Publishers Weekly
09/26/2022
Powers, cofounder of the punk group the Gun Club, debuts with an inharmonious memoir of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. As a queer Mexican American living in La Puente, Calif., in the 1970s, he got into the punk scene, drawn in by the Ramones, whose flaws, Powers writes, emphasized their humanity. By the time Powers was 18, he had “taken drugs, had anonymous sex, hung out with rock ’n’ roll bands, and earned stripes in street smarts.” But it was only after after Lydia Lunch of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks encouraged him to pick up a guitar that he began making his own music. On a night out at Whisky a Go Go, Powers befriended Jeffrey Lee Pierce, who suggested they start a band. The group became the Gun Club, which belted out a miasmic blend of rockabilly, the blues, and country. An invitation to join the Cramps in late 1980 convinced him to leave the Gun Club, and he later joined up with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Along the way, Powers careens between self-confidence and self-doubt, losing himself to drugs and battling imposter syndrome. Maybe Powers can be forgiven for the meandering prose, unmoored narrative, and murky timeline; as he admits, his fate “was never to look at anything without an eye askew.” Despite the bumps, fans of early punk rock will revel in this pungent evocation of the scene. Agent: Matthew Hamilton, Hamilton Agency. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
**A Los Angeles Times Bestseller** **A California Independent Booksellers Alliance Bestseller**Vanity Fair, "7 Books We Can't Stop Talking About"
"[A] whirlwind of discovery and debauchery that is... loaded with iconic scenes and scenesters..."
—Washington Post
“Powers imbues his epic coming-of-age story with a narrative tension that ping pongs between on-and-off drug abuse (eventually fully off) and a complicated musical partnership with legendary Gun Club maestro Jeffrey Lee Pierce… at turns dark, comedic, and dishy, with occasional tugs at the heartstrings.” —Vanity Fair
“An entertaining, funny, illuminating, and at times harrowing story from a man who was slap bang centre of the 80s alternative scene… Brian Tristan comes across as a really nice guy. Kid Congo Powers as one of the coolest.”—Louder than War
“A thoroughly entertaining, can’t-put-it-down saga.” —The Ticket (Seattle Times)
"Immensely entertaining.”—Bay Area Reporter
“A juicy and humble account of a joyful yet traumatic life spent in three of the most beloved alternative bands of the 1980s.”
—The Fat Angel Sings
“A dreamlike narrative that maintains a kind of spiritual innocence even as it wades into a sea of rock & roll action, back alley sex, and drugged glory.”
—Aquarium Drunkard
“An informative, fun, and easy to read recounting of life on the frontlines of underground music at a time when there was equal amounts of danger and excitement in the air; with no easy paths to take, and little thought of commercial success.”
—Midnight to Six
"A beautifully edgy tale of a kid discovering himself through music." —Booklist
"... Fans of early punk rock will revel in this pungent evocation of the scene."—Publishers Weekly
"[Some New Kind of Kick is] an autobiography that has taken years to write and shows the guts this man has. It’s also a frank account of Kid’s time growing up, his denial of grief and his own sexuality, as well as being a brilliant document of his experiences with said brilliant bands. It’s also utterly amazing to read."—Felten Ink
"Enthralling…. an incredibly compelling story."
—Glide Magazine
"An entertaining, funny, illuminating, and at times harrowing story… Powers’ book is an illuminating insight on how rock ‘n’ roll can save, but also destroy."
—HeroMag
"Moving... a hold-on-tight roller coaster ride... beautifully produced... There's a reason Some New Kind of Kick is popping up on a lot of Best of 2022 lists."—Boing Boing
"Kid Congo Powers has lived an amazing life and his bands (founding member of the Gun Club, the Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Pink Monkey Birds among others) need no introduction. He found punk in the streets of Los Angeles—right place, right time—and it allowed him his self-expression: sexually, culturally, musically and, of course, the drugs. The book follows him as he does time in these bands, each with its own fascinating dynamic, while the spiral of drug use, interrupted by bouts of being clean, continues to drag him down. His keen insight makes for vivid descriptions of scenes, some pretty crazed band dynamics and some wanton self-destructive behavior. Luckily he pulled through and lived to write about it."—Thrasher Magazine
Library Journal
08/01/2022
The transformative power of the early punk rock era was liberating for so many at a very unsteady time. The ability to transform oneself in an instant, to become someone different and not look back, helped young people of the era cope with a frightening, conformist world. A shy Mexican American, closeted queer kid from Southern California named Brian Tristan became Kid Congo Powers, a non-musician who joined a successful band before learning even one guitar chord. Powers's unique rock-and-roll story feels like a roller coaster, so full of twists and breakneck turns that it almost feels like fiction. One moment, he's a Ramones-obsessed kid living with his parents, and shortly after, he is jetting off to New York, London and Berlin to absorb punk culture and rub elbows with musical icons of the time. He's disarmingly open about his personal life and his struggles with drugs and alcohol, creating an endearing intimacy with readers. VERDICT Reading Powers's book is like hanging out with a cool guy with incredible stories to tell.—Brett Rohlwing
