Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: mercy rule, Zuzu's Petals, New York, Soul Asylum (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Sharp and sensitive, stoned silly and serious, all in the right places, Lindeen's account of her life as guitarist and songwriter for Zuzu's Petals is a love song (played really fast) for the postpunk or Amer-indie scene of mid-1980s Minneapolis, when bands like the Replacements and Soul Asylum had yet to move from cult heroes to major-label artists. It was also the time when Lindeen, a music-loving, four-time college dropout with multiple sclerosis, could guilelessly decide to "start a band and make that exciting life of song and guitar feedback, travel and intrigue, carousing and cavorting our own." What Lindeen finds at first is fulfillment and self-confidence on stage, and at the end a hard cycle of "drive, eat, go to a bar for sound check, hang out, play" that leads to her breaking up the band. In between, along with some touching scenes from her youth, Lindeen skillfully details great and not-so-great gigs, horrible hotels, wonderful (if weird) fans, boyfriends and all sorts of strange events and locations ("The walls are covered with black Astroturf"). After paying her dues, Lindeen finds love and marriage in ex-Replacements leader Paul Westerberg, which brings it all back home for her—and her readers—in what is a truly wonderful book about life in rock music. (June)
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From Booklist

The cofounder of all-girl rock band Zuzu's Petals effortlessly captures the indie-rock world of the 1980s and 1990s. She started her rock career in Minneapolis, moving there with two best friends. Her favorite musicians and bands (Prince, Soul Asylum, the Replacements, the Jayhawks) hail from there, she says, and besides, it's the hometown of Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore's TV-series character): "like maybe I could make it after all," Lindeen ventures. Turns out, she married Replacements lead singer Paul Westerberg. She recalls the Petals' first, Labor Day 1988 gig at a Minneapolis bar (they barely had enough material for a set). She writes about their cross-country and international tours of various dives and pubs--hardly the stuff of glamour--and her sweet first date with Westerberg. What makes her story unusual--and poignant--is her eventual diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, which only makes her work harder. Petal Pusher's behind-the-scenes aura ought to impress readers beyond rock-memoir mavens and Replacements (and other midwestern rockers') fans. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Atria; 1st Atria Books Hardcover Ed edition (May 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743292324
• ISBN-13: 978-0743292320
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #697,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating memoir of a women overcoming hardship through perseverance, May 17, 2007

By	Alis "Black and Red Dog" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This is a fascinating, memoir of an unusual journey. Laurie goes from overcoming a debilitating diagnoses of a chronic illness to achieving rock success with a national tour. This is a truthful assessment of the real world of rock and roll in all it's raw, gritty glory. In a country obsessed with fame, it is refreshing to remember people who play music and compose music because they love it. It is a love story, to rock, to her husband and her family. Laurie shows a mastery of nonfiction. I love this book! Check out this cd A Pregnant Pause

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal, September 5, 2007

By	mhill157 "mhill157" (Hoboken, NJ) - See all my reviews

This is probably the first book I've read about a rock band that seemed utterly real -- no self-mythologizing, just an unvarnished look at what it takes to pick up a guitar, make a record, go out on the road. Laurie doesn't let herself off easy, and her utter candor about her actions and emotions along the way is sometimes very moving. It makes me wish I had gone to see Zuzu's Petals when they finally made it to CBGB's. (Where was I that night?) Petal Pusher was heartbreaking at times, but also funny and sweet and full of the kind of unstoppable youthful bravado that would allow three women to jump in a van and drive and drive and drive to often thankless gigs.

I'm glad she survived it all with her memories, perspective and sense of humor intact and decided to share them with us. Petal Pusher reads like a diary and feels like the truth.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Read, June 26, 2007

By	J. Lewerenz "Mom, Photographer, Designer" (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

just finished a page turner. It's called "Petal Pusher" and "it's a A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story". I always wanted to be in a band, but only watched curiously from the sidelines. )Unless, of course, you count my 15 minutes to fame as one of many backup singers to a famous girl band, a couple of times...) This book is tough to put down and easy to read. It's gritty and real and puts you right there. No bull. I give the author kudos for following her dreams and going after it. That takes guts! While reading it, I could almost feel the sludge of being on the road. I could smell the lingering beer and smoke in the clubs, and the hangovers of one's youth. I was a fly on the wall, and I enjoyed the challenging ride.