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Spy Rock Memories
In 1982 Larry Livermore, ex-greaser, post-hippie, burnt out and disillusioned by the Bay Area punk scene, journeyed north into an off the map, off the grid mountain wilderness that lay at the heart of California's Emerald Triangle in search of something real.
Things got way more real than he d bargained for, as he ended up confronting blizzards, droughts, floods, fires, marauding bears, skunks, rattlesnakes, and a posse of ornery pot growers, all while launching a magazine, a solar-powered punk rock band, and the DIY record label that introduced the world to the likes of Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Screeching Weasel.
As he learned valuable lessons in self-sufficiency, taking responsibility, and how to avoid (for the most part but not always) getting punched in the face by irate hippies, Larry also found his place and made his home in the far-flung, disjointed and eccentric community he encountered in the anarchic realm that begins where Highway 101 s tattered tarmac dissolves into the dust of Spy Rock Road.
Things got way more real than he d bargained for, as he ended up confronting blizzards, droughts, floods, fires, marauding bears, skunks, rattlesnakes, and a posse of ornery pot growers, all while launching a magazine, a solar-powered punk rock band, and the DIY record label that introduced the world to the likes of Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Screeching Weasel.
As he learned valuable lessons in self-sufficiency, taking responsibility, and how to avoid (for the most part but not always) getting punched in the face by irate hippies, Larry also found his place and made his home in the far-flung, disjointed and eccentric community he encountered in the anarchic realm that begins where Highway 101 s tattered tarmac dissolves into the dust of Spy Rock Road.
238 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2013
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132 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 26, 2013
This is a fantastic memoir - written in a clear, concise prose that conveys an incredible sense of time and place. Not exactly a punk rock memoir - some may wish that there was more detailed stories about the bands and the scene, and the lack of real detail given in the development of Lookout into a multi-million dollar company may make some readers less empathetic when it comes to his decision to suddenly leave the stress he was experiencing behind. But that's not enough for me give this one star less - his personal journey is never less than fascinating.
July 16, 2013
Great insight into what living on a mountain miles from the nearest town is like! Or rather, was like, in the 80s and 90s. Larry's stories are humorous, touching and most importantly of all, they're memorable. I'd definitely recommend it to any fan of Bay Area punk rock, and obviously to fans of Lookout bands.
May 12, 2017
After reading Punk USA, the story of Lookout! Records, I figured I needed to get the complete picture of the label by reading Larry Livermore's take on it, too. The thing is, when I went to find his book, I saw that he had another book, one he wrote about his time living on a mountain in a house that had running water thanks to the creek near his cabin, and electricity thanks to its solar panels. That time predated (and overlapped) Livermore's time with Lookout!, so I figured I should start with this book before moving on to How to Ru(i)n a Record Label, even if I wasn't all that interested in reading about living off the grid.
In my review of Punk USA, though, I noted that a well-written book about a topic in which the reader may not have a lot of interest will still be engaging, and Spy Rock Memories is one of those books. Livermore tells his tale with a kind of self-awareness that shows us both sides of a story, even though it's written by just one person. He's quick to show us his successes (he even admits that he is his own favorite topic), but he also easily admits his failings.
Though Livermore touches on his dealings with Lookout!, the story is really a memoir of his life on the mountain. He talks about how he came to buy his home there, how he survived the brutal winters, the repairs and additions he had to make to his home (which, based on the way Livermore tells it, he had to do constantly), and his run-ins with the local wildlife. He writes about being a hippie, about being into punk, about making friends and enemies on the mountain due to his beliefs, and tying all of his ideals together into a self-published newspaper/newsletter called The Lookout. He writes about starting a band with some of the kids of his neighbors, of his forays into San Francisco and Berkeley both before and after the label began, and his presence in the local town and what it meant to his life on the mountain.
He also writes about the heartache of broken relationships, of finding, raising, and losing pets, of achievements and losses, and disilluisonment, not just with his label, but also with how to live life and the idea of living on the mountain. It's a very human story, with a sharp focus. Sometimes, Livermore comes off as being self-important, enough so that it's difficult to know if what he's telling us is the truth as it actually happened, or is the truth as he wants it to be, but his self-effacing manner through the memoir suggest more of the former over the latter. It still comes through on occasion, though.
Spy Rock Memories is a fascinating read, and one that preps me for How to Ru(i)n a Record Label. It's good to know that Livermore can write about more than just the facts, and can pull real emotion into his story, because it means the next book will be a perfect complement to Punk USA, where it felt more factual than emotional. That's probably the difference between a memoir and a biography, to be honest -- one is told by the person, while another is told about a person. Regardless, I look forward to seeing Livermore's take on his involvement with Lookout!
In my review of Punk USA, though, I noted that a well-written book about a topic in which the reader may not have a lot of interest will still be engaging, and Spy Rock Memories is one of those books. Livermore tells his tale with a kind of self-awareness that shows us both sides of a story, even though it's written by just one person. He's quick to show us his successes (he even admits that he is his own favorite topic), but he also easily admits his failings.
