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Mudhoney: The Sound & The Fury From Seattle
Mudhoney is a rock band which emerged from the late 80s Seattle. Achieving critical acclaim but only a modest degree of commercial success, they were soon eclipsed by another band from the same city playing a similar strand of music - Nirvana. Mudhoney's 1988 debut Touch Me I'm Sick was declared the single of the decade by Kurt Cobain. the book features extensive interviews with the band.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 16, 2014
My personal temperament toward music, both live and recorded, was so hotly maniacal and all-consuming in the 1980s that naturally, my memories, connections and tendency toward nostalgia are rooted in the years 1981-89 more than anywhere else. Mudhoney were central to my sickness at the highest point in its bell curve. Having already been a Green River aficionado while they were around, when that first Mudhoney 45 came out, me and several of my pals were so blown away by their dramatic supercharging of the “long-haired punk” formula, with its the new emphasis on distortion and wide-grooved volume, that we instantly hatched a plan to see the band 4 times in a row in late ’88 (as their “Superfuzz Bigmuff” EP was just coming out), from San Jose to Los Angeles to San Francisco and Huntington Beach. In between, I sheepishly asked Mudhoney’s tour manager Bob Whittaker if the band would play my college radio show on KCSB in Santa Barbara on their lone day off, promising beer, a good time and a place to stay. Offer accepted, it set up a nice acquaintanceship w/ each of the band members & a friendship w/ Whittaker that continues to this day, and prodded me - as if I needed prodding - to see several dozen Mudhoney shows throughout their 25+ years of existence.
Has my intense rabidity for the band’s music, forged at age 20, waned a bit since 1988? Of course it has. I can look at Mudhoney critically and place them very much as a vital and still-awesome cog in their scene, which extended well outside of Seattle and encompassed other late 80s champs like Pussy Galore, Laughing Hyenas, Lazy Cowgirls, Sonic Youth, Dwarves, feedtime, Scratch Acid and so on. Their records rocked, their live show was better, and there really isn’t a single record they’ve put out since those early years where I haven’t really gravitated to 2 or 3 intense and raw tunes, especially in the 2000s starting with “Since We’ve Become Translucent”. So my approach to reading Keith Cameron’s well-composed biography was to marinate deeply in the nostalgia more than anything else, and yet when I exited the book, it was with a deeper appreciation for the individuals in the band, and the choices they made, than I’d even had before.
More to so than even their songs or stage presence, it’s Mudhoney’s complete and utter disregard for the trappings of fame and the sick machinations of the music industry that was so compelling. These are 5 people (counting later-period bassist Guy Maddison) who’ve always been eminently approachable, friendly and just as wildly excited about obscure 45s and bands as you/I am. Cameron does a terrific job capturing and coming back to that, as he relays tales (all with the full participation of and many interviews with the band members) of early obscurity, the pendulum-shift bedlam of the 1988/89/90 explosion of the “Seattle scene”, drug use, sobriety, major label weirdness, Sub Pop financial shenanigans and some extreme record collecting as well.
If you read Mark Yarm’s book about “grunge” (“Everybody Loves Our Town”) you’ve already seen chunks of this, but this one’s fully centered on the only arguably great band to come from all of that nonsense. It’s rare to find a group of musicians in any genre who’ve stuck together as long as they have with their reputations as individuals and musicians fully intact – and it almost never happens in rocknroll, certainly not on the shoestring independent level that Mudhoney’s pretty much operated on for more than three-quarters of their career. More so than even the indie documentary that was made about them recently (“I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney”, which, uh, yours truly has two brief speaking parts in), this book is the right sort of exploratory & explanatory angle to expound upon how these people as individuals engineered their lives to keep playing the music they wanted, and keep their collective and personal integrity very much intact.
