Mike Doughty first came to prominence as the leader of the band Soul Coughing then did an abrupt sonic left turn, much to the surprise of his audience, transforming into a solo performer of stark, dusky, but strangely hopeful tunes. He battled addiction, gave up fame when his old band was at the height of its popularity, drove thousands of miles, alone, across America, with just an acoustic guitar. His candid, hilarious, self-lacerating memoir, The Book of Drugs—featuring cameos by Redman, Ani DiFranco, the late Jeff Buckley, and others—is the story of his band’s rise and bitter collapse, the haunted and darkly comical life of addiction, and the perhaps even weirder world of recovery.
The Book of Drugs: A Memoir
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Publishers Weekly," 10/3/11
"Hardly your typical rock star memoir. Doughty is brutally honest about life as an addict...Bringing the writing skill that he has crafted to his underground poetry, magazine articles, and songs, Doughty conveys his message with both despair and humor...A compelling look at one man's struggle to come to terms with the much-discussed connection between addiction and art.""New York"" Daily News, "10/28/11"The leader of the New York band Soul Coughing comes clean about the local music scene as well as his (semi) undiminished love of the high." TheRumpus.net, 10/20/11
"Doughty's life, as chronicled in these pages, is not so much a revelation for its narrative arc (kid makes the big time, starts in with the dope, the band breaks up, kid is redeemed), as it is for the astonishingly vital, energized, and natural voice contained in its pages, one which never once had a ghost writer presiding over it, likewise its acerbic and sometimes lacerating honesty."
Review
Publishers Weekly, 10/3/11
“Hardly your typical rock star memoir. Doughty is brutally honest about life as an addict…Bringing the writing skill that he has crafted to his underground poetry, magazine articles, and songs, Doughty conveys his message with both despair and humor…A compelling look at one man’s struggle to come to terms with the much-discussed connection between addiction and art.”
New York Daily News, 10/28/11
“The leader of the New York band Soul Coughing comes clean about the local music scene as well as his (semi) undiminished love of the high.”
TheRumpus.net, 10/20/11
“Doughty’s life, as chronicled in these pages, is not so much a revelation for its narrative arc (kid makes the big time, starts in with the dope, the band breaks up, kid is redeemed), as it is for the astonishingly vital, energized, and natural voice contained in its pages, one which never once had a ghost writer presiding over it, likewise its acerbic and sometimes lacerating honesty.”
“Doughty’s life, as chronicled in these pages, is not so much a revelation for its narrative arc (kid makes the big time, starts in with the dope, the band breaks up, kid is redeemed), as it is for the astonishingly vital, energized, and natural voice contained in its pages, one which never once had a ghost writer presiding over it, likewise its acerbic and sometimes lacerating honesty.”
Boston Globe, 11/11/11
“Engrossing and extremely candid.”
Seattle Weekly, 11/9/11
“A salacious memoir.”
Billboard.com, 12/7/11
“Chronicles his treacherous, intoxicated years as frontman of Soul Coughing in the 90s, through his transition into a fruitful (sober) solo career, with plenty of self-deprecating humor, band squabbles, music biz debauchery, and notable cameos from Jeff Buckley, Dave Matthews and Ani DiFranco and along the way.”Library Journal, December 2011
“[A] soul-baring memoir…Much more than a musician's autobiography, this is a tale about the resurgence of the human spirit; Doughty captures a little bit of all of us in his journey. Recommended.”
Jambands.com, 12/16/11
“Not only an open look by Doughty at his past addiction problems, but a smart, funny, and honest view of the late 80s/early 90s NY music scene, Doughty’s years with the band Soul Coughing, and what it was like to reach the other side of a very dark place. Don’t for a moment think that Mike Doughty has written your typical I-got-clean-and-now-I’m-above-all-that sort of book."
“Not only an open look by Doughty at his past addiction problems, but a smart, funny, and honest view of the late 80s/early 90s NY music scene, Doughty’s years with the band Soul Coughing, and what it was like to reach the other side of a very dark place. Don’t for a moment think that Mike Doughty has written your typical I-got-clean-and-now-I’m-above-all-that sort of book."
Relix, January/February 2012
“Love stories to drugs that [Doughty] had to quit. Suddenly, the fine points of ‘The Huffer and the Cutter,’ about love between damaged people, takes on an even deeper meaning.”
