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Hard-Core: Life of My Own
Harley Flanagan provides a fascinating memoir: a homeless child prodigy and family friend of Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg, at a young age he became close to many stars of the early punk rock scene such as Joe Strummer of The Clash and was taught to play bass by members of the famed black punk band Bad Brains. He went on to start the notorious hardcore band Cro-Mags.
From the memoir’s introduction by American Hardcore‘s Steven Blush: “Harley Flanagan is not like you or me. Most of us grew up in relative safety and security. Harley came up like a feral animal, fending for himself in the ’70s Lower East Side jungle of crime, drugs, abuse and poverty. By age 10 he was a downtown star at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB, drumming in his aunt’s punk band The Stimulators, and socializing with Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Cleveland’s Dead Boys. Everyone thought it was so cute, but it wasn’t.”
Harley was never shy: making friends with important figures like Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, defending himself in street battles, and, most recently, finding media play and court battles after former band members betrayed their one-time friend and bandmate.
“Harley Flanagan’s incredible story is not just the history of New York hardcore, of which he is a founding father, but a history of New York itself. It’s all here, an amazing series of unlikely coincidences, catastrophes, accomplishments and associations. Chances are if it happened in New York and it was important and interesting, Harley Flanagan was somewhere in the room. If you care anything about music history, punk rock, hardcore or just a ripping good story, this book is the punch in the face you want and need.” – Anthony Bourdain
From the memoir’s introduction by American Hardcore‘s Steven Blush: “Harley Flanagan is not like you or me. Most of us grew up in relative safety and security. Harley came up like a feral animal, fending for himself in the ’70s Lower East Side jungle of crime, drugs, abuse and poverty. By age 10 he was a downtown star at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB, drumming in his aunt’s punk band The Stimulators, and socializing with Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Cleveland’s Dead Boys. Everyone thought it was so cute, but it wasn’t.”
Harley was never shy: making friends with important figures like Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, defending himself in street battles, and, most recently, finding media play and court battles after former band members betrayed their one-time friend and bandmate.
“Harley Flanagan’s incredible story is not just the history of New York hardcore, of which he is a founding father, but a history of New York itself. It’s all here, an amazing series of unlikely coincidences, catastrophes, accomplishments and associations. Chances are if it happened in New York and it was important and interesting, Harley Flanagan was somewhere in the room. If you care anything about music history, punk rock, hardcore or just a ripping good story, this book is the punch in the face you want and need.” – Anthony Bourdain
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First published September 5, 2016
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April 6, 2025Like viewing the wreckage of 50 trains derailing one after another.
November 4, 2016
It's an enjoyable read, though far too long and propped up by too many stories about putting this guy in hospital for that reason. For all his lack of self-reflection at certain points - like his inability to distinguish later NYHCs gang era as being the inevitable outgrowth of the exact same shit he was into - Harley does come off as very likeable. I'd probably take this over John Joseph's autobiography, but neither of those dudes seems entirely reliable in their accounts.
Take a drink every time Harley complains he was severely misunderstood then immediately writes with great relish about kicking the living shit out of someone or dressing up like in an SS uniform and holding a "joke" white power rally in the streets.
But it's impossible for me to dislike the guy or this book, just look at the little munchkin hanging out with Debbie Harry, Andy Warhol, or The Clash when he was 7 years old.
And as much as i was starting to skim read the endless "then i beat the hell out of these guys" stories the tale of Harley taking on Earth Crisis whilst they were still in their tour van is absolute gold.
Take a drink every time Harley complains he was severely misunderstood then immediately writes with great relish about kicking the living shit out of someone or dressing up like in an SS uniform and holding a "joke" white power rally in the streets.
But it's impossible for me to dislike the guy or this book, just look at the little munchkin hanging out with Debbie Harry, Andy Warhol, or The Clash when he was 7 years old.
And as much as i was starting to skim read the endless "then i beat the hell out of these guys" stories the tale of Harley taking on Earth Crisis whilst they were still in their tour van is absolute gold.
