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Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story
by Laurie Lindeen
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Atria (2007-05-08)
ISBN: 0743292324
EAN: 9780743292320
Dewy Decimal #: 782.42166092
Hardcover: 336 pages
Edition: 1st Atria Books Hardcover Ed
SKU: 07060033
Condition: Like New As issued n
Comments: Trade Paperback. Advance Uncorrected Proofs in like new condition. One very small diagonal crease in back cover. Otherwise no marks or creases and appears unread. Beautiful book.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Set in the years between the meteoric launches of Madonna and Courtney Love, Petal Pusher takes readers on a stirring journey across rock and roll, from the big-haired 1980s to the grunge-filled 1990s, when Laurie Lindeen brought her all-girl band, Zuzu's Petals, to compete in the indie rock arena.Minneapolis in the eighties was a musical hotbed, the land of 10,000 lakes and 10,000 bands that gave birth to Prince, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum. For Laurie Lindeen it was the perfect place to launch her rock-and-roll dream. She moved to the city with her best friends Phyll ("Annie Oakley meets Patsy Cline") and Coleen ("former cheerleader gone off the arty deep end") to crash in decrepit apartments and coax punk rock from crappy used guitars. But unbeknownst to her friends, Laurie has a secret in her past -- a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that fuels her passion to make it big on the local, national, and international rock scene. With inspiring determination, Laurie and her Zuzu's Petals survive the many challenges of being underdogs in a man's world. Then Laurie is thrown a curveball when she falls for Paul Westerberg of Replacements fame and reevaluates exactly what it means to "make it big." By turns hilarious and heartrending, Petal Pusher is a brilliant behind-the-scenes look at music on the front lines, and the awe-inspiring tale of one woman's fight against disease and the disillusionment of life in the rock underground.
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Customer Reviews
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Love
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-11-30
Laurie Lindeen is a great writer and story teller. i love the approach she took of speaking as if it was all happening at that moment (sort of) but also jumping back and forth to fill in the missing pieces.
i'm only halfway through but this book is great. maybe its because i'm very very into reading about female rockers, or girls/women who overcome hardships and find themselves, but i LOVE this book.
one thing about it is that it's a little hard for me to read. i don't have or know anyone with MS but i've always felt its such a demobalizing disease and sometimes when i read too much at once i get emotional and have to stop reading for a day or two. so its taking me longer than usual to finish.
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Boring Contrition
Rating  (1)
Date: 2007-11-16
0 out of 9 customers found this reveiw helpful
I read in some magazine that this was a book about being Paul's girlfriend and the lifestyle of that era. In fact this is a book about a girl who wanted to be a musician & what and who she did do achieve small professional success.
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Amazing...Hilarious...Moving...If you love Rock `n' Roll, you'll love this book!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-09-15
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
As a former female rocker wannabe, I found Laurie Lindeen's journey through rock music sobering and enlightening, and completely compelling to read. I played a bit of electric guitar as a teenager, but after going along for a ride through Laurie's exploits, I'm glad I chose a different career path. Life for a struggling female punk rock band is anything but glamorous. Hilarious at moments, yes, but the dark, gritty side of playing night after night in sleazy clubs is anything but alluring. Laurie's band, Zuzu's Petals, had moments that seemed to indicate they were on the verge of hitting it big, but despite an intense level of commitment and hard work for many years, their dream was never realized.
I'm glad to vicariously live the rock lifestyle through Ms. Lindeen's words. You can tell she's a musician, for her writing has a wonderful rhythm. The author's candor and willingness to reveal less-than-perfect parts of her personality made her story extremely universal. I could totally relate to Laurie's lack of self-confidence, and self-deprecating humor.
If you want to read a well-written, intelligent, poignant, and funny-as-hell rock story, look no further. This is definitely not a chick-only book either. My husband heard me laughing so hard, he wants to read it too. Highly recommended.
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This took me back to the band/bar days in the TC
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-09-13
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book took me back to the local band bar days and all the people I once hung out with. I could picture myself through some of the same situations, especially at the bar. What a fantastic read! After reading it, I immediately gave the book to a girlfriend that could relate.
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The Real Deal
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-09-05
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is probably the first book I've read about a rock band that seemed utterly real -- no self-mythologizing, just an unvarnished look at what it takes to pick up a guitar, make a record, go out on the road. Laurie doesn't let herself off easy, and her utter candor about her actions and emotions along the way is sometimes very moving. It makes me wish I had gone to see Zuzu's Petals when they finally made it to CBGB's. (Where was I that night?) Petal Pusher was heartbreaking at times, but also funny and sweet and full of the kind of unstoppable youthful bravado that would allow three women to jump in a van and drive and drive and drive to often thankless gigs.
I'm glad she survived it all with her memories, perspective and sense of humor intact and decided to share them with us. Petal Pusher reads like a diary and feels like the truth.
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