Booklist, 12/28/11
“[A] conversational, rambling, and picaresque memoir…Anyone with an interest in pop culture generally and rock music in particular should appreciate this insider’s account of life on the road.”
The Arts Desk (UK), 12/29/11
“A thrillingly lucid and bravely honest memoir.”
“A thrillingly lucid and bravely honest memoir.”
Boston Globe, 1/10/12
“What’s shocking and fresh about The Book of Drugs is how vividly it captures the psychic stasis of addiction…Much of the memoir’s appeal resides in Doughty’s lacerating candor.”
Black Book, 1/10/12
“A refreshingly genuine rock 'n' roll memoir, with the typical rise and fall of a rock star you might find as the plot of a musical biopic…But it's also a poetic look at the music industry in the late '90s, a seemingly mythical time before the rise of .mp3s and iPods.”
Interview, 1/11/12
“A layered memoir…A musical person with a passion for prose, Doughty's writing is self-deprecating and honest.”
Ink 19, January 2012
“Not your typical memoir…Fascinating, especially for a Doughty fan…This will put some clarity into the man behind the music.”
You’re Beautiful, New York, January 2012
“Full of succulent period errata, much like Patti Smith's Just Kids and Eileen Myles' Inferno. We go to legendary places and meet legendary people along the way…Like Smith and Myles, Doughty recreates downtown Manhattan in his formative moment with adroit and insouciant deftness. One comes to see and know as he has. It is a deeply enchanting backdrop for a deeply disenchanting behind-the-scenes.”
“Full of succulent period errata, much like Patti Smith's Just Kids and Eileen Myles' Inferno. We go to legendary places and meet legendary people along the way…Like Smith and Myles, Doughty recreates downtown Manhattan in his formative moment with adroit and insouciant deftness. One comes to see and know as he has. It is a deeply enchanting backdrop for a deeply disenchanting behind-the-scenes.”
PopMatters.com, 1/17/12
“The Book of Drugs can simultaneously be a rock ‘n’ roll tell-all, harrowing drug account, and a uniquely personal tale all in one, without ever feeling like it’s playing any of those angles deliberately. The reason why The Book of Drugs works is because it’s absolutely unflinching…A highly entertaining read…All in all, The Book of Drugs is an outstanding book. It’s a litany of stories filled to the brim with personality, wit, and humor…One of the best books you’ll read this year.”
Addiction Inbox (blog), 1/14/12
“It seems almost unfair that a talented singer/songwriter like Doughty should also turn out to be a good writer, but there you have it. The Book of Drugs is informative but not confessional, rock-snarky but tempered with a round of amends. It is also whip-smart and bitterly funny.”
Salon.com, 1/26/12
“The unspoken rule of rock ‘n’ roll memoirs—especially ones about drug-addled players who get clean—is that the author tends to mend fences rather than sling mud. Mike Doughty: not so much. In The Book of Drugs, the former Soul Coughing frontman writes with a lacerating candor about his family, his narcotic and sexual excesses, the idiocy of the music industry, and, most of all, his former band mates.”
Penthouse, February 2012
“Doughty strips away the glamour many people associate with the rock-star life, and his sharp writing reinvigorates even the most overdone clichés about recovery.”
The Daily, 1/22/12
“Being a Soul Coughing fan, or a fan of Doughty's solo career, isn't required to enjoy reading The Book of Drugs...The warts-and-all approach of The Book of Drugs works.”
New York Post, 1/29/12
"[A] riveting new memoir."
Tucson Citizen, 1/23/12
“Brutally honest, stark, cringe-worthy, and unexpectedly witty…This is not your typical rocker-hits-the-skids memoir but one that pulls no punches, and is so candid and brutally honest, it almost sucks the oxygen out of the room…I hope there will be a sequel to this book. It is that satisfying.”
The Rogovy Report, 1/30/12
“A funny, haunted tale in which no one—bandmates, producers, fans, A&R reps, fellow musicians such as Jeff Buckley and Redman, and least of all Doughty himself—is spared.”
“A funny, haunted tale in which no one—bandmates, producers, fans, A&R reps, fellow musicians such as Jeff Buckley and Redman, and least of all Doughty himself—is spared.”
Rolling Stone, 2/16/12
“Doughty is a funny, unsparing writer, and if he often comes across as a prick (like most everyone else here), he’s a deeply self-aware one; his eventual salvation – qualified, full of doubts – feels as real and lived as they come.”
