Covering almost 30 years from the perspective of 60 people, Architects of Self-Destruction is for ska punk what The Dirt is for ’80s hair metal. The book opens with the beginnings of Hellcat Records and starts with Brad Logan, one of Hellcat’s first employees. Aside from working at Hellcat, Logan is most well-known for his band F-Minus, and as one of the longstanding members of Leftover Crack. For this project, Logan, along with John Gentile of punknews.org fame, use hours of interviews to masterfully weave the story of Leftover Crack. The two become curators, using the voices of those who lived it, to tell the story.
While the book focuses mainly on Leftover Crack, the main protagonist (and possible antagonist as well) for this story is the band’s founder, Scott Sturgeon. Folks who are familiar with him and the bands he’s been part of (Choking Victim, Leftover Crack, Crack Rocksteady 7, Star Fucking Hipsters), likely know what to expect with the stories told in this book. For the uninitiated though, get ready for a wild ride. Through Logan and Gentile, the scabs, sores, and volatility of Leftover Crack remain unfiltered.
The good, bad, and ugly are all here for all to read about.
Through Leftover Crack’s story, the narrators tell tales of drugs, alcohol, suicide, death, jail, politics, and riots. Through the good and the bad, it’s a story about heart, passion, and the power of punk rock music.
Like most people, my first exposure to Sturgeon’s music is the Choking Victim song, “Crack Rock Steady.” It’s such a collective of styles. Crust punk, hardcore, death metal, gangster rap, ska. When I first heard it, I thought it was just a sensational song about drug use and hating the police, but those are two themes that continue through to Leftover Crack and Star Fucking Hipsters.
In the book, Sturgeon and crew are pretty candid about their drug and alcohol use, and their political views. It’s brought up matter-of-factly; another adjective used to describe them.
I’ve been listening to Sturgeon’s music since the days of No Gods/No Managers. This is the perfect book for fans because it tells his entire musical history. From the beginning of the Choking Victim days all the way up to the tragic passing of Alec Baillie, it’s all here. Some of the things covered within seem to extreme too believe; especially when Sturgeon appears to be an unreliable narrator. But, when a book about the history of the band begins with the Brad Logan meeting a bloodied Sturgeon during the recording of the Choking Victim album, you’re primed to expect the unexpected.
I’m such a nerd for learning about the inside scoops of the things I like. Because of the structure of this book, it felt like I was sitting in a room with a veritable who’s who telling us the stories first hand. To be quite honest, with how crazy some of the situations surrounding Leftover Crack are, the only way to do their story justice is with a first person oral history narrative. It likely would’ve been easier to write a more traditional narrative piece. Thankfully, Logan and Gentile take the road less travelled. The finished product is better for it.
Also, when you’ve got folks like Jello Biafra, Fat Mike, Joe Jack Talcum, and Jesse Michaels on board to help tell the tale, you let them do it.
I’m really glad Logan and Gentile went this route. When Brad Logan tells the story of Sturgeon pissing in a bottle on stage and dumping it on the crowd, you can feel his anger when he catches friendly fire and walks off the stage. Several people from the band and their history tell the story of C-Squat and New York in the ’90s. Former Leftover Crack drummer Ara Babajian tells of quitting his job at the World Trade Center days before 9/11. Through his story, the need to not take life for granted gets re-affirmed.
This book features the yin and yang of life. Triumphs and tragedies get equal billing.
Love him or hate him, Scott Sturgeon is responsible for one of the more important bands in modern punk rock. Once you get past the scabby surface, Architects of Self-Destruction makes sure to highlight just how groundbreaking Leftover Crack is. They wore their politics on their sleeve. While reading along, it becomes pretty evident just how combustible Leftover Crack was. While all of Sturgeon’s bands had a chance to implode (or explode), his music has always been thought-provoking, provocative and challenging. They provided a voice for the voiceless. Through the music of Leftover Crack, Sturgeon preaches unity and acceptance for the oppressed. He exposes the cracks with the establishment and urges listeners to unite and rise up. His passion shines through with every piece of music he creates.
Architects of Self-Destruction is a must read for fans of Leftover Crack. It’s also an important read for people with interests in learning more about American musical history. After I finished reading, I immediately pulled out all my old Sturgeon-adjacent music to relive the memories the book brought back.