2.0 Stars

So this wasn’t extremely poorly written. At least Hell has that going for himself. It wasn’t too difficult to get through this book, I just wish it wasn’t seeping with arrogance and misogyny. Humility is not a word Richard Hell seems to be familiar with. I enjoyed certain aspects of his story but overall, it seemed just to be a recollection of his cavalier views on specific individuals in the early emerging Punk Scene and his various encounters with “pussy.” What I did appreciate were the few recollections concerning his interviews. I found his answers amusing and wished there was more of that in the book. If you’re a fan of Punk music and the beginning of the scene, then this book might interest you. Hell was supposedly the inspiration for the Sex Pistols and originator of Punk fashion, which is probably why his head is so far up his own ass.

I chose to pair up Hell’s autobiography with Amsterdam brewery, Brouwerij ‘t IJ’s Flink beer. Flink is a blond beer with a bitter taste. As bitter as Hell seems to be about the lack of appreciation he’s gotten.

Quote: “I think love is sort of a con you play on yourself. I think the whole conception of love is something the previous generation invents to justify having created you. You know I think the real reason children are born is because parents are so bored they have children to amuse themselves. They’re so bored they don’t have anything else to do so they have a child because that will keep them busy for a while. Then to justify to the kid the reason he exists they tell him there’s such a thing as love and that’s where you come from because me and your daddy or me and your mommy were in love and that’s why you exist. When actually it was because they were bored out of their minds.”

Format: Hardcover.