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Some New Kind of Kick

A Memoir

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Some New Kind of Kick

By: Kid Congo Powers, Chris Campion
Narrated by: Kid Congo Powers, Raphael Corkhill
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About this listen

 An intimate, coming-of-age memoir by legendary guitarist Kid Congo Powers, detailing his experiences as a young, queer Mexican-American in 1970s Los Angeles through his rise in the glam rock and punk rock scenes.

Kid Congo Powers has been described as a “legendary guitarist and paragon of cool” with “the greatest resume ever of anyone in rock music." That unique imprint on rock history stems from being a member of not one but three beloved, groundbreaking, and influential groups—Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Cramps, and last but not least, The Gun Club, the wildly inventive punk-blues band he co-founded.

Some New Kind of Kick begins as an intimate coming of age tale, of a young, queer, Chicano kid, growing up in a suburb east of East LA, in the mid-‘70s, exploring his sexual identity through glam rock. When a devastating personal tragedy crushes his teenage dreams, he finds solace and community through fandom, as founder (‘The Prez’) of the Ramones West Coast fan club, and immerses himself in the delinquent chaos of the early LA punk scene.

A chance encounter with another superfan, in the line outside the Whiskey-A-Go-Go to get into a Pere Ubu concert, changes the course of his life entirely. Jeffrey Lee Pierce, a misfit Chicano punk who runs the Blondie fan club, proposes they form a band. The Gun Club is born. So begins an unlikely transition from adoring fan to lauded performer. In Pierce, he finds brotherhood, a creative voice, and a common cause, but also a shared appetite for self-destruction that threatens to overwhelm them both.

Quirky, droll, and heartfelt, with a pitch-perfect evocation of time and place, and a wealth of richly-drawn supporting characters, Some New Kind of Kick is a memoir of personal transformation, addiction and recovery, friendship and belonging, set against the relentless creativity and excess of the ’70s and ’80s underground music scenes. Biographies & Memoirs Entertainment & Celebrities Music Heartfelt
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The best audio book I have ever listened to. Totally compelling - it grabbed my full attention and really enjoyed the way that Kid Congo told his fascinating life story. I recommend this audio book very very highly.

Life is short - filled with stuff

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Stranger than fiction rocknrollercoaster of a life. Pleasently spoken. Again :what a trip. Thank you.

What a ride

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If you’ve ever been a fa to The Cramps, Gun Club or Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, then you have to listen to this great book written by Kid Kongo Powers. Kid was a guitar player with those fantastic bands in their heights and coloured their songs with his E-tuned guitar.

Kid at his best!

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It's Kid Congo, reading his own life story! The only thing that could make it better would be if there were musical backing!

Life may be short, but it is filled with stuff.

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Detailed wonderful book with brilliant narration by Kid Congo.
Not just another rock star book but a family driven and passionate life story. Thank you Kid Congo Powers for a peep into your world.
💙🖤

Brilliant.

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