Has my intense rabidity for the band’s music, forged at age 20, waned a bit since 1988? Of course it has. I can look at Mudhoney critically and place them very much as a vital and still-awesome cog in their scene, which extended well outside of Seattle and encompassed other late 80s champs like Pussy Galore, Laughing Hyenas, Lazy Cowgirls, Sonic Youth, Dwarves, feedtime, Scratch Acid and so on. Their records rocked, their live show was better, and there really isn’t a single record they’ve put out since those early years where I haven’t really gravitated to 2 or 3 intense and raw tunes, especially in the 2000s starting with “Since We’ve Become Translucent”. So my approach to reading Keith Cameron’s well-composed biography was to marinate deeply in the nostalgia more than anything else, and yet when I exited the book, it was with a deeper appreciation for the individuals in the band, and the choices they made, than I’d even had before.
More to so than even their songs or stage presence, it’s Mudhoney’s complete and utter disregard for the trappings of fame and the sick machinations of the music industry that was so compelling. These are 5 people (counting later-period bassist Guy Maddison) who’ve always been eminently approachable, friendly and just as wildly excited about obscure 45s and bands as you/I am. Cameron does a terrific job capturing and coming back to that, as he relays tales (all with the full participation of and many interviews with the band members) of early obscurity, the pendulum-shift bedlam of the 1988/89/90 explosion of the “Seattle scene”, drug use, sobriety, major label weirdness, Sub Pop financial shenanigans and some extreme record collecting as well.
If you read Mark Yarm’s book about “grunge” (“Everybody Loves Our Town”) you’ve already seen chunks of this, but this one’s fully centered on the only arguably great band to come from all of that nonsense. It’s rare to find a group of musicians in any genre who’ve stuck together as long as they have with their reputations as individuals and musicians fully intact – and it almost never happens in rocknroll, certainly not on the shoestring independent level that Mudhoney’s pretty much operated on for more than three-quarters of their career. More so than even the indie documentary that was made about them recently (“I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney”, which, uh, yours truly has two brief speaking parts in), this book is the right sort of exploratory & explanatory angle to expound upon how these people as individuals engineered their lives to keep playing the music they wanted, and keep their collective and personal integrity very much intact.
December 11, 2024
Bought this book on Amazon after seeing it on the merch stand at a Mudhoney gig in St Luke's in Glasgow, Scotland in 2024.
Usually when I read a book, my mind is almost subconsciously tallying up criticisms, but I hand on heart didn't have one single negative thought when reading this on my commutes to and from work.
Superbly written and researched, with access to all the major players, including the band themselves, including past member Matt Lukin, this was fascinating and insightful.
I really appreciated the structure and approach, with the author working in a chronological order and introducing band members in the order they appear in the band's story, with dedicated chapters exploring their life.
The fact that Keith Cameron goes into the origins and story of Green River was a fantastic and unexpected surprise; he could easily have skipped to the start of Mudhoney as its own entity, but didn't. That's not to mention the fantastic background info and wider context of the Seattle sound and Grunge scene threaded throughout, and in a way that felt relevant rather than padding out this piece of work.
My version was also updated to include some pre and post Covid-19 pandemic details, and therein lies my only complaint: I now need another bonus chapter detailing the 2021-2024 period and the release of Plastic Eternity.
In short: get this!
Usually when I read a book, my mind is almost subconsciously tallying up criticisms, but I hand on heart didn't have one single negative thought when reading this on my commutes to and from work.
Superbly written and researched, with access to all the major players, including the band themselves, including past member Matt Lukin, this was fascinating and insightful.
I really appreciated the structure and approach, with the author working in a chronological order and introducing band members in the order they appear in the band's story, with dedicated chapters exploring their life.
The fact that Keith Cameron goes into the origins and story of Green River was a fantastic and unexpected surprise; he could easily have skipped to the start of Mudhoney as its own entity, but didn't. That's not to mention the fantastic background info and wider context of the Seattle sound and Grunge scene threaded throughout, and in a way that felt relevant rather than padding out this piece of work.
My version was also updated to include some pre and post Covid-19 pandemic details, and therein lies my only complaint: I now need another bonus chapter detailing the 2021-2024 period and the release of Plastic Eternity.
In short: get this!
November 27, 2013
If you have any interest in music history, not only of grunge, but of the legacy of alternative rock n roll...read Keith Cameron's excellent Mudhoney biography. Cameron manages to strike that difficult balance between accurate historical research and colorful storytelling...and Mudhoney certainly has some colorful stories to tell.
