Dave Grohl shared a new excerpt from his upcoming memoir, The Storyteller, which is due out on October 5.
The latest excerpt is a chapter titled “Tracey Is A Punk Rocker.” It chronicles a fateful trip to Chicago where Grohl gets introduced to the DIY world of punk thanks to his cousin Tracey, who takes a then 13-year-old Grohl to his first concert to see Naked Raygun at the Cubby Bear, a bar across from Wrigley Field.
Grohl also details going through Tracey’s record collection and noticing something different. Grohl writes,
“Upon closer inspection, I noticed one glaring difference from all the typical classic rock albums that I owned at home: none of these albums were from any record companies I had ever heard of. On the contrary, most of them practically looked homemade. They featured Xeroxed covers with dark, pixelated photos; handwritten lyrics and credits; silkscreened logos and graphics, all clumsily stuffed into plastic sleeves that sold for a mere three or four dollars. This underground network somehow existed entirely outside of the conventional, corporate structure and defied the ordinary manner of manufacturing and distributing music. These people were doing it THEMSELVES, Tracey explained. I was entranced, awakened, and inspired. I no longer considered music an unattainable act of wizardry, only possible for those who were blessed with the godlike ability of Jimi Hendrix or Paul McCartney. I now realized that all you needed was three chords, an open mind, and a microphone. And the passion and drive to make it happen yourself.”
The full excerpt can be read in its entirety at DaveGrohlStoryteller.com. The Storyteller is currently available for pre-order via a number of retailers here.
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