February 6, 2017
One star for the writing; five stars because he lived it.
July 6, 2025
****1/2
The Cro-Mags are known for their “crossover” record “The Age of Quarrel,” and its impact on New York Hardcore, and for bringing Krishna consciousness to the scene. They’re also, unfortunately, known for years and years of arguments and inner turmoil, some of it violent, and some involving police and litigation. Harley Flanagan writes of these episodes and more in his autobiography, “Life Of My Own,” a remarkable, and extremely wild and violent, story about growing up and surviving in the crime-ridden New York City streets of the 1980’s. Highly informational, and entertaining, for anyone interested in the emergence of the 1980s hardcore scene from the perspective of someone who not only saw it but helped put it together.
“Life Of My Own” is full of anecdotes, some amusing, some harrowing, from Flanagan’s life. From his childhood, living in New York and Europe, his mother’s friendship with Allen Ginsberg, to his early concert gigs, playing drums at age twelve for his aunt’s band, The Stimulators. There are insane stories of casual violence, and you get the impression it might be possible for Flanagan to fill a book entirely with stories of muggings and mass beatings.
Yet, while admitting a difficult childhood environment helped make him the rough kid he became as a teenager, at one point he comes right out and says, “I’m ashamed for having been that person, and for having known and been around people like that.” This is after a particularly brutal chapter in which he went up to Canada for a while and fell in with a group of violent kids who were as likely to fuck up a random stranger on the street as they were to do the same to a friend within their circle.
Flanagan makes very clear the difference between fighting in self-defense, or one-on-one, versus the idiotic gang mentality of a lot of hardcore kids, that began with the second wave of NYHC. Particularly in the later sections, dealing with his relationship with, and sometimes against, the “new jacks” on the scene.
“Life of My Own” isn’t just violence, though. He goes into detail on the songwriting process for the band’s most famous album, “The Age of Quarrel,” delving into specific lyrics, and detailing the writing of the intro to that album’s first song, “We Gotta Know.” One of the best intros ever written; a thousand bands have aped it over the years, and yet, to read Flanagan describe it, it seems so simple.
There’s a lot about the Bad Brains, who were highly influential on both Harley and JJ, and details on the friendships and often antagonistic relationships the author had with various members of the Cro-Mags, who came and went over the years. Lots about Flanagan’s music writing partner, Parris Mahew, and the development of the music, from hardcore to metal, incorporating themes of Krishan consciousness.
I guess that’s what made the band such a curiosity to my friends and me, when we were kids. It’s still fascinating to me, this idea of a religiously inspired band whose members routinely engaged in vicious streetfights. The rumors that surround these guys—to this day—well, some of them are pretty bizarre. I remember standing outside Club Homebase in 2002, waiting to see if they’d actually show up for their headlining spot at that year’s Positive Numbers Fest. Someone suggested they might not—and what a disappointment that would have been, for all those kids in shitty Wilkes Barre, PA, waiting for the legendary Cro-Mags, with JJ and Harley actually together again. They got there alright, and the show was awesome.
After Harley threatened to take home the teeth of anyone who bumped into his bass while he played, the show promotor spent the rest of their set onstage, helping stage divers spend as little time as possible up there with the band. It was a strange show, and they were arguably the biggest headliner Positive Numbers Fest hosted at that point. The Cro-Mags sounded amazing, and I was grateful—especially as events over the next few months unfolded, and JJ and Harley went their separate ways once more—that I’d gotten a chance to see the two of them play together.
Anyone looking for a tell-all about how difficult JJ can be--and why they went their separate ways that time, and many times before--or why Paris Mahew is a turkey, will find it here. But there’s so much more. I’m glad the book doesn’t skimp on details regarding the album writing process, or about Harley’s crazy childhood in Europe, learning about the Skinhead movement. You’ll also get a play-by-play of the infamous Webster Hall incident.
