My Damage

Keith Morris is a true punk icon. No one else embodies the sound of Southern Californian hardcore the way he does. With his waist-length dreadlocks and snarling vocals, Morris is known the world over for his take-no-prisoners approach on the stage and his integrity off of it. Over the course of his forty-year career with Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and OFF!, he's battled diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, and the record industry...and he's still going strong.

MY DAMAGE is more than a book about the highs and lows of a punk rock legend. It's a story from the perspective of someone who has shared the stage with just about every major figure in the music industry and has appeared in cult films like The Decline of Western Civilization and Repo Man. A true Hollywood tale from an L.A. native, MY DAMAGE reveals the story of Morris's streets, his scene, and his music--as only he can tell it.

“Praise for Keith Morris and My Damage "Keith Morris is a human firecracker. You can literally hear his leg kicking under the table as you rip through the pages. If his life were the bars, these words are the file hidden in the cake. He is as truthful as funny, and if you don't read this book you might as well join an REO Speedwagon cover band." --Ryan Adams "Keith Morris, survivor of bouncers and blacklisters, thrown down the stairs yet still standing tall, damaged, patched up, last laugher of all, this is the punk rock story I've always wanted to hear." --Exene Cervenka of X "In My Damage , Keith Morris lets loose with a shotgun blast of funny, often harrowing vignettes/opinions in every chapter, chronicling growing up in Los Angeles' South Bay and the evolution of not just Southern California punk (and his part), but rock music in general, from the late 1960s up to the present. I found it so readable I finished half the book in one night's sitting." --Chris D. , author, singer/songwriter of the bands The Flesh Eaters and Divine Horsemen, and in-house producer at Slash/Ruby Records (1980-1984) "Even though Keith was so wasted most of the time, that nebb'd up surfer who lived on The Strand made me want to be a punk singer." --Greg Graffin of Bad Religion”

"My Damage is characterized by sharp wit, abundant empathy, and the wisdom of a man who has outrun his many demons."--MOJO

"[My Damage] delivers the behind-the-scenes kind of stuff we all love reading in rock autobiographies."
--No Echo
"A compelling, unexpectedly moving, and all-around badass memoir."--Esquire
"A portrait of a famed frontman that is complex but earnest"--PunkNews.org

"A wild tell-all told in a no-holds-barred style, My Damage is an epic autobiography told with humor, honesty, and courage."
--The Good Men Project, 11/15/16
"A winning memoir from a punk icon"--A.V. Club

"An insightful and expansive look at an unconventional life"--Men's Journal, 10/27/1
"Morris' book benefits from the same energetic, frenetically authentic style that makes his music so memorable. His description of the early punk scene and the inception of his two most famous bands is a fascinating read."--Under the Radar, 11/18/16

Keith Morris (Author)

Keith Morris is a cofounding member of Black Flag, the most recognizable name in West Coast punk, and the Circle Jerks, which cemented his reputation at the forefront of hardcore vocalists. He has recorded over fifteen albums, appeared on countless albums and compilations, and has a half-dozen film credits to his name. The intensity of the music produced by his latest bands OFF! and FLAG are equal to his best work from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and add to a legendary career that is still being carved out one gig at a time.

Jim Ruland (Author)

Jim Ruland caught the punk rock virus when his mom took him to see the Ramones when he was 15. He has been writing for punk rock zines like Flipside since the early '90s and has written for every issue of Razorcake, America's only non-profit independent music fanzine. He is the author of the award-winning novel Forest of Fortune and the short story collection Big Lonesome and is the curator of the irreverent reading series Vermin on the Mount.

Keith Morris is a true punk icon. No one else embodies the sound of Southern Californian hardcore the way he does. With his waist-length dreadlocks and snarling vocals, Morris is known the world over for his take-no-prisoners approach on the stage and his integrity off of it. Over the course of his forty-year career with Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and OFF!, he's battled diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, and the record industry...and he's still going strong. MY DAMAGE is more than a book about the highs and lows of a punk rock legend. It's a story from the perspective of someone who has shared the stage with just about every major figure in the music industry and has appeared in cult films like The Decline of Western Civilization and Repo Man . A true Hollywood tale from an L.A. native, MY DAMAGE reveals the story of Morris's streets, his scene, and his music--as only he can tell it.

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