If you're one of the many who latched on to Seattle music after Nirvana's "Nevermind," (and I admit I'm one of them) make sure you read this biography. It will provide a proper context to a band that, in a lot ways, had just as much impact on music as their more well known peers.
If you're one of the many who latched on to Seattle music after Nirvana's "Nevermind," (and I admit I'm one of them) make sure you read this biography. It will provide a proper context to a band that, in a lot ways, had just as much impact on music as their more well known peers.
August 2, 2021
A really good analysis and history of a band that has somehow survived decades past what their friends and rivals did. I'm an old fan and it does capture and explain what made those old loud singles, eps and albums resonate and work. Great contextualization and expert use of the exclamation point in transcription.
May 31, 2023
Great read. I think you have to be a fan to appreciate this book, although there’s some fascinating passages: ‘City centres were scarred by closed-down shops and derelict spaces, while London had a permanent population of homeless people living on the streets, all by-products of the aggressive free-market economic policies of Margaret Thatcher, who had been in power for exactly 10 years. The cultural landscape felt equally barren and defeated. Pop music was in a state of denial, as the media acquiesced in the aggressively aspirational ethos and obsession with promoting style over content.’
Genuine and humble guys whose ambitions never amounted to anything more than having a good time making music with their friends. Ironically the most tumultuous period seemed to be when they gained exposure during the grunge boom.
This book has got me excitedly rediscovering their back-catalogue with a fresh perspective and for that alone, it deserves 5 stars.
Genuine and humble guys whose ambitions never amounted to anything more than having a good time making music with their friends. Ironically the most tumultuous period seemed to be when they gained exposure during the grunge boom.
This book has got me excitedly rediscovering their back-catalogue with a fresh perspective and for that alone, it deserves 5 stars.
October 26, 2013
The best and longest lasting band out of the Seattle late 80's grunge scene finally gets their story told. Abrasive, uncompromising, funny - it's all there in the music and the personalities. This is true punk rock both in attitude and music. Read this and watch the documentary "I'm Now" and you'll be scrambling to pick up every Mudhoney release from the last 25 years. Highly recommended.
May 16, 2022
Mark, while I know an open mind is an empty mind so you keep yours closed, but, is there any chance you could rethink your opinion on Chardonnay?
A fantastic insight into one of my favourite bands!
A fantastic insight into one of my favourite bands!
October 30, 2013
This is really more of a 3.5 star book: parts of it were great, others seemed a bit too shallow. But overall definitely worth a read for any serious Mudhoney fan.
August 14, 2025
Not a fan of the band per se, but aware of the historic importance Mudhoney had in the music scene of the 20s and Aughts, I enjoyed the reading and learned a lot about the band and its incarnations. I had already read Mud Ride by Steve Turner, and really liked it, so I was glad to learn the story from a more global POV. Also, Turner’s book focused also on his life as a skater, and that was another facet of the culture of that time that had as soundtrack mainly hardcore punk.
I also saw how they managed to keep their artistic integrity despite signing to a major label for some time, unlike some of their contemporaries; the magic ingredient seems to be their acute sense of humor - particularly Arm’s- and what they had learned from their stints with other bands. A must for fans of Seattle 90s, and a pleasant surprise for everyone else.
I also saw how they managed to keep their artistic integrity despite signing to a major label for some time, unlike some of their contemporaries; the magic ingredient seems to be their acute sense of humor - particularly Arm’s- and what they had learned from their stints with other bands. A must for fans of Seattle 90s, and a pleasant surprise for everyone else.
October 25, 2024
I stopped following Mudhoney’s career in the early ‘90s but went to see them live in 2024 for the first time in 32 years (!) and I picked up a copy of this book at the gig. It’s a really great read, even if you only have a passing interest in the band. It’s well researched and well written, full of interesting stories and details, and the band’s links with other bands from Seattle and the grunge scene. It’s inspired me to start digging into their back catalogue, and to check out many of the other bands mentioned as influences. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2022
Really glad to have come across this book about a band that continues to be criminally underrated. True grunge originators and a band that keeps plugging away, it's nice to read a full overview of their history and evolution.