Though Livermore touches on his dealings with Lookout!, the story is really a memoir of his life on the mountain. He talks about how he came to buy his home there, how he survived the brutal winters, the repairs and additions he had to make to his home (which, based on the way Livermore tells it, he had to do constantly), and his run-ins with the local wildlife. He writes about being a hippie, about being into punk, about making friends and enemies on the mountain due to his beliefs, and tying all of his ideals together into a self-published newspaper/newsletter called The Lookout. He writes about starting a band with some of the kids of his neighbors, of his forays into San Francisco and Berkeley both before and after the label began, and his presence in the local town and what it meant to his life on the mountain.
He also writes about the heartache of broken relationships, of finding, raising, and losing pets, of achievements and losses, and disilluisonment, not just with his label, but also with how to live life and the idea of living on the mountain. It's a very human story, with a sharp focus. Sometimes, Livermore comes off as being self-important, enough so that it's difficult to know if what he's telling us is the truth as it actually happened, or is the truth as he wants it to be, but his self-effacing manner through the memoir suggest more of the former over the latter. It still comes through on occasion, though.
Spy Rock Memories is a fascinating read, and one that preps me for How to Ru(i)n a Record Label. It's good to know that Livermore can write about more than just the facts, and can pull real emotion into his story, because it means the next book will be a perfect complement to Punk USA, where it felt more factual than emotional. That's probably the difference between a memoir and a biography, to be honest -- one is told by the person, while another is told about a person. Regardless, I look forward to seeing Livermore's take on his involvement with Lookout!
December 31, 2023
LITERATURE in PUNK ROCK - Book #54
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ALBUM: Spy Rock Road by The Lookouts (1989)
BOOK: Spy Rock Memories by Larry Livermore (2013)
https://youtu.be/KLQJOnbmIU4
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Before establishing Lookout Records, Larry Livermore was a disillusion, 30-something-year-old attempting off-grid living in Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle.”
This memoir of mountain life establishes the accidental and happenstance early formulations of Lookout! as a ‘zine, as a band and eventual record label. Stories include how censorship from the local paper for ‘pot-stirring’ led to the creation of the (Iron Peak) Lookout! ‘zine (a mob of angry gun-toting neighbors made him drop “iron peak” from the title). The years-long desperation to make music and not finding common ground with his hippie mountain musician neighbors, leading Larry to teach mountain-children how to play punk-rock-style bass and drums.
The Lookouts (band) thus formed of 38-year-old Larry with a 14-year old bass player and a 12-year-old drummer he nicknamed Tré Cool (later of Green Day). They recorded three albums, Lookout! It's the Lookouts (1985), One Planet One People (1987), and Spy Rock Road (1989), and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland (1989) and IV (1990).
Spy Rock Memories (book) was published by Don Giovanni Records in 2013. “Spy Rock Road and Other Stories” released in 2015 by Don Giovanni Records is a compilation featuring all of the tracks from Spy Rock Road, Mendocino Homelandand IV, a few compilation tracks and one from their demo Lookout! It's the Lookouts.
------------------------
ALBUM: Spy Rock Road by The Lookouts (1989)
BOOK: Spy Rock Memories by Larry Livermore (2013)
https://youtu.be/KLQJOnbmIU4
------------------------
Before establishing Lookout Records, Larry Livermore was a disillusion, 30-something-year-old attempting off-grid living in Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle.”
This memoir of mountain life establishes the accidental and happenstance early formulations of Lookout! as a ‘zine, as a band and eventual record label. Stories include how censorship from the local paper for ‘pot-stirring’ led to the creation of the (Iron Peak) Lookout! ‘zine (a mob of angry gun-toting neighbors made him drop “iron peak” from the title). The years-long desperation to make music and not finding common ground with his hippie mountain musician neighbors, leading Larry to teach mountain-children how to play punk-rock-style bass and drums.
The Lookouts (band) thus formed of 38-year-old Larry with a 14-year old bass player and a 12-year-old drummer he nicknamed Tré Cool (later of Green Day). They recorded three albums, Lookout! It's the Lookouts (1985), One Planet One People (1987), and Spy Rock Road (1989), and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland (1989) and IV (1990).
Spy Rock Memories (book) was published by Don Giovanni Records in 2013. “Spy Rock Road and Other Stories” released in 2015 by Don Giovanni Records is a compilation featuring all of the tracks from Spy Rock Road, Mendocino Homelandand IV, a few compilation tracks and one from their demo Lookout! It's the Lookouts.
June 10, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Growing up in San Francisco's punk scene, of course I knew who Larry Livermore was, both from the Lookouts and as a columnist for MRR, but any of that knowledge was superficial at best.
When I bought this book, I had a vague understanding of it, but didn't expect much - I kind of just considered it a precursor to reading his other book (which I look forward to starting soon). I was drawn in almost immediately by a lot of the different touchpoints I could relate to - I saw the names of small towns that my old bands played in on tour, I was fascinated by his descriptions of the measures that had to be taken just to have a house on Spy Rock, and of course, hearing about his involvement in the music scene and the formation of Lookout Records anchored what I knew about him going into the book.