MTVHive.com, 1/30/12
“The Book of Drugs has many of the staples we’ve come to expect from a rock ‘n’ roll tell-all. There are stories about consuming ridiculous amounts of illegal narcotics, and having ridiculous amounts of raunchy sex with people you’ve just met, and hating your bandmates for not respecting your awesomeness, and then kicking the drugs and meaningless sex and stupid band and realizing what’s important in life…But The Book of Drugs manages to transcend its own clichés…Doughty’s misadventures are weirdly relatable, even if you’ve never spent a small fortune on heroin or had sex with strangers in multiple time zones.”
Wisconsin State Journal, 2/1/12
“Candid and unsparing, and better written than most of its ilk…A powerful read.”
This Week in New York, 2/1/12
“A no-holds-barred look at that old music cliché, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”
“A no-holds-barred look at that old music cliché, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”
Blurt Online, 2/6/12
“Written in more of a conversational collection of anecdotes, remembrances and one-off stories, though largely chronologically, Doughty eschews the traditional chapter by chapter story in the life of, opting for a more original take on the standard rock memoir…His time in Soul Coughing and his relationship with drugs clearly made for some fascinating stories.”
The Nervous Breakdown, 2/6/12
“The Book of Drugs reads like a late night conversation, Doughty’s candor charged by a quick wit and a merciless sense of humor that bring an electric edge to the stories within his story…The ...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even when I'm not enamoured of the music I've always loved Doughty's blog/Twitter/interviews as it's undeniable that he has a very natural and unique way with words. As such, this book is definitely a very good read, reminding me of Bez's book about the Mondays (Freaky Dancin') but a little more...ah...literate. I don't want to use the cliche "couldn't put it down" but it really is that entertaining - it really does take you inside of the 'real' life of a semi-rockstar/addict without pulling any punches or whitewashing anything (Doughty himself doesn't come out looking too great in this book either).
My only complaint about this book is that I don't like his attitude towards his old band - I realize that many of his gripes about them are valid and I have no doubts that they used and nearly destroyed the man, but I kind of wish Doughty's hatred would stop with the band members. Rather, he goes on to trash the material, then trash the fans who enjoy that material, then imply that he's personally insulted anytime someone mentions his old band, wishing that people could just forget the past, etc. etc. I don't want to give the snarky answer of "then start making good records again!" because I DO like his new stuff quite a bit, and in fact I don't think his songwriting has really changed at all! I may believe that Gabay, Steinberg, and De Gli Antoni were terrible people, that they were selfish, that they were cruel, all these things, but I also believe that on a purely musical level, he's never worked with musicians that were able to keep up with him the way those three did, and that what drew people to SC was the sound of the records and the unique mindbending style the band had, as opposed to the literate coffeeshop rock he does today. It's strange to see him trash the people who review his shows, the ones who casually mention "I grew up a SC fan, but he didn't play any SC songs, so just a warning if that's what you're expecting" - even if they spend the rest of the review praising the solo stuff, his response will be something like "don't come next time". To be honest I'm not sure he understands why people enjoy those records! (we got it - you're a better songwriter now - but the songwriting was only half the reason why we liked those albums)
Surprising, because on everything else (particularly his tales of addiction), he comes off as nothing less than a brilliant and in tune with everyone around him. For that reason I can't downgrade the book - I really, really did enjoy it. Is that at odds with my love of the Soul Coughing records, given how much better off M Doughty the person would have been had the band never existed? Yes, it is. But I'm okay with that. Nothing is ever so simple.