June 20, 2018
Very well researched and written. A must for mega Mudhoney fans such as myself.
August 5, 2020
One of the best books I've read. Equal part integrity, humour, adventure and the odd sprinkling of sobriety. Fantastic book and fantastic band.
January 4, 2021
a funny and interesting read for fans of mudhoney and other Seattle bands!
June 25, 2022
Touch me I’m sick
October 7, 2022
phenomenal
January 30, 2023
Excellent
March 18, 2015
Excellent! I've been looking forward to reading this for some time, though my hopes weren't high. Fortunately, Keith Cameron has taken his job very seriously and the result is an outstanding biography. It's clear that hours and hours of research went into this book and Cameron had the cooperation and input of the band, which means you're going to get a great deal for the price of admission.
Mudhoney is something of an anomaly in the late 80's/early 90's Seattle rock pantheon. While they did sign to a major, they didn't reach the exposure level (or sales figures) of Soundgarden or Nirvana. They never became a staple of top 40 radio like those bands or Pearl Jam. Yet they did find themselves, decades later, still a band, still playing shows and releasing records. They've also something of a beloved legend worldwide. In a lot of ways, what sets Mudhoney apart is that they did what they did without really trying.
I bought Mudhoney's debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff and their self titled LP (along with Soundgarden's Screaming Life and Nirvana's Bleach) in 1989 from a Salt Lake City record store called The Stench. I liked all four records immensely but I dug those Mudhoney records the most. I bought every new Mudhoney record when it came out, as well as a pile of singles and bootlegs. The first time I saw them live was on the Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge tour at the V.F.W. hall in Kennewick, Washington. I would see them again at The Crocodile in Seattle, Easy Street Records in West Seattle, Johnny Rockets in Spokane, Washington and The Graceland in Seattle. Once Matt Lukin left the band and Guy Maddison joined, I saw them a time or maybe two in Seattle, as well as at The New Parrish in Oakland and, most recently, at Slim's in San Francisco on the tour for their latest LP, Vanishing Point. I've been into this band for a long time and have remained a fan. From their beginning, when they reminded me of The Stooges and Blue Cheer, through all the various sonic paths they've taken, I've continued to find what they do compelling and good listening.
I think I enjoyed The Sound And The Fury From Seattle so much because it is so well researched and written and takes this not so serious band seriously enough to do a thorough job detailing the history of the band from its roots to the present day. Cameron does a fine job of explaining all the intricate and sometimes gory details that make Mudhoney who and what they are.
Fans of Mudhoney will adore this book and fans of the whole Seattle music thing will find it an informative read, but I think anyone who's into rock bands will be interested in just how differently Mudhoney has done things throughout their career. It's a miracle they're still a working band. I'm grateful they are and for this book.
Mudhoney is something of an anomaly in the late 80's/early 90's Seattle rock pantheon. While they did sign to a major, they didn't reach the exposure level (or sales figures) of Soundgarden or Nirvana. They never became a staple of top 40 radio like those bands or Pearl Jam. Yet they did find themselves, decades later, still a band, still playing shows and releasing records. They've also something of a beloved legend worldwide. In a lot of ways, what sets Mudhoney apart is that they did what they did without really trying.
I bought Mudhoney's debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff and their self titled LP (along with Soundgarden's Screaming Life and Nirvana's Bleach) in 1989 from a Salt Lake City record store called The Stench. I liked all four records immensely but I dug those Mudhoney records the most. I bought every new Mudhoney record when it came out, as well as a pile of singles and bootlegs. The first time I saw them live was on the Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge tour at the V.F.W. hall in Kennewick, Washington. I would see them again at The Crocodile in Seattle, Easy Street Records in West Seattle, Johnny Rockets in Spokane, Washington and The Graceland in Seattle. Once Matt Lukin left the band and Guy Maddison joined, I saw them a time or maybe two in Seattle, as well as at The New Parrish in Oakland and, most recently, at Slim's in San Francisco on the tour for their latest LP, Vanishing Point. I've been into this band for a long time and have remained a fan. From their beginning, when they reminded me of The Stooges and Blue Cheer, through all the various sonic paths they've taken, I've continued to find what they do compelling and good listening.
