From Punk to Monk: A Memoir

by Ray Cappo

The heartfelt memoir of Ray Raghunath Cappo, a legendary hardcore punk musician-turned-monk—and pioneer of the straight-edge movement—told with warmth, candor, and humor.

Ray Cappo was a hardcore punk singer and pioneer of the straight-edge movement living on the Lower East Side of New York City in the ’80s, where his band Youth of Today played to packed houses and thousands of fans. But despite releasing several hit records and touring all over the US, Ray wasn’t satisfied. Fame and success hadn’t brought the happiness he’d been hoping for. They’d only left him feeling empty inside.

This, along with his father’s untimely death, led Ray to abruptly quit the band and buy a one-way ticket to India in search of the answers to life’s great mysteries. Living among monks in the sacred city of Vrindavan, Ray embraced the rich, spiritual culture he discovered there. When he returned to the US, radically transformed, he founded the band Shelter, devoted to spreading a message of hope. Told with warmth, candor, and humor, this heartfelt memoir chronicles Ray’s journey from punk to monk and beyond.

Offers a unique glimpse into the punk and hardcore scene of the Lower East Side during the 80s and the birth of the straight-edge movement.

Asks (and answers) deep questions about our relationship to the world around us and the living beings that populate it.

Chronicles Ray’s spiritual journey in his own words, with warmth, candor, and humor.

Genres: Music, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Spirituality, Punk, India

368 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Mark Robison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think you need to know anything about the author's bands — Youth of Today and Shelter — to appreciate the book. It's more about the spiritual journey of an idealistic young man raging against the machine and seeking a more meaningful path. This type of book is catnip for me, but it wasn't the nirvana I'd expected.

A minor thing: The structure is off. He starts with a framing device of riding a train in India and telling a fellow passenger how he got there, but then this just disappears.

A medium thing: Lots of crossing paths with famous people but none of them are interesting. You ran into Poly Styrene and she invited you to meet-up later!?! And then, nothing...

A major thing: It's preachy and arrogant while pretending not to be (like his band Youth of Today). We get the telling of Vedantic stories and gods over and over, but in a way like a born-again Christian telling you really seriously about the apostles.

And there's a story that just felt off to me. He plays a show in a bad part of, I think, Philadelphia. Some dudes with baseball bats show up and start beating people. The author decides to surrender to his Hindu gods, chants their names, gets the crap beaten out of him and ends up in the hospital, nearly killed. He praises the gods for seeing him through. His bandmates, on the other hand, jumped in their van, stomped on the gas and escaped unscathed, only returning to save the author when they realized he wasn't in the van. I don't think the vignette conveys the story he thinks it does.

The Hindu conversion surely helped him and some of his bandmates avoid the drugs, materialism and other excesses of the rock 'n' roll life they were headed toward, but the author seems blind to others in his own straight-edge scene who also avoided those by taking other paths.

Still, spiritual seekers with punk hearts will find lots to like here. When I was in Las Vegas last week, inspired by this book, I stopped at a Hindu temple/cafe and ate all the amazing food the author raved about.

[Kyrylo Brener · Rating 3 out of 5]

Крішнакор завжди мене цікавив і чесно кажучи я завжди любив Shelter більше ніж Youth of Today, тому звісно я поставив книгу Рея Каппо на преордер, коли побачив що вона виходить.
Треба одразу сказати, що тут дуже мало про музику (втім є частина про нью-йорк хардкор сцену 80х), а дуже багато власне про спірічуал шлях Рея, його візити до Індії, пошук власної ідентичності через крішнаїзм і так далі.

Місцями книга дуже preachy, місцями дуже цікава - особливо коли описує життя в Індії, храми та ритуали; а місцями досить нудна.

[Nityananda Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Punk Rock West meets the Wild Wild East

This book was a fantastic adventure that reads like a movie. Hearing about Ray and his friends throwing rocks at the window of the college radio station in order to meet him just made me reminisce in the punk adventures of my youth. From Punk to Monk, in all of its stages, the adventure never stops. Though Ray's life is drastically changes, one is always eager to hear what will happen next, because what happens is always unexpected. I also feel that this book is a wonderful primer to yoga, Eastern wisdom, and the culture of India. There were many good lessons on Ayurveda, yoga, ashram life and culture. Plus hearing about traveling India is 80s was gripping, The Wild Wild East, as I like to call it.

[Jason Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Ray’s music for 30+ years. I went to a Shelter show on 4/5/24, and not only got the book, was fortunate to have Ray sign it!
Was a really good book about Ray’s life/journey/music career. I’m glad Ray wrote this book, his story needs to be told! READ this book, you won’t be disappointed!

[Jenn Scha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened upon the audiobook from my library app. I've been searching for my own version of spirituality within eastern philosophies for years and I love music so this intrigued me.