It’s a very fast read, despite being over 400 pages. Lots of great black and white, and color, photos. My only disappointment, and the reason I’m rating the book 4 ½ stars instead of 5: the editing isn’t always that great. You get a number of typos and extra words, and there are a couple segments that repeat themselves; also some awkward tense-changing here and there. But that’s a minor detail, concerning an otherwise brilliant autobiography.
Inspirational, and at times nearly unbelievable.
The Cro-Mags are known for their “crossover” record “The Age of Quarrel,” and its impact on New York Hardcore, and for bringing Krishna consciousness to the scene. They’re also, unfortunately, known for years and years of arguments and inner turmoil, some of it violent, and some involving police and litigation. Harley Flanagan writes of these episodes and more in his autobiography, “Life Of My Own,” a remarkable, and extremely wild and violent, story about growing up and surviving in the crime-ridden New York City streets of the 1980’s. Highly informational, and entertaining, for anyone interested in the emergence of the 1980s hardcore scene from the perspective of someone who not only saw it but helped put it together.
“Life Of My Own” is full of anecdotes, some amusing, some harrowing, from Flanagan’s life. From his childhood, living in New York and Europe, his mother’s friendship with Allen Ginsberg, to his early concert gigs, playing drums at age twelve for his aunt’s band, The Stimulators. There are insane stories of casual violence, and you get the impression it might be possible for Flanagan to fill a book entirely with stories of muggings and mass beatings.
Yet, while admitting a difficult childhood environment helped make him the rough kid he became as a teenager, at one point he comes right out and says, “I’m ashamed for having been that person, and for having known and been around people like that.” This is after a particularly brutal chapter in which he went up to Canada for a while and fell in with a group of violent kids who were as likely to fuck up a random stranger on the street as they were to do the same to a friend within their circle.
Flanagan makes very clear the difference between fighting in self-defense, or one-on-one, versus the idiotic gang mentality of a lot of hardcore kids, that began with the second wave of NYHC. Particularly in the later sections, dealing with his relationship with, and sometimes against, the “new jacks” on the scene.
“Life of My Own” isn’t just violence, though. He goes into detail on the songwriting process for the band’s most famous album, “The Age of Quarrel,” delving into specific lyrics, and detailing the writing of the intro to that album’s first song, “We Gotta Know.” One of the best intros ever written; a thousand bands have aped it over the years, and yet, to read Flanagan describe it, it seems so simple.
There’s a lot about the Bad Brains, who were highly influential on both Harley and JJ, and details on the friendships and often antagonistic relationships the author had with various members of the Cro-Mags, who came and went over the years. Lots about Flanagan’s music writing partner, Parris Mahew, and the development of the music, from hardcore to metal, incorporating themes of Krishan consciousness.
I guess that’s what made the band such a curiosity to my friends and me, when we were kids. It’s still fascinating to me, this idea of a religiously inspired band whose members routinely engaged in vicious streetfights. The rumors that surround these guys—to this day—well, some of them are pretty bizarre. I remember standing outside Club Homebase in 2002, waiting to see if they’d actually show up for their headlining spot at that year’s Positive Numbers Fest. Someone suggested they might not—and what a disappointment that would have been, for all those kids in shitty Wilkes Barre, PA, waiting for the legendary Cro-Mags, with JJ and Harley actually together again. They got there alright, and the show was awesome.
After Harley threatened to take home the teeth of anyone who bumped into his bass while he played, the show promotor spent the rest of their set onstage, helping stage divers spend as little time as possible up there with the band. It was a strange show, and they were arguably the biggest headliner Positive Numbers Fest hosted at that point. The Cro-Mags sounded amazing, and I was grateful—especially as events over the next few months unfolded, and JJ and Harley went their separate ways once more—that I’d gotten a chance to see the two of them play together.
