Desolation
A Heavy Metal Memoir
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4.7 • 14개의 평가
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- US$15.99
출판사 설명
A gritty, revealing heavy metal memoir by Lamb of God’s guitarist and lyricist, Mark Morton, which explores both his life in music and his tumultuous path through addiction and into recovery
For a band as extreme as Lamb of God, mainstream success and touring the world to massive audiences was an almost surreal achievement. But for guitarist and lyricist Mark Morton, the triumph was dulled by the pain of addiction and loss.
In DESOLATION: A Heavy Metal Memoir, Morton traces the highs and the lows of his career and personal life, revealing how the pressures of success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with his dedication to the creative process. Morton writes about the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his newborn daughter, which plunged Morton further into hopelessness. Surrounded by bandmates living their wildest dreams, Morton wanted nothing more than to disappear, ingesting potentially lethal cocktails of drugs and alcohol on a daily basis.
And yet intertwined with self-destruction and harrowing heartbreak, there were moments of joy, self-acceptance, and incredible connection. Morton developed close relationships with his bandmates and crew members, sharing experiences that have made for some strange and hilarious tales. He also gained a greater sense of purpose through interactions with his fans, who remind him that his work reaches people on a deeply personal level.
DESOLATION is, at its core, about Morton's journey as a musician navigating self-doubt, anxiety, and the progressive disease of addiction, and ultimately finding relative serenity and gratitude.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lamb of God guitarist Morton debuts with a bruising personal history of music and addiction. Growing up in the 1970s and '80s, Morton spent his childhood in suburban Virginia skateboarding, watching MTV, and grappling with body image anxieties that drove him to start using drugs and drinking to fit in. He found punk rock music in his early teens and began playing in bands. In the mid-1990s, he formed Lamb of God (initially known as Burn the Priest), a heavy metal group known for its chaotic musical style ("We were a burning car crash: jarring, unhinged, and impossible not to watch"). Rising fame led to world tours and the author's descent into a "black hole of drugs and alcohol," which accelerated after the death of his newborn daughter in 2009. Morton spent years seesawing between addiction and sobriety as he tried to "blot out... reality" while contending with suicidal thoughts, agonizing withdrawals, and a strained marriage. Realizing he'd begun to feel "spiritually and emotionally dead," he hit rock bottom in 2018 and got sober. Morton writes movingly of the way pain and art are intimately linked, and has a sharp eye for the gifts afforded by sobriety, including more fully experiencing "fans' connections to our music" at live shows. It's a raw yet hopeful portrait of a tumultuous life.
사용자 리뷰
Very good read
Overall this is a very good read. Mark is a very good writer, storyteller and is very detailed, honest and candid about his personal life. I am not a big fan of Lamb of God, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story of how he went from a shy kid playing the guitar to international fame. Mark’s story of his drinking, drug use and eventual sobriety is also very raw and unabridged. My only criticisms are the pages regarding his childhood and college years are a bit too long and there are a few typos and grammatical errors, I would have thought this book was professionally edited.