My only complaint about this book is that I don't like his attitude towards his old band - I realize that many of his gripes about them are valid and I have no doubts that they used and nearly destroyed the man, but I kind of wish Doughty's hatred would stop with the band members. Rather, he goes on to trash the material, then trash the fans who enjoy that material, then imply that he's personally insulted anytime someone mentions his old band, wishing that people could just forget the past, etc. etc. I don't want to give the snarky answer of "then start making good records again!" because I DO like his new stuff quite a bit, and in fact I don't think his songwriting has really changed at all! I may believe that Gabay, Steinberg, and De Gli Antoni were terrible people, that they were selfish, that they were cruel, all these things, but I also believe that on a purely musical level, he's never worked with musicians that were able to keep up with him the way those three did, and that what drew people to SC was the sound of the records and the unique mindbending style the band had, as opposed to the literate coffeeshop rock he does today. It's strange to see him trash the people who review his shows, the ones who casually mention "I grew up a SC fan, but he didn't play any SC songs, so just a warning if that's what you're expecting" - even if they spend the rest of the review praising the solo stuff, his response will be something like "don't come next time". To be honest I'm not sure he understands why people enjoy those records! (we got it - you're a better songwriter now - but the songwriting was only half the reason why we liked those albums)
Surprising, because on everything else (particularly his tales of addiction), he comes off as nothing less than a brilliant and in tune with everyone around him. For that reason I can't downgrade the book - I really, really did enjoy it. Is that at odds with my love of the Soul Coughing records, given how much better off M Doughty the person would have been had the band never existed? Yes, it is. But I'm okay with that. Nothing is ever so simple.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had a funny reaction to this book - I was a fan of Soul Coughing, and have enjoyed Doughty's solo stuff, as well. And now I'm sorry about that. My enjoyment of Mr. Doughty's music would probably have continued unabated, but now that I know he thinks I'm an idiot, I'm going to have a hard time ponying up cash for his work, or enjoying what he produces.
The book is well-written, it carries the reader along, and some of the prose is gorgeous. However, after finishing it, it occurred to me that no one ended up looking anything but awful in this book. It starts off with a giant "f*** you" to his family, continues on with a "f*** you" to the New York music scene, then a "f*** you" to the band, the record label, the A&R rep, the manager, and everyone involved with the band, all underscored with a really notable amount of self-loathing. Not to mention a GIANT "f*** you" to the fans of Soul Coughing or anyone who ever enjoyed the music of Soul Coughing, who seem to deserve a special extra helping of contempt from the author. Then the book moves on to the recovery story, which I found to be also underscored with a lot of loathing from the author - not just of himself, but of everyone around him, though there were bright points here and there about people who might not be as awful as everyone else. When the book moved on to stories about his travels, the fact that everyone (including the author) was portrayed as a total jerk......well, that's really distracting, to read about someone visiting amazing places and seeing amazing sights and being sober and recovering and still being so full of self-loathing that it spills out onto everything and everyone around him.
After finishing this book and having had some time to think about it, I'm truly sorry I read it. It seems like Mike Doughty hates everyone he's ever come into contact with, including himself, and it's going to be hard to listen to his music without remembering that. It's especially hard to enjoy the music of someone who seems to hold his fans in such utter and total contempt. The book gets three stars because it's a compelling read, but a reluctant three stars, because I regret reading it.
The book is well-written, it carries the reader along, and some of the prose is gorgeous. However, after finishing it, it occurred to me that no one ended up looking anything but awful in this book. It starts off with a giant "f*** you" to his family, continues on with a "f*** you" to the New York music scene, then a "f*** you" to the band, the record label, the A&R rep, the manager, and everyone involved with the band, all underscored with a really notable amount of self-loathing. Not to mention a GIANT "f*** you" to the fans of Soul Coughing or anyone who ever enjoyed the music of Soul Coughing, who seem to deserve a special extra helping of contempt from the author. Then the book moves on to the recovery story, which I found to be also underscored with a lot of loathing from the author - not just of himself, but of everyone around him, though there were bright points here and there about people who might not be as awful as everyone else. When the book moved on to stories about his travels, the fact that everyone (including the author) was portrayed as a total jerk......well, that's really distracting, to read about someone visiting amazing places and seeing amazing sights and being sober and recovering and still being so full of self-loathing that it spills out onto everything and everyone around him.
After finishing this book and having had some time to think about it, I'm truly sorry I read it. It seems like Mike Doughty hates everyone he's ever come into contact with, including himself, and it's going to be hard to listen to his music without remembering that. It's especially hard to enjoy the music of someone who seems to hold his fans in such utter and total contempt. The book gets three stars because it's a compelling read, but a reluctant three stars, because I regret reading it.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I finished this book a couple of days ago, and for some reason it's been following me around. It just won't leave me alone. I'll be walking down the street or brushing my teeth or cooking dinner and a part of the book will pop up in my head. It's like visiting the factory to see the sausage being made, and as a result I don't think I'll ever hear Soul Coughing quite the same way again. And I think I'm okay with that.
Perhaps it has stayed with me because I have someone in my life right now who seems to be in denial about the need to become a "friend of Bill's." Perhaps it is because of my hyperactive sense of justice, which went haywire as I read page after frustrating page of the injustices he suffered at the hands of his band mates. Or maybe it's just because it's one of those unexpectedly personal stories that just lingers with you for a while.