Anyone looking for a tell-all about how difficult JJ can be--and why they went their separate ways that time, and many times before--or why Paris Mahew is a turkey, will find it here. But there’s so much more. I’m glad the book doesn’t skimp on details regarding the album writing process, or about Harley’s crazy childhood in Europe, learning about the Skinhead movement. You’ll also get a play-by-play of the infamous Webster Hall incident.
It’s a very fast read, despite being over 400 pages. Lots of great black and white, and color, photos. My only disappointment, and the reason I’m rating the book 4 ½ stars instead of 5: the editing isn’t always that great. You get a number of typos and extra words, and there are a couple segments that repeat themselves; also some awkward tense-changing here and there. But that’s a minor detail, concerning an otherwise brilliant autobiography.
Inspirational, and at times nearly unbelievable.
November 4, 2016
“Ireland was also where I saw people fucking each other up with cue balls and cue sticks for the first time… I introduced the New York scene to [the cue ball].” (that's in the first 100 pages of the book... there ain't no way in hell I'm risking my life and giving this anything less than a perfect rating!)
I’d immediately jumped from West Coast punk deity Keith Morris’ autobio (which I loved) to East Coast punk deity Harley’s autobio and it's probably not fair to compare the two but Harley packed more in his first section than Keith did in his entire book.
Harley’s feels like a great bs session at a party with a friend of a friend who doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath and everything is so over the top and insane that you can’t help but love every second of it. (And I'm definitely happy to have never run into Harley and any of his crew when I started to go to shows in the late 80's.)
Over 400 pages and the majority of it is exactly like their demo (which is by far the best Cro-Mags release there was) - excessive, unrelenting, and definitely not for the weak. Harley's wrath extends to just about everyone (including himself) and that's what makes this a great read.
“I went through a lot of shit and it made me violent inside. So when I finally did blow up, I fucking exploded.”
"That night, I was like, 'Yo, I can't take this shit anymore. I live in a squat with no running water, and I bathe in a fuckin' fire hydrant with a bucket.' I was doing this in February. People would be walking around in down coats, and me and John Bloodclot would be out there with liquid soap, doing sponge baths in the freezing fucking hydrant water."
I’d immediately jumped from West Coast punk deity Keith Morris’ autobio (which I loved) to East Coast punk deity Harley’s autobio and it's probably not fair to compare the two but Harley packed more in his first section than Keith did in his entire book.
Harley’s feels like a great bs session at a party with a friend of a friend who doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath and everything is so over the top and insane that you can’t help but love every second of it. (And I'm definitely happy to have never run into Harley and any of his crew when I started to go to shows in the late 80's.)
Over 400 pages and the majority of it is exactly like their demo (which is by far the best Cro-Mags release there was) - excessive, unrelenting, and definitely not for the weak. Harley's wrath extends to just about everyone (including himself) and that's what makes this a great read.
“I went through a lot of shit and it made me violent inside. So when I finally did blow up, I fucking exploded.”
"That night, I was like, 'Yo, I can't take this shit anymore. I live in a squat with no running water, and I bathe in a fuckin' fire hydrant with a bucket.' I was doing this in February. People would be walking around in down coats, and me and John Bloodclot would be out there with liquid soap, doing sponge baths in the freezing fucking hydrant water."
April 3, 2021
Anyone who is into Punk and HXC this is a great one. Read it in 3 days, coulda read it in two but wanted it to last. (was incarcerated at the time .lol.) This book has some hilarious war stories of touring , squating and just growing up crazy. One of the better punk books around. Up there w/ Rollins" Get in the Van." Not much else needs to be said.
March 15, 2017
This tells a story of a New York I never knew, and one way too crazy for a wimp like me. Sometimes (mostly, actually) a little too intense for comfort. At times I couldn't put it down, and at others I had to put it down, just to come back to some normalcy. Great memoir.
March 20, 2019
Flanagan fights. A lot. Occasionally plays music. Flanagan fights more.
October 31, 2021
Intrusively bad writing. 80% just about fistfights. Such a disappointing slog of a read even tho I’m Team Harley.
