Synopses & Reviews
"A beautiful, painful, frank memoir." and#151;The Wall Street JournalFrom the start, Bob Mould wanted to make Hand#252;sker Dand#252; the greatest band in the worldand#151;fast and loud, but with melody and emotional depth. In See a Little Light, Mould finally tells the story of how the anger and passion of the early hardcore scene blended with his own formidable musicianship and irrepressible drive to produce some of the most important and influential music of the late twentieth century.
For the first time, Mould tells his dramatic story, opening up to describe life inside that furnace and beyond. Revealing the struggles with his own homosexuality, the complexities of his intimate relationships, and his own drug and alcohol addiction, Mould takes us on a whirlwind ride through achieving sobriety, his acclaimed solo career, creating the hit band Sugar, a surprising detour into the world of pro wrestling, and most of all, finally finding his place in the world.
A classic story of individualism and persistence, Mould's autobiography is an open account of the rich history of one of the most revered figures of punk, whose driving force altered the shape of American music.
Review
"As a long time fan, I feel so grateful that Bob chose to share his life story in such a candid and open manner.
See A Little Light stands tall with the greatest rock and roll memoirs of all time."
and#151;Benjamin Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie
'Bob mould's incredible journey is an inspiring one. I hope to one day be able to write a book like this, to live like this, to rock like this, but in the meantime, I can read this. A poetic and devastating memoir from one of the greatest artists of all time. I love Bob Mould.'
and#151;Margaret Cho
"Ultimately, itand#8217;s [Mould's] ongoing quest to transform himself from an isolated and work-obsessed individual into someone whoand#8217;s actively involved with his community and lover on multiple levels that informs his lifeand#8217;s storyand#151;and which makes See a Little Light such a compelling and rewarding read."
and#151;ForeWord Reviews
"Bob Mould's revealing memoir written with Michael Azerrad, would make a great gift for the music-lover on your list. Mould, who played in groundbreaking bands such as Husker Du and Sugar, was that rare commodity in the alternative and college rock scene, an out gay man."
and#151;The Bay Area Reporter
"See a Little Light tells of Mouldand#8217;s struggles with homosexuality, personal relationships and various addictions, but this is not just another titillating rock and#8217;nand#8217; roll memoir ... Itand#8217;s a clear, plain account of one troubled musicianand#8217;s life, with a lively and happy ending."
and#151;Chicago Sun-Times
" After all, if you take my word for it, See A Little Light is a treat, an absolutely-first-tier rock autobiography."
and#151;LA Weekly
"[A] brutally honest autobiography tour de force."
and#151;Village Voice
and#147;See A Little Light is not a memoir, it is an autobiography. Bob Mouldand#8217;s story is an entertaining, funny, intensely-inspirational and perhaps the consummate tale of human spirit and willpower in the hands of a master. As well as a great narrative history for casual to fanatical fans of Boband#8217;s myriad endeavors (Husker Du, Sugar, Bob Mould solo, etc), See A Little Light is also the story of one of our eraand#8217;s great rugged individualists.and#8221;
-Andrew Earles, author of Husker Du
"More than just another punk rock memoir, See A Little Lightand#8221;is an open-hearted testament to one self-made manand#8217;s undying, unflagging, undeniable voice, and an inspiring tale of spiritual and musical growth that deserves a spot on the shelf of any serious DIY or GLBT library. In the end, I read it mostly as a love letter of explanation to Mouldand#8217;s alcoholic and angry father, and as an amazingly self-aware (and often deliciously good-humored) meditation on how son channeled dadand#8217;s shared rage into sobriety, music, catharsis, and redemption. Riveting stuff."
and#151;Jim Walsh, author of The Replacements: All Over But The Shouting: An Oral History and The Replacements: Waxed Up Hair and Painted Shoes: The Photographic History
"The critic Lester Bangs used a phrase, and#147;imperative groin thunder,and#8221; to describe the loud, raw music he loved most. Mr. Mouldand#8217;s music brings that kind of thunder. Some of the time, and in surprising ways, so does his book."
and#151; Dwight Garner, New York Times
"Any number of veterans of the punk and post-punk campaigns of the 1980s could pack a memoir with endless drives in the van, bad food and bad contracts, shoestring recording sessions, hellhole nightclubs, sleeping on floors and all the other genre touchstones. A select few could also explore the conflicts, rewards and drawbacks of wider popularity, and the challenges of sustaining a musical life into advanced adulthood. But there's only one who could do all that and also describe dealing with his unresolved homosexuality and, why not, going to work plotting the story lines in professional wrestling. Those last two elements definitely distinguish Bob Mould's autobiography from the predictable pack, and should keep readers from feeling they're on an endless van ride themselves."
and#151; Richard Cromelin, LA Times
"Mould captures something of his terrific will, which is a great gift."
and#151;NPR
and#147;A blunt, bracing and astonishingly confessional look back at a man whoand#8217;s produced some of the best rock music of the last 20 years."
and#151;Patrick Beach, Austin American Statesman
and#147;Mould never fails to captivate and inspire.and#8221;
and#151;Publishers Weekly
and#147;As satisfying as [Mouldand#8217;s] best work...compulsively readable."
and#151;Ben Westhoff, Washington City Paper
"Brisk and enjoyable...urgently personal."
and#151;NPR's "Books We Like"
and#147;Offers an emotional depth and level of insight absent from most musical biographies.and#8221;
and#151;Biblioklept
"His story is one of persevering and becoming one of the forces that changed American music."
and#151;Amos Lassen
Synopsis
Bob Mould stormed into America's punk rock scene in 1979, when clubs across the country were filling with kids dressed in black leather and torn denim. And at its center, a new band out of Minnesota called Hand#252;sker Dand#252; was bashing out songs and touring the country on no money, driven by the inspiration of guitarist and vocalist Bob Mould. In See a Little Light, Mould tells his dramatic story for the first time. Revealing the struggles with his own homosexuality, the complexities of his intimate relationships, and his drug and alcohol addiction, Mould takes us on a whirlwind ride through achieving sobriety, his acclaimed solo career, creating the hit band Sugar, a surprising detour into the world of pro wrestling, and finally finding his place in the world. A classic story of individualism and persistence, Mould's autobiography describes the rich history of one of punkand#8217;s most revered figures, whose driving force altered the shape of American music.
About the Author
Bob Mould is am American musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ. An original member of the influential 1980's band Hand#252;sker Dand#252;, he released several albums after the band separated, including Workbook, Body of Song and Life and Times as well as Sugar's legendary album Copper Blue. He lives in San Francisco.