Who knows. But that said, I'd love to experience the literary Rashomon that would occur if the bass player, drummer, and sampler player were to respond with their own memoirs. I don't doubt that MD had extremely toxic relationships with the three of them, but I wondered early on if the other members of the band had similarly damning stories about MD's behavior. How did they experience the band? They obviously inhabited very different realities. MD at least owns up to becoming a real a-hole as the band wore him down and his addictions became more controlling, so I'd probably be more inclined to trust his self-reflective version of events than the reactionary, self-righteous response that I'd anticipate from any of them. But it'd still be an interesting read.
After reading this book, I felt less guilty about the fact that I never paid a cent for the Soul Coughing music I loved so much--my longtime roommate owned all three--and happily reflected on the fact that I've always contributed my fair share financially to Doughty's solo career, both with CD purchases and live ticket sales. Oh, and this book. It's a brave story, and in the end I was happy to see the hero of tale emerge victorious, scars and all. Soldier on, Mike Doughty. Soldier on.
Perhaps it has stayed with me because I have someone in my life right now who seems to be in denial about the need to become a "friend of Bill's." Perhaps it is because of my hyperactive sense of justice, which went haywire as I read page after frustrating page of the injustices he suffered at the hands of his band mates. Or maybe it's just because it's one of those unexpectedly personal stories that just lingers with you for a while.
Who knows. But that said, I'd love to experience the literary Rashomon that would occur if the bass player, drummer, and sampler player were to respond with their own memoirs. I don't doubt that MD had extremely toxic relationships with the three of them, but I wondered early on if the other members of the band had similarly damning stories about MD's behavior. How did they experience the band? They obviously inhabited very different realities. MD at least owns up to becoming a real a-hole as the band wore him down and his addictions became more controlling, so I'd probably be more inclined to trust his self-reflective version of events than the reactionary, self-righteous response that I'd anticipate from any of them. But it'd still be an interesting read.
After reading this book, I felt less guilty about the fact that I never paid a cent for the Soul Coughing music I loved so much--my longtime roommate owned all three--and happily reflected on the fact that I've always contributed my fair share financially to Doughty's solo career, both with CD purchases and live ticket sales. Oh, and this book. It's a brave story, and in the end I was happy to see the hero of tale emerge victorious, scars and all. Soldier on, Mike Doughty. Soldier on.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
True Doughty
Mike Doughty puts together a brutally honest memoir of his life in his former band Soul Coughing and his battle with drug addition. Doughty has been called a wordsmith. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Charlie W
You Should Be Doubly Gratified
Having been a Soul Coughing fan since the early 90's and a recent Mike Doughty (solo) fan, I was intrigued to find out about this memoir. Read more
Published 22 days ago by The Disintegrator
Not just another rock star memoir
I am a big fan of rock biographies and memoirs and have read many. I would recommend Book of Drugs to anyone, whether you are a fan of Mike Doughty or not. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Kiersh
Great read
In short, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in less than a week. He's open and honest about his downfalls, and coming back from them and what it took for him to achieve that. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Leigh Ann
Illuminating, but probably not in the way Doughty intended
By turns whiny, self-pitying, honest, repugnant, and funny, "The Book of Drugs" serves as a good stand-in for any number of musician biographies in the modern era (or actually... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Monty Manley
drugs, plus the eternal dilemma of incongruously successful bandmates
Dear Mike: I'm glad that after years of craptastic drug abuse, you are doing fairly ok. It was nice to meet you way back in '94 when my hostess friend worked at one of those Red... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeff R. Rosenberg
This is a decent book.
I really enjoyed it. He does have a lot of hate he needs to let go of in regards to Soul Coughing. I knew going in this book was about addiction and not the band so that didn't... Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Smith
Maybe You Shouldn't...
Here's the most concise way to explain the pettiness and bitterness in these pages: He never uses the name of anyone in Soul Coughing. Not once.
Published 1 month ago by K. Sturdevant
The good, the bad and the ugly
It's a hard thing to assign a star rating to a book like this, or even to review it, because the subject matter is so extremely personal and dealt with in a manner that is... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Howlinw
A Brutally Honest Book
I don't mind that Mike Doughty thinks I'm an idiot for still liking Soul Coughing; if he's even half-accurate in his recounting of his relationship with his bandmates, he has every... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jeff Fecke
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