October 15, 2021
This was a difficult book to read, and not because I didn't enjoy it. It's difficult primarily because it details the absolutely insane life of Harley Flanagan, famed founder of the NY hardcore band the Cro-Mags. Harley grew up in one of the craziest periods of NYC's crazy history -- on the Lower East Side in the late 70s and 80s. Think "Taxi Driver." It's a book detailing violence, debauchery, drugs, and hardcore punk rock.
As a kid, Harley traveled with his hippie mom all over, including stints living in Denmark. His aunt was in the famed NY punk band The Stimulators, and for a time Harley was their drummer while he was a kid. As such, he met and hung out with people like Allen Ginsberg, The Clash, and Andy Warhol from a really young age -- the pictures are awesome. After a return from Europe as a young teen, he brought the skinhead movement to the US having seen it first hand in Ireland. He is, effectively, America's first skinhead -- though he is very quick to note that skinheads at this time (and many still today) were not racist. I can attest to this, having hung out with many skinheads myself, including black and Asian skins. In many respects, this book is a Who's Who of alternative music from this period. The Cro-Mags were a handful of bands that started the famed New York Hardcore scene, and they all get a showing in this memoir: Agnostic Front, Warzone, Murphy's Law, and the hardcore giants the Bad Brains. In fact, the Bad Brains, though not originally from NYC, figure large in this book as good friends and influences on Flanagan.
I read Roger Miret's "My Riot" a couple of summers ago, which shares a lot of similarities with Flanagan's book. Miret is the singer of another legendary NYC hardcore band, Agnostic Front (one of my all-time favourites). Roger, like Harley, had a hell of an upbringing, and found himself living on the streets or in squats on NYC's Lower East Side. Roger's book reads differently though, it's more ordered and circumspect. Harley's book is almost like gonzo journalism. The writing style really matches the chaos of Harley's life. Sometimes I'd have to put it down for a bit because of the style -- it's like Hunter S. Thompson meets Sid Vicious -- and other times I'd have to put it down for the sheer insanity of it all. It was hard enough to read, I couldn't imagine living it!
But there is a real beauty to this book that underlies all of the grit. Anthony Bourdain is right when he says in his endorsement that the book is a "ripping good story." But it's also quite deep. Especially when you get to the epilogue where he writes about the passing of his mom and her funeral. The whole style changed and it became quite poetic -- I wept reading it. There's also the underlying story of what real friendship looks like. When the NYC hardcore scene turned on Harley, he found a home in the NY jiu-jitsu community under the guidance of the great Renzo Gracie. You get snippets of names like Georges St. Pierre or John Danaher. It's crazy! Harley is a Gracie black-belt, which is instructive: Brasilian jiu-jitsu is a life-saver, a game-changer. I loved seeing it in Harley's life.
If you're into punk, if you're into the history of New York City, or the history of music, or if you're just fascinated by how people can grit their way through a brutal life into a life of relative peace and calm, then this book is for you.
As a kid, Harley traveled with his hippie mom all over, including stints living in Denmark. His aunt was in the famed NY punk band The Stimulators, and for a time Harley was their drummer while he was a kid. As such, he met and hung out with people like Allen Ginsberg, The Clash, and Andy Warhol from a really young age -- the pictures are awesome. After a return from Europe as a young teen, he brought the skinhead movement to the US having seen it first hand in Ireland. He is, effectively, America's first skinhead -- though he is very quick to note that skinheads at this time (and many still today) were not racist. I can attest to this, having hung out with many skinheads myself, including black and Asian skins. In many respects, this book is a Who's Who of alternative music from this period. The Cro-Mags were a handful of bands that started the famed New York Hardcore scene, and they all get a showing in this memoir: Agnostic Front, Warzone, Murphy's Law, and the hardcore giants the Bad Brains. In fact, the Bad Brains, though not originally from NYC, figure large in this book as good friends and influences on Flanagan.