In short, if you're just looking for a "my life in music" biography, this isn't it, but if you are interested in the intersection of Bay Area punk, Humboldt weed growers, and the realities of the "back to the land" movement, this is a really entertaining book. Perhaps more importantly, Livermore's really got the gift of a clear, recognizable, no-frills authorial voice, which makes the pages fly by and sucks you in as a reader.
When I bought this book, I had a vague understanding of it, but didn't expect much - I kind of just considered it a precursor to reading his other book (which I look forward to starting soon). I was drawn in almost immediately by a lot of the different touchpoints I could relate to - I saw the names of small towns that my old bands played in on tour, I was fascinated by his descriptions of the measures that had to be taken just to have a house on Spy Rock, and of course, hearing about his involvement in the music scene and the formation of Lookout Records anchored what I knew about him going into the book.
In short, if you're just looking for a "my life in music" biography, this isn't it, but if you are interested in the intersection of Bay Area punk, Humboldt weed growers, and the realities of the "back to the land" movement, this is a really entertaining book. Perhaps more importantly, Livermore's really got the gift of a clear, recognizable, no-frills authorial voice, which makes the pages fly by and sucks you in as a reader.
August 13, 2020
When I first started listening to punk rock in the mid-'90s, Lookout was one of my favorite labels. Many of my favorite bands at that time got their start on that label. So one thing I enjoyed about this book was learning more about the history behind how Livermore started the label, and, in particular, how Green Day came together. But that origin story is actually a small part of the overall story here. Mostly, it's about a Bay Area punk rocker who decides to leave the bustle of the city and try his hand at living in a house in a rural wilderness on a mountain. It's harder than he expected, but not exactly in the same ways he expected. Mainly, he clashed culturally with the other residents until he was able to mature and find a way to make his own place among their ranks. This was an enjoyable memoir and I especially recommend it to fans of punk rock or Lookout Records.
March 7, 2020
I picked it up at Pitchfork Music Festival a couple of summers ago on a whim, and I’m happy to ya that I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated. Sort of an ‘Into The Wild’ meets punk rock cross, there were chapters full of suspense, and others painting a picture of how beautiful Spy Rock must have been before it reached its dismal end - at least for Larry Livermore.
April 23, 2018
Larry has quite the ability to weave a story. Having read his second book before this one, it is clear that some of the stories overlapped but his focus on overarching themes rendered them completely different. An engaging, fascinating read. I can't wait until he writes more.
September 4, 2024
good memoir mostly about life and not as much about the music - but some great tidbits in there for sure - a good quick read, very enjoyable!
December 17, 2024
Very entertaining, well written, and engaging. Makes me nostalgic for something I wasn't part of, but tried to be - just a little too late and a little too far removed.
March 19, 2017
It's a great book, an easy but a captivating read
November 14, 2015
This was an excellent book, even though it was quite different from what I expected. I picked it up because of my interest in Bay area punk bands from the late 80s and early 90s. Larry Livermore is the founder of Lookout Records, the label which gave bands like Operation Ivy, Screeching Weasel, and Green Day their start. This book actually doesn't go into much detail when it comes to the music and the record label. The primary focus is on Livermore's time living in a remote, rural area of California. The stories he tells are fascinating and his writing style is top notch. Highly recommended.
August 4, 2013
Lookout records was one of the most influence labels in the 90s for many of us that listened to the likes of operation ivy, green day, mtx, and countless others. This book chronicles Larry Livermore's life before and after the label particularly his dealings within his home at Spy Rock Rd.
This brings a lot of nostalgic feelings to mind of that era and the only thing missing would be photos and possible other tidbit information to complement the story.
This brings a lot of nostalgic feelings to mind of that era and the only thing missing would be photos and possible other tidbit information to complement the story.
July 30, 2025
Re-read, 07/2025: Livermore’s Emerald Triangle memoir remains fantastic a second time around.
An absolutely fantastic memoir. So much more than the story of a house, or the 22 years spent living in it, Livermore's book provides an accurate and compassionate portrait of an entire era, and a glimpse into a part of the country that few people ever get to penetrate. Highly recommended, whether you are aware of Lookout! Records or not.
An absolutely fantastic memoir. So much more than the story of a house, or the 22 years spent living in it, Livermore's book provides an accurate and compassionate portrait of an entire era, and a glimpse into a part of the country that few people ever get to penetrate. Highly recommended, whether you are aware of Lookout! Records or not.
October 9, 2013
A great insight into someone who was greatly influential in making punk music what it is today. Also, although not implicit, it does have a message that no matter how old you are you can still achieve things in life.
June 27, 2016
great look into the life of the guy who brought the world the record label that went on to define my teenage years and beyond. Larry Livermore has lived the kind of life I've always pretended mine would be like.
July 17, 2013
My interview with Livermore: http://www.vol1brooklyn.com/2013/07/1...
September 18, 2014
A sweet, engaging, and entertaining read.
May 22, 2016
A great book.
January 19, 2023
Learn why Lookout! Records is named what it is, and get a decent slice of life view of the Emerald Triangle scene in the 80s.
A fun read for several reasons.
A fun read for several reasons.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews