Sing Backwards and Weep Paperback – April 27, 2021

You have to admire what this book represents in a number of ways, all of them unforeseen (by myself) and pretty compelling particularly at this moment in time. I've always liked Lanegan's music, he definitely has one of the most lovely voices of any singer and has been behind a trove of rich, compelling music. That much of it ends up being more memorable today than was previously recognized by the market it originally derived from is a testament to time and art. The fact that Lanegan managed to live at all is also some strange testament to life, one that's maybe never been told in such a brazen fashion. It's not necessarily graceful writing, but definitely as brutally honest as can be.What brought me to this book, oddly enough, was listening to Mark's latest record "Straight Songs of Sorrow," which came up on my spotify feed, as his music has for the past few years. A few songs on this record really stood out, enough that I thought I would investigate and see if he'd left any other overlooked surprises to mine. Its the pandemic after all, lots of time to explore! I was thinking performance videos or something of that nature. Instead I found this book, huge surprise, it just came out. This type of bio is not my interest at all any more in my own life, but something made me decide to indulge and see what it had to tell. Lanegan's songs have been in my head ever since I started reading and will likely remain. More than anything, it's opened my eyes to how much he's done in his career from the period in time the book ends. Now there are many more layers of music to discover and enjoy (I'm listening to his recordings with Isobel Campbell right now, wow they are beautiful!). I had mostly stopped following him well after the Trees "Dust" album, still one of the best of all time, so this is a nice portal back into some rather rich and "untapped" veins, no pun intended.There's definitely a lot in this book for anyone to get a blast reading, its harrowing and almost inexplicable most of the way through. But two things really resonate with me beyond the authorship itself. Namely, there are a ton of people in life who choose this path, the majority of them never amounting to anything but early death or the bane of many other's existence. Do they choose this, or does the path choose them based on their circumstances, upbringing, what they think they learn along the way, what roads are followed, decisions made or perhaps within their very DNA? Hard to say, but its something that will always be with us in life, there's no magic cure. And in the closing chapter Lanegan writes "I had grown up believing you took whatever you could from whoever and always looked out for number one, screwing anyone and everyone in the process. From my earliest childhood memories, I had been a thief and a flagrant, transparent, nonstop liar and cheat." The final recognition of a perilous junkie rings too true today for the poison that engulfs our greater society. Greed and machismo are not kind to humanity, they are pure heroin many need their fix from in order to feel well. It's what lies at the highest levels of the current leadership in the US at the time of this publication, and enormous swaths of the supposed god-fearing public. Fervent freedom values the most baseless way of life over integrity, honesty and looking out for all. It might make for tantalizing, unbelievable stories, but leaves a huge, wretched stain on the very notion of existence.

WOW! what a book. I hardly knew of Mark Lanegan, but boy I sure do now. I couldn't put the book down. So sad to find out he passed 2 years after the book came out. This is a must read for people interested in rock and roll.

Who could’ve guessed it!? Lanegan could’ve been an MLB pitcher but thankfully he ended up making some of the darkest and most personal music known to mankind. His art is a blessing and his soulful baritone voice is indeed an acquired taste but Mark Lanegan’s solo work has legitimately gotten me through some of the toughest moments in my life over the past 20 years. This book is a beautifully crafted memoir from his teenage years up until about 2002 when he joined QOTSA. The stories he so brilliantly recounts in these pages is truly a gift to any fan of the infamous 80’s/90’s Punk/Rock&Roll/“Seattle-Sound”. The rollercoaster like twists and turns this man has endured is indeed a testament to both a true “F you!” attitude and a spirit not willing to give up in the face of so much adversity. Mark’s journey is quite possibly one of the most tragic comedies a human can suffer let alone endure. This memoir is one excruciatingly long “dark night of the soul” that only a soul like Lanegan could traverse. Not only did he somehow make it out alive...It feels as if Lanegan has reached that cosmic summit choosing to avert his gaze past the valleys of bloodshed, bodies, despair etc and instead pinpoint that golden light that is only privy to spirits as beautiful as his. It’s not some tragedy to triumph story. It’s f’ing real, it’s grimy, and it genuinely hurts to read a lot of his anecdotes but it’s well worth every damn second. Hands down the best “Rock & Roll” memoir I’ve ever read and it’s not just cuz he’s a favorite of mine but because of the eloquence with which it’s told. 10 stars!

Lanegan tells a brutally honest story of his rough upbringing, rise in the Seattle music scene as it garnered national attention, coupled with his serious struggles with addiction and the baggage that accompanies it. Raw and unrelenting, Lanegan writes with an immediacy that brings the reader along with him on his many fraught escapades doing drugs, trying to score drugs, or trying to get cash to score drugs. He also weaves in and out among the various celebrities of the alternative music scene of the 90s. His stories get repetitive which ultimately keeps this from being a 5 star review. But a ver compelling read nonetheless.

Loved this book. It's been a while since I found a book I didn't want to stop reading...and this was it. Lots of people on here seem to be dissapointed that it's not more about his music, but I loved it. Reason being, is it's almost as if it's a confession as he reflects back on his life. You can hear the pain, and self-loathing at times....yet, mixed with laughter as well. I didn't want this book to end.

I have always been a fan of his music. This book answers a lot of questions about him and his social circles, that have come up over the years of listening to him, and also half not wanting to know the truth about him. Well, this book contains the sordid truth. Instead of judging him, I see myself in him; but not the good parts. He was a stubborn person; uncompromising in his pursuit of a certain persona, the reality of which became increasingly horrifying as he certainly achieved it. A useful and entertaining book, at least for me. For someone else who didn't grow up listening to him or love his music, well, I would probably skip it, because it might all just seem like idiotic excess. I dunno. I hope there's something universal in there. I was encouraged by the fact he actually had a sense of humor through it all. I hope he had to watch Hamilton before he died, because that will be yet another thing he did, that I certainly never will.