I read Roger Miret's "My Riot" a couple of summers ago, which shares a lot of similarities with Flanagan's book. Miret is the singer of another legendary NYC hardcore band, Agnostic Front (one of my all-time favourites). Roger, like Harley, had a hell of an upbringing, and found himself living on the streets or in squats on NYC's Lower East Side. Roger's book reads differently though, it's more ordered and circumspect. Harley's book is almost like gonzo journalism. The writing style really matches the chaos of Harley's life. Sometimes I'd have to put it down for a bit because of the style -- it's like Hunter S. Thompson meets Sid Vicious -- and other times I'd have to put it down for the sheer insanity of it all. It was hard enough to read, I couldn't imagine living it!
But there is a real beauty to this book that underlies all of the grit. Anthony Bourdain is right when he says in his endorsement that the book is a "ripping good story." But it's also quite deep. Especially when you get to the epilogue where he writes about the passing of his mom and her funeral. The whole style changed and it became quite poetic -- I wept reading it. There's also the underlying story of what real friendship looks like. When the NYC hardcore scene turned on Harley, he found a home in the NY jiu-jitsu community under the guidance of the great Renzo Gracie. You get snippets of names like Georges St. Pierre or John Danaher. It's crazy! Harley is a Gracie black-belt, which is instructive: Brasilian jiu-jitsu is a life-saver, a game-changer. I loved seeing it in Harley's life.
If you're into punk, if you're into the history of New York City, or the history of music, or if you're just fascinated by how people can grit their way through a brutal life into a life of relative peace and calm, then this book is for you.
November 23, 2017
A vivid, violent,intense memoir of NYC as it was before it got cleaned up, featuring punk rock, hardcore, gigs, fights, famous people, infamous people, jiu jitsu, creativity, and the effort to stay on some sort of righteous path. Flanagan writes in a conversational way, like he is telling you the story face to face. He captures the lawless vibe of the 80s on the Lower East Side, with brutal honesty, good humor and a historian's eye to NYC. At many points Flanagan notes, when describing some setting or other, that he could write a whole book about that place or scene. I would happily read those books.
April 17, 2017
I have been a Cro-Mags fan since The Age Of Quarrel came out. So reading through the years I knew that the history was incredibly turbulent. I read the accounts of Parris and John Joseph, but find the story of Harley most credible. After reading this the fact that he is alive and somewhat coherent is beyond comprehension. He should have been dead 100 times over. No holds barred, unforgiving and brutally honest about his live and failures to get to where he is now. A fascinating insight in the birth of punk / hard core and skinhead /oi! And lower east side New York before the cleanup. It is crystal clear that there will not be a Cro-Mags reunion in original lineup. At least we have The Age Of Quarrel, Best Wishes and Alpha Omega as a legacy. To me together with Agnostic Front the best of New York.
May 30, 2017
BEST BOOK EVER.Harley is the motherfucking shit.So many crazy stories.Loved it.
February 7, 2017
I first saw the Cro Mags in either 88 or 89 (can't remember) when they were on tour with Destruction. This was at the Cubby Bear here in Chicago when the place wasn't a jock bar. Harley actually came and talked to myself and my (still to this day) best friend, Beth. It was a typical, destroy your fuggin' soul kind of show. I still have that flyer hanging up in my house.
I can only hope that Madonna, Billie Joe Armstrong and the dudes from Earth Crisis read this.
Harley is no Steinbeck or Tolstoy, but he gets his points across. He sticks to what has always been real to him, which I can highly respect.
The guy has been through some shit, no doubt about that.
I had always heard what an asshole JJ was , and this book solidifies a lot of things I myself have heard.
Thanks for the music (that is still played quite frequently at my house) and the memories of some of the best live shows I've ever seen.
P.S. I never once believed the bullshit story about Webster Hall. Thanks for clarifying.
I can only hope that Madonna, Billie Joe Armstrong and the dudes from Earth Crisis read this.
