American Punk Hero Bob Mould to Publish His Autobiography

NEW YORK, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Pietsch, Publisher of Little,
Brown and Company, announced today that rock legend Bob Mould, founder of the
pioneering American punk band Husker Du, will write his memoir for publication
in autumn 2010. Michael Azerrad, author of the bestselling Our Band Could Be
Your Life and Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana will collaborate with
Mould to tell the full story of his blazing, era-defining life and career.
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Bob Mould founded the trio Husker Du in
Minneapolis in 1979, powerfully reshaping America's rock scene. Husker Du LPs
like Zen Arcade and New Day Rising won over critics and fans by welding
melodicism, tenderness, and literary seriousness to punk's rage, volume, and
speed. Influenced by the Ramones, the Beatles, and classics like "Eight Miles
High," their cover of which was a college radio hit, Husker Du created new
classics of rage and alienation like "Celebrated Summer," "Makes No Sense At
All," and "Hardly Getting Over It." Determined to create music that mattered
both artistically and politically, they released eight albums in seven years
and toured relentlessly before drug addictions, a suicide, and artistic and
personal differences led to the band's implosion in 1988.
The memoir will, for the first time ever, delve deeply into Mould's life
as a musician and his experiences with Husker Du, as a solo artist, and in his
most commercially viable and successful work as leader of '90s indie rock
kingpins Sugar. He will also tell the story of his other lives, including his
internal struggle with his sexuality, the coming-out process, and his
subsequent embrace of, and service to, the LGBT community; his work as a
creative consultant / director in the world of pro wrestling; his work as a
record producer, including seminal projects by Soul Asylum and Magnapop; and
his foray into electronic / dance music, including the popular BLOWOFF club
events held nationwide.
Bob Mould said, "For many years, people have asked if and when I would
write my autobiography. I have always looked forward to this point in time,
where I could tell my stories, to answer the many questions about the music
and the lifestyle, and how they inform the creative process. I have not been
alone on this ride: friends and foes, mentors and associates, peers, lovers,
all traveling by my side. The ride so far has been incredible, and I hope to
do my memory right in documenting the journey."
"The gorgeous rage of Bob Mould's music seemed like the best possible
response to the Reagan '80s for many music-loving young Americans," says
Michael Pietsch. "To hear firsthand what it was like to make that music, and
to build the indie rock world that eventually brought us REM, Pearl Jam,
Nirvana, Green Day, and much of modern rock, is something that music lovers
have awaited for years."
Bob Mould was represented in the negotiation by his lawyer, Josh Grier of
Dreier LLP, and by literary agent Dave Dunton of the Harvey Klinger Agency.
Michael Azerrad was represented by agent Lydia Wills of the Paradigm Agency.
Little, Brown and Company, founded in 1837, has long been committed to
publishing fiction of the highest quality and nonfiction of lasting
significance. It has published many serious books about popular music,
including Peter Guralnick's two-volume Elvis Presley biography, Last Train to
Memphis and Careless Love, Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life, Bob
Spitz's The Beatles, Joe Nick Patoski'sWillie Nelson, and memoirs by Marianne
Faithfull and Phil Lesh, and it will publish a forthcoming memoir by Keith
Richards. Little, Brown is a division of Hachette Book Group, a leading trade
publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the
second-largest book publisher in the world.
SOURCE Little, Brown and Company

Heather Rizzo, Vice President, Executive Director of Publicity, Little, Brown
and Company, +1-212-364-1495 or heather.rizzo@hbgusa.com