I was engrossed from the beginning. It was a fascinating life story. From his youth traveling to dangerous NYC neighborhoods to watch punk bands to his pilgrimages to sacred, and mundane, locations in India to his martial arts experiences and teaching physical yoga. It was a wild ride and an inspiring one.

I appreciated his need to experience different practices for himself and his skepticism. There was never a sense of preaching; it was always just a telling of the stories of his journey.

This story ticked off a lot of boxes for me: spiritual seeking, adventure, cultural uniqueness, music, NYC, martial arts and yoga. There was a synchronicity to the events of his life. The universe giving him signs and placing the right people into his path.

It expanded my view of the world. It gives me inspiration to see them commonality of all people and spiritual paths. I'm grateful to have come upon this book and thankful for his having written it.

Maybe that's my own sign from the universe? ❤️

[P S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy the dude who wrote the album mantra just wants to talk about mantras the whole time. Good book

[Huckleberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook (a much cheaper option than the hardcover), and immediately started listening a second time after I finished.

I think it's a good read even if you aren't interested in straight edge punk or Ray's spiritual journey, but I imagine most readers will come to this book because they're already interested in one or both of those things.

If you are currently following a spiritual path or are interested in exploring one, this book introduces a lot of good things to ponder.

[Chris Parke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Ray’s (Raghunath) music for a very long time and greatly enjoyed his story through life, music and spirituality. Here’s hoping he writes many more!

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Raghu is one of my spiritual teachers and I listen to his daily yoga podcast Wisdom of the Sages (often live). That said, I'm a librarian who used to be a yoga instructor, so I've read A TON of yoga books, and so many yoga memoirs are better left unwritten. This book is NOT one of those! It's an excellent memoir with lots of lessons in Bhakti yogi. Cappo starts his life in hardcore bands (Fun fact: I was a hardcore straight edge kid in high school) but keeps looking for a deeper meaning. He's trying to fill his god-shaped hole with everything but god. He tries Christianity and Buddhism and eventually finds deeper meaning in the Vaisnava path of bhatki yoga. Along the way, he deals with the pluses and minuses of fame, finds some wack gurus, finds some worthy teachers, his old friends discover the same path. You will be entertained, captivated, and maybe be intrigued about the bhakti yoga path. Worth reading and rereading again. Highly enjoyable, fascinating, and yes, well-written. A good inclusion to any public library collection.

[Linda K. Rendleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raghunath’s storytelling is extraordinary in this heartfelt reflection of his life’s journey and how that’s shaped the service he wants to do in this lifetime. He does a beautiful job of weaving together personal anecdotes, philosophical reflections, and insightful teachings. A MUST read!!

[Dean M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected, but overwhelmingly pleased. Met Ray few times through music. I thought this book would include lots of stories about his music career. It had a few, where pertinent, but not many. Mostly about his spiritual journey. Very inspiring and insightful. I don’t normally give books 5 stars, but this is a great book about the power of spiritual transformation. Kudos and blessings to Ray.

[Stephanie Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rock ‘n’ real legend! Raghunath is a truly inspiring storyteller and teacher — so many lessons here in how to uncover what’s real and hang on to it, in the midst of the attractions and distractions life throws our way.

[Chelsea Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I listened to it and parts of it had some slowness in details but then you understand why the details once the overall message was delivered. Impactful and I plan to re-listen in the future.

[Liz Gawel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy the book for the pictures but listen to the audiobook for Raghunath’s awesome narration.

[Ian Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. An entertaining read though could have more content about hardcore.

[Shubham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entrenching

[Jeff B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to start by saying I share many thoughts during this review. Some things may seem harsh or negative, but I assure you I have nothing but love for the author and I’m a big fan of his band, Youth of Today. I rate “We’re Not In This Alone” as the 3rd best Hardcore Punk record of ALL TIME. And while I’m not straight edge or Hare Krisna or even a vegetarian, some of his lyrics have had a profound effect on how I see the world, especially the song “Choose to Be”.

I have the kindle version and the audible version (I double dipped), and while the kindle version has some cool pics, I thought the audio version was great. Whenever I learn that an author is reading his own work, I get a bit nervous, but Ray Cappo does an excellent job. I actually think he could have a second (third? fourth?) career as a voice narrator. He ranks among the best in the field.

This book is very well written with engaging prose. It was also genuinely funny at times, like when he’s telling his traditional Italian family that he’s a vegetarian - on Thanksgiving (in the ‘80s before being vegetarian was accepted like it is today). What strikes me most is how sincere and earnest he is throughout (his life and this book). No matter how much I agreed or disagreed with what he said, I never doubted his heart was in the right place.

The first third of this book is a more traditional punk memoir. I’ve read plenty of punk memoirs and this one is unique in that while most of these guys had interesting lives, Ray Cappo felt like he was one of us, suburban kids going to the city to check out bands - starting bands and just winging it. This part of the book is wildly entertaining and I would have been happy to read a whole book of these stories.