Harley is no Steinbeck or Tolstoy, but he gets his points across. He sticks to what has always been real to him, which I can highly respect.
The guy has been through some shit, no doubt about that.
I had always heard what an asshole JJ was , and this book solidifies a lot of things I myself have heard.
Thanks for the music (that is still played quite frequently at my house) and the memories of some of the best live shows I've ever seen.
P.S. I never once believed the bullshit story about Webster Hall. Thanks for clarifying.
March 28, 2019
This was definitely written entirely by Harley Flanagan, in his own words, and for all the wrong reasons. He uses the word "hysterical" to describe something funny about 350 times. The writing is actually a distraction from the story because of how dumb it is. It's also repetitive and jumpy. Imagine reading a 400 page memoir written by a 6th grader. You just accept it and continue reading though, because as terrible as this book is, it's kind of hard to put down. He's lived an astonishing life. I'll give him that.
October 3, 2017
Whoa! What a ride! A story that begins with young Harley as a kid during the hippie era, through the 70's New York Punk explosion, CBGB, the birth of Hardcore, Krishna Consciousness, LSD, street fights, skinheads, drug addiction, Jiu Jitsu Wizards, true friends, fake friends, back stabbers and redemption. A MUST READ for Cro-Mags/NYHC fans.
November 2, 2016
It really was the punch in the face I wanted and needed.
February 2, 2017
Harley's War continues
February 5, 2017
This is an impressive book. I've seen Harley perform on several occasions with several of his bands. On one of these shows I even had a short chat with him. He was very friendly but you could feel that he was on edge the whole time. After reading this book I understand why.
the book opens with his childhood and I must admit that I felt really sorry for him that he had to go through all those experiences as a child and a young teenager. He speaks full of love about his mom and aunt, but in these days he would have been taken away by social security. He talks about skipping school at the age of 8, about touring in a punk band at the age of 12, about being homeless and living in a squad at the age of 14. And all these stories include lots and lots of violence.
Then he talks about the cromags days, both the good and the bad stuff. What this part of the book boils down to a lot is: "this or this character is not really though like me, so we got in his face and fucked him up". He also chronicles his ongoing struggle with addiction and self destructive behavior. I feel throughout the book that he has some sort of problem with Straight Edge, but I think that Straight Edge would have done him a lot of good.
The story ends with him describing the incident at Webster hall. I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle between his accounting and whatever version of the facts JJ is giving.
There are a few drawbacks to this book though. The book is not written very well, but I must admit that I was still positively surprised by the way it was written. I've seen angry facebook posts by Harley that were a lot less readable. I also feel that some parts are a bit to repetitive. I fucked this dude up, and then I fucked this dude up etc...
Another issue is that this book is only readable by people who know about hardcore. Names and bands are casually mentioned and you are supposed to know who these people are. I had no problem understanding the hardcore parts, but there was part about MMA and there I was at a loss over the namedropping.
I also feel that not all accounts are 100% true. I think Harley indeed gives you the facts like he remembers them, but still some things might have grown in his head a bit. Or he might have misinterpreted things based on his upbringing and background.
What you feel throughout the whole book is that there is still a rage burning inside him, and that is probably the reason that he is still able to create records that blow 90% of the current though hardcore out of the water.
All in all a must read for everybody with love for Hardcore or the Cromags.
the book opens with his childhood and I must admit that I felt really sorry for him that he had to go through all those experiences as a child and a young teenager. He speaks full of love about his mom and aunt, but in these days he would have been taken away by social security. He talks about skipping school at the age of 8, about touring in a punk band at the age of 12, about being homeless and living in a squad at the age of 14. And all these stories include lots and lots of violence.
Then he talks about the cromags days, both the good and the bad stuff. What this part of the book boils down to a lot is: "this or this character is not really though like me, so we got in his face and fucked him up". He also chronicles his ongoing struggle with addiction and self destructive behavior. I feel throughout the book that he has some sort of problem with Straight Edge, but I think that Straight Edge would have done him a lot of good.
