article »

When I was about 16 years old and growing up in boring northern Indiana, I starting playing music with a couple guys that were about 10 years my seniors. They taught me a lot, but one thing they taught made a huge difference in my life. One evening, early in our bands creation, as we mused about music and how cool it would be to record and play shows, we started talking about our influences. (I was way into what used to be called “Hardcore” like Black Flag, Discharge, Subhumans, Dead Kennedys and of course the regional litany of Wax Trax and Touch and Go bands which I think were mandatory listening for Chicago area youth.)   One of the guys, Warren, asked me if I liked Hüsker Dü and when I … Read entire article »