Fallopian Rhapsody: The Story of the Lunachicks

Description

In the late 80s, three self-described "total freak" high school girls from Brooklyn found salvation in the sisterhood of friendship, refuge in the East Village. Soon after graduation, The Lunachicks signed with Blast First Records; Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore whisked them into the studio (it did not go well). And yet the Lunachicks fought for their space in the virtually boys-only world of punk and rock throughout the 90s. Their unforgettable costume-critiques of pop culture were as loud as their "Marsha[ll]" amps, the ferocity of their feminism as lasting as their pre-internet mythology. They toured with bands like Marilyn Manson, No Doubt, Rancid, and The Offspring. The played the Reading Festival with Nirvana and did the testosterone-fueled Warped tour (twice). Lauded by critics and feared by men, The Lunachicks annihilated social conventions from Brooklyn to Tokyo and somehow managed to survive, but not unscathed. Fallopian Rhapsody chronicles becoming an established band and hearing industry dudes say, "We're not booking you because we already had a girl band play here this month," or "We're not playing your song on our radio show because we already have No Doubt in the rotation." Their group memoir will also recount their collapse, drug abuse and intervention, survival and reinvention. Filled with never-before-seen photos, illustrations, and ephemera from the band's private archive, this book will be a must-have for new and old fans alike. For readers of Carrie Brownstein's Hunger Makes me a Modern Girl, Kim Gordon's Girl in a Band, and Chrissie Hynde's Reckless, Fallopian Rhapsody is the literary equivalent of diving headfirst into a moshpit and, slowly but surely, venturing up to the front of the stage.

The Lunachicks released six albums and toured internationally for almost thirteen years. The New York Times described them as "feminist, trashy, righteous, foul-mouthed and certainly fun." Jeanne Fury is a music journalist who's been published in the Village Voice, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, rollingstone.com, spin.com, NYMag.com, and elsewhere. She contributed to Women Who Rock (Black Dog/Leventhal, October 2018), as did frontwoman Theo Kogan.

"A frank, deeply honest telling of the Lunachicks' history."--New Noise "The Lunachicks collectively offer a refreshing, brutally honest look at the hassles, sexism, pressure, and sisterhood of the rock-and-roll life." --Library Journal "Trashy rock 'n' roll fun--a Thunderbird alternative to typical rock-memoir Chardonnay." --Kirkus Reviews "If I was a mother, I would hand this book to my kid and say LEARN! So it's probably good that I'm not a mother. However I AM a PERSON and I WISH I'd had this book to read when I was a kid to learn how to be a fierce FRIEND, and what really goes into being a courageous, unapologetic ARTIST. Thanks for being the blueprint, Lunachicks!!!" --Justin Vivian Bond "Fallopian Rhapsody is a whirlwind ride through untold punk rock history on the wheels of a cross-country tour with the Lunachicks, from illuminated stories on the catastrophic dynamics between bandmates as sisters to the necessary details on the drugs and assholes who attempted to break them. Often told in first person, Fallopian Rhapsody is a tell-all tale on existing fabulously, outside of every potential box. It's a time capsule that brings light to the sound, action, filth, decadence, and nasty-woman rapture of seminal NYC punks, the Lunachicks."--Cristy Road Carrera of Next World Tarot, Spit and Passion, Choked Up, and The Homewreckers "As a rebellious New York City teenager deeply involved in the underground music scene, I cannot stress the magnitude and impact the Lunachicks had on not just me, not just female musicians, but the New York City scene as a whole. They were torch bearers for all of us, giving us permission and inspiration to be as wild as we could possibly imagine and just go for it. It was an absolute side-splitting and heartbreaking joy to read all these personal stories and know what was really going on behind all that black eyeliner. Thanks for kicking that door open so the rest of us could run in."--Jessica Pimentel of Orange Is the New Black "For me, the Lunachicks embodied the lower east side of the '90s. Gritty, glammy, over-the-top punk rock and rollers, this was a band that you had to see to believe. Out of the thousands of concerts I've seen, the first time I saw the Lunachicks stands out to me as the most 'What the f**k did I just witness?' moment of my concert-going life. Fallopian Rhapsody is a must-read for fans of the CBGB-era rock scene that was New York City and brings to life the unique swagger and controlled (or sometimes not so controlled) chaos that was the Lunachicks. Both poignant and hilarious, it's a book that when finished makes you ponder 'What the f**k did I just read?'"--Chris Santos, cofounder of Beauty & Essex and judge on Chopped "Their name alone is a stroke of genius, and bless them for keeping the faith in Rock alive. Now Fallopian Rhapsody confirms the myth, and after I read the book, I lost weight, my hair got thicker, my nails grew strong enough to climb trees, and my sex life soared to unbelievable heights."--Debbie Harry of Blondie, author of Face It "This book contains the realest, funniest, most heart-wrenching writing about being in a band I've ever read. The first Lunachicks record, Babysitters on Acid, gave me permission to be my full self as a singer (though NO ONE can touch Theo Kogan's voice EVER), and now this book has confirmed what I already knew. The Lunachicks, as people, are as hilarious, complicated, and undeniable as their songs."--Kathleen Hanna of The Julie Ruin, Le Tigre, and Bikini Kill "Was anyone ever as powerful as teen girls in the 1990s NYC? This sexy, funny, totally bonkers band memoir took me right back to that dangerous DIY era in all its filth and freedom. Fallopian Rhapsody is a valuable addition to the literary canons of obnoxious punk rock, TV-raised Generation X, and messy, creative female friendships that last a lifetime."--Ada Calhoun, author of St. Marks Is Dead and Why We Can't Sleep