You don’t need to be familiar with Ray’s music to appreciate this book. He gives a summary of the scene and his band, but never gets in the weeds. There’s no mention of Wishing Well records or the Disengage 7” and at times I was a little fuzzy on the timeline. That’s not the story this book was trying to tell.

The other two thirds and the meat (or vegetarian equivalent) of this book is more about Ray’s spiritual journey into Hare Krisna, his pilgrimages to India, and his decision to return to music in service of Krishna. Many of the stories took a similar pattern of meeting some guy who would recite a parable or a piece of advice and he would apply it to his life. Some were funny and insightful, like the guy who tells him to never criticize anyone. Then he criticizes someone who poops in public (understandably). Well, sure enough, later that same trip, he gets a bad case of the runs and with no port-o-potty in sight, does the same.

The parables and advice he got were mostly spot on and full of wisdom. I’m a fan of a lot of Eastern thought, but have a natural inclination against organized religion. The religion had many rules and health advice with superstitions, pseudoscience, and tradition as its foundation. Stuff like the consciousness of the person preparing the food is transferred into the food so only devotees should make your food. Another example is this book mentions that Vedic culture finds the modern toothbrush unclean so you should use a twig from some tree. Palm readers are also treated as legitimate. I may have rolled my eyes a few times. I am genuinely curious if Ray Cappo is an Anti-vaxxer.

Sometimes I questioned the logic of some of his statements. At one point, there is some kind of mock-interview in the book. When questioned about a higher power, he points to the Sun compared to the Earth. One version of ‘higher power’ refers to some kind of creator or deity which is much different than the version of ‘higher power’ referring to a stronger source of energy. Maybe I misinterpreted what he said, but it seemed to fall under the “Equivocation” fallacy of logic.

Funnily enough, the wise advice I took to the most (though I liked them all to differing degrees) was the one that Ray eschewed for being too nihilistic. One night he finds himself in a Buddhist temple and the monk says that we (people) are meaning makers and we are constantly giving meanings to experiences. That is why we suffer. Though Ray is a “meaning maker” throughout this book. Horrible car accident - Krishna trying to tell him to go to India. Beaten to an inch of his life - Krishna showing him the power of chanting. Nothing just happened. Everything had a meaning.

This may seem like some harsh critique, but I really did enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone into Hindu thought or a fan of Ray or his music. He’s a seeker and I love his spiritual journey. It seems he certainly found what he was looking for.

I’ll end this review with a quick story. Fourth of July weekend, 1988 - Youth of Today, Dag Nasty, and the Rollins Band were playing Chicago (where I live). Those were three of my favorite bands at the time (probably still are) - playing the same show. I was 16 and pleaded with my Mom to let me go, but she said I had to go to Michigan. I begged but she said no. I was devastated. She said I would get over it. I haven’t yet. Ha.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the book promises: the memoir of a punk/hardcore legend, chronicling his early days all the way through today. The synopsis leads the reader to believe this will be a comprehensive story of Cappo’s life including the trials and tribulations of being in a touring band and the story of what led him to Hinduism and becoming a Hare Krishna.

What the book delivers: well, yes, there are spats of personal stories and glimpses of life on a touring band, but they are put on the back burner to a full description of the Hare Krishna lifestyle. This is more of a new age-y holistic medicine and fable book than it is any sort of memoir. There are a few anecdotes thrown in that are supposed to be a bit of a frame, but they don’t really go anywhere.

This was a rough one. I did like the beginning wherein Cappo describes a culture shock moment as well as his intro to the punk scene and religion with some familiar faces.

However, very suddenly it becomes obvious that this is closer to a religious tract than it is any sort of insight into the “punk to monk” journey promised. For those wanting to learn more about Cappo’s music, let me put it this way: he describes bowel movements more than he does Youth of Today and semen more than BT1K. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the gist.

One thing that really bothered me is his constant infantalizing and fetishizing of Indian people. Every person in India he encounters is either too cute or extremely beautiful to a point of it being weird. And, for those interested in the audiobook, he does an Apu accent for every Indian person. Now, if they actually sound like that, whatever. But he’ll talk about how he barely understands their Hindi but then relay the message in a terrible Indian/English charicature voice. Not sure who signed off on that.

Highly recommend to stay away from this one.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punk memoirs can go many different directions, not all of them good. I haven't read nearly as many spiritual memoirs, but I imagine they have a similar variance in literary quality and self-awareness, so I set my expectations to moderate and was pleasantly surprised by this book.

I listened to the audiobook and was captivated early on by Ray's storytelling. I enjoyed the framing of his journey beginning from the nightmarish train ride and trying to explain to a young Indian man why on earth he left America to be a sadhu.