I think I enjoyed The Sound And The Fury From Seattle so much because it is so well researched and written and takes this not so serious band seriously enough to do a thorough job detailing the history of the band from its roots to the present day. Cameron does a fine job of explaining all the intricate and sometimes gory details that make Mudhoney who and what they are.
Fans of Mudhoney will adore this book and fans of the whole Seattle music thing will find it an informative read, but I think anyone who's into rock bands will be interested in just how differently Mudhoney has done things throughout their career. It's a miracle they're still a working band. I'm grateful they are and for this book.
April 6, 2014
In compliance with FTC guidelines, please disclose in your review that you received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Title: Mudhoney The sound and The fury from Seattle
Author: Keith Cameron
ISBN: 978-0-7603-4661-7
" The complete story of the band that many consider the inventors of “grunge,” produced with their full cooperation. Before everybody loved their town, Mudhoney was just an unlikely quartet of Seattle-music-scene knockabouts—two college dropouts, a carpenter, and the best drummer in town. But in 1988, the band’s debut single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and subsequent EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, turned the indie-rock world on its ear and lit the way for the grunge movement that would put Seattle on the map. "
Page 1 has a lot of grammatical errors including but not limited to run on sentences. I am finding it hard to read as I want to take a red pen and correct everything. The first paragraph in like just 2 really really long sentences, This author needs to learn punctuations.
ok next page the storyline jumps all over the place and reads like a shopping list of things about many different ideas. Pushing onward but not liking this book yet. I wish I could say this book improves but it did not.
Spelling, grammatical and punctuation were issues throughout the book. Best part is the photos. I can gain some knowledge if you want to muddle (pun intended) through it like swimming through honey. I think it was poorly uncaring in the way it is written.
Title: Mudhoney The sound and The fury from Seattle
Author: Keith Cameron
ISBN: 978-0-7603-4661-7
" The complete story of the band that many consider the inventors of “grunge,” produced with their full cooperation. Before everybody loved their town, Mudhoney was just an unlikely quartet of Seattle-music-scene knockabouts—two college dropouts, a carpenter, and the best drummer in town. But in 1988, the band’s debut single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and subsequent EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, turned the indie-rock world on its ear and lit the way for the grunge movement that would put Seattle on the map. "
Page 1 has a lot of grammatical errors including but not limited to run on sentences. I am finding it hard to read as I want to take a red pen and correct everything. The first paragraph in like just 2 really really long sentences, This author needs to learn punctuations.
ok next page the storyline jumps all over the place and reads like a shopping list of things about many different ideas. Pushing onward but not liking this book yet. I wish I could say this book improves but it did not.
Spelling, grammatical and punctuation were issues throughout the book. Best part is the photos. I can gain some knowledge if you want to muddle (pun intended) through it like swimming through honey. I think it was poorly uncaring in the way it is written.
May 6, 2014
Rock biographies are rarely good; less seldom, they are great. This biography is fantastic--it's immersive in the band's history without being exhausting or overly inclusive; it atypically withholds rock-writing cliches (although a few, as always, sneak in); and it provides an important, new perspective on the "Seattle sound" that has never really been given its due. Most of all, it really makes you want to listen to everything again (I've been a part-time Mudhoney fan for a while) AND track down the inspirations that keep recurring throughout. [Every reviewer is entitled to an opinion, but I have to say that I don't think the stylistic choices (which occasionally play loosely with SWE) are distracting or detract from the book overall.]
October 6, 2020
I love everything about Mudhoney, but that doesn't mean I would have loved every Mudhoney biography as much as I love this one, by Keith Cameron. This is a magnificent, well-written, funny, charming, sometimes moving rock biography - and at the same time it's also a brilliant history of the Seattle rock scene (the grunge scene, if you will).
March 5, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I am biased, I love the music of Mudhoney and they form an important part of my life. That said, the book provides an engaging and enjoyable history of the band, and their place in alternative rock music.
February 10, 2014
I loved it. Now I am slightly sad because it is over.
July 28, 2015
best book
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