By – Jackie Lo

“Our Band Could Be Your Life” was written by Michael Azerrad and published in 2001. Since then, it’s made many “best of” lists and considered a must-read for any music reader’s collection. The title comes from the opening line of “History Lesson – Part II”, by Mike Watt of Minutemen, one of the bands featured in the book. The song describes the band’s working class origins and the line, “Punk rock changed our lives” becomes the anthem for this entire book. If you ever wondered what touring life was like for some of your favorite American underground bands before cell phones and the internet, this book has it all and more as it follows Black Flag, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Minor Threat, Husker Du, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Dinosaur Jr. Fugazi, Mudhoney, and Beat Happening from 1981-1991.
Each chapter is a new band and in chronological order starts with Black Flag in California who set up a circuit for touring bands across that U.S. that is still used today to Mission of Burma playing a show in Montgomery, Alabama where 10 people showed up and it was “Clown Night”. The audience was wearing clown suits and came up to them during the show with notes “Do you know any Loverboy?”, “Do you know any Devo?”, and finally “Would you please stop?” to Minor Threat in D.C. starting Dischord and their battles and misconceptions with straight edge and the D.C. scene.
Husker Du’s stories of drugs, sexuality and sobriety are followed by Sonic Youth, the NYC scene and how their influence helped so many other bands over the years. One story that made me laugh out loud was from the Butthole Surfers and how former President Jimmy Carter picked up his daughter’s suitcase that the band had touched with their dicks. Of course, the Big Black chapter hits harder with just losing Steve Albini and gives such a personal insight to what it was like to be near Big Black when they got started (and ended).
Dinosaur Jr.’s  Lou and J. relationship will make any band that has ever argued feel sane and knowing that the fire marshalls shut down a few Fugazi shows (including in Huntsville) will make you appreciate their Dallas Show when the fire marshall tried to shut the show down but came to a compromise with Fugazi playing inside the building and they put up a fence as the audience watched from outside.

It truly was the wild west in the Reagan Eighties and the DIY scene was thriving as best as they knew how, answering their discontent with music and an ethos that still rings true today. Writing music that pushed the norm, starting their own labels, making zines, and creating a network, they found a way to support each other from California to New York and Washington D.C. to Washington state outside of corporate structures and remaining true to themselves. It will take you back to 1980s America, put you on the road with your van breaking down and not enough money to eat your next meal. It will show you the inception of some of your favorite music groups and labels and why they split up. You’ll gag as you’ll be drenched in spit on stage and smell the cat piss as you sleep on random strangers’ floors. Most importantly, it will make you go back and listen to the albums they were making during this timeframe with a different light and respect and appreciate this heart and soul of the American underground.