While I myself have had interest in eastern religions, I also have had a knee jerk reaction to the "white person goes on spiritual journey in India" trope. I think the punk associations with Krishnacore allowed me to have a more open minded curiosity about Ray's story. I had a hard time dismissing him as a western stereotype because his devotion comes across extremely genuine, and the fact that throughout the book he is quite willing to have his perspective changed by people more knowledgable than himself, even at the end by a much younger man. At first I thought I would be more interested in the NYHC early 80s history stuff, and I was, but his spiritual journey started there and remained a captivating ride.

Also way more crazy shitting stories than I expected.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to a podcast with Ray Cappo and very much enjoyed his story and shared snapshots of lessons learned; so much so, I was inspired to read his book. From the podcast, I appreciated how he bookends his day with positive routines in the morning and evening.

This is an admirable memoir of a musical and spiritual journey of a young man who started his music career as a teenager and then travels to India in his early 20s, seeking a more meaningful path. He challenges himself by asking deeper and deeper questions towards self revelation.

Though I am not familiar with his bands Youth of Today nor Shelter, this did not detract from Ray's story. I learned about two very different worlds ~ the straight-edge music scene of the Lower East Side of NYC in the 1980s and an ashram life in India along with Hare Krishna religious concepts and lessons from the Vedic tradition.

Overall this is a very worthwhile and interesting read.

[Stephen Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a long time fan of Raghunath in both his bands, Youth of Today and Shelter. I just met the man last night for the first time and he couldn't be more sweet or supportive.

I already listened to the audio book, but I got a hard copy for him to sign. Definitely worth it for the amazing pictures.

The book itself is well written and a great document of one man's journey from Hardcore Kid to spiritual seeker. It's a story I can relate to having been inspired by Ray to go Vegan and get into Krishna Consciousness

If you like Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, Veganism, Hinduism, Krishna, India, Yoga, or even just good autobiography you have to get this book!

Haribol and all glories to Krishna!

[Luke Cave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray is obviously a huge influence in my life and should be anyone’s life who’s involved in the hardcore scene. While I’m not religious or spiritual, this was an awesome read to just go through his journey.

The best thing for me was hearing stories about him with other hardcore icons like Kevin Seconds or Harley Flanagan. It kinda bums me out to read this book and then think about where Revelation Records is today where they’re basically a glorified distro, every now and then putting on for cool younger bands but more often than not just kinda being a business.

Another thing I enjoyed is the stories from his time in India. I appreciate his honesty in letting himself come off as a spoiled kid when he was put into uncomfortable situations.

Anyways yeah Youth of Today x Shelter forever

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray has had a huge impact on my values & worldview, be it in my teens/20s through his bands Youth of Today & Shelter, to more recently through his yoga. As an aside: when I was dipping my toes into yoga for the first time via online videos, it came down to his (an ex hardcore punk signer) and "Diamond Dallas Page" (an ex professional wrestler)!

I was surprised (& frankly a bit bored) by there being so much content about Krishna-related details & was also surprised (& maybe disappointed) by some of his beliefs that seem unscientific (like believing in palm reading or how the practice in India of pooping out trains & onto tracks was OK). Nonetheless I appreciated reading his remarkable story, as he boldly has strived to live life to the fullest, with thoughtfulness & concern for others.

[Robnrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵⁣
𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘦⁣
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵⁣
𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦⁣
𝘈 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦⁣
⁣
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘦⁣
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦⁣
𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦!⁣
⁣
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬!⁣
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦!⁣
⁣
𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦⁣
𝘖𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘭⁣
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭⁣
𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮⁣
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮!⁣
⁣
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘦⁣
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦⁣
𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦!⁣
⁣
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬!

[Zahida Zahoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating life story. Ray seems to have lived so many lives and lives to tell us adventures. From angry rock kid to someone trying to find their spiritual path we can relate to the story. The book takes us through Rays up and downs, the crazy decisions Ray mades, how he almost lost his life three times, being beat up, nearly drowning and being in a car crash we cry and laugh with Ray. A well written book that is inspirational to anyone who wants to begin the same path to enlightenment.

[ÁveMaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!. I wanted to read this book but after hearing his first interview on Joe Rogan I knew I had to get the audio book instead. I’m glad I did. Ray Raghunath Cappo has a gift for telling stories. He bravely shows a vulnerabilty and a beautiful heart. So packed into this book! Stories, lessons, beauty, craziness. It’s begging to be a movie. This man has led a truly amazing life.

[Viktorija · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was listening to the audio version and I loved it! recorded by the author himself it was amazing and his voice acting skills are Great. The book was deep, spiritual, fun and so easy to listen to. I laughed out many times, a brilliant story told in a very entertaining way!

[Joseph Goergen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ego trip

[Colin Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raghu eats too many Indian sweets then defecates in the street. Inspiring as always. 4 stars

[Northern Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the punk, not so much the monk