The story ends with him describing the incident at Webster hall. I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle between his accounting and whatever version of the facts JJ is giving.
There are a few drawbacks to this book though. The book is not written very well, but I must admit that I was still positively surprised by the way it was written. I've seen angry facebook posts by Harley that were a lot less readable. I also feel that some parts are a bit to repetitive. I fucked this dude up, and then I fucked this dude up etc...
Another issue is that this book is only readable by people who know about hardcore. Names and bands are casually mentioned and you are supposed to know who these people are. I had no problem understanding the hardcore parts, but there was part about MMA and there I was at a loss over the namedropping.
I also feel that not all accounts are 100% true. I think Harley indeed gives you the facts like he remembers them, but still some things might have grown in his head a bit. Or he might have misinterpreted things based on his upbringing and background.
What you feel throughout the whole book is that there is still a rage burning inside him, and that is probably the reason that he is still able to create records that blow 90% of the current though hardcore out of the water.
All in all a must read for everybody with love for Hardcore or the Cromags.
June 19, 2017
Oh man, Harley. You can't write. Please don't pretend that this is anything but a gut spill, it's awful from a literary point of view. What's more, I get the feeling you're only writing this in reaction to your bandmate's book. "Here's my point of view," you seem to be saying.
That said, you sure have had a hell of a ride. Allen Ginsberg wrote the introduction to your book of poetry...a book published when you were 8 years old. Mr. G! That alone gives you NYC cred.
But you had to go and found the Cro-Mags. Not my favorite hardcore by any means, but good stuff. You're around when everything is happening, but you're not just an observer, you're a catalyst. Good for you!
You're a brawler, a fighter with a short temper. You don't help your case much. Thanks for this book though, it helps me understand you...and the Cro-Mags.
That said, you sure have had a hell of a ride. Allen Ginsberg wrote the introduction to your book of poetry...a book published when you were 8 years old. Mr. G! That alone gives you NYC cred.
But you had to go and found the Cro-Mags. Not my favorite hardcore by any means, but good stuff. You're around when everything is happening, but you're not just an observer, you're a catalyst. Good for you!
You're a brawler, a fighter with a short temper. You don't help your case much. Thanks for this book though, it helps me understand you...and the Cro-Mags.
May 28, 2018
What a read. An entertaining, exhaustive account of the life of Harley Flanagan, founder of seminal NYHC band the Cro-Mags. From growing up in the Lower East Side to becoming a father, husband, and jiu-jitsu black belt, it's a fascinating account of a guy who seemed to be front and center for seemingly nearly every event throughout the development and history of the New York Punk and Hardcore scenes. There are points - several - throughout this book where I found my head spinning due to the accounts of fight after fight after fight; it just doesn't seem to stop! But for anyone even remotely interested in what NYC and the Lower East Side was like throughout the 70s and 80s, particularly when it comes to the advent of punk and hardcore and it's evolution throughout the subsequent decades, this book is certainly worth a read.
August 23, 2020
Awfully written, you can tell Harley didn't have a ghostwriter or anybody has throughly edited the original manuscript. Lots of redundancy, both in form and content.
But then, it's the true, unadulterated story of the NYC hardcore scene (and the city transformation at large, from the early immigrant LES to late gentrification), starting from from the late 70s throughout now.
On the top of the historical account, you have the Harley's story - growing up in a post-hippy scene, travelling to Europe and back to the US and literally introducing the skinhead culture to NYC, the Cro-Mags years until the fall and redemption with ju-jitsu.
Bought it because I wanted to learn about the scene, loved it because of Harley's honesty.
But then, it's the true, unadulterated story of the NYC hardcore scene (and the city transformation at large, from the early immigrant LES to late gentrification), starting from from the late 70s throughout now.
On the top of the historical account, you have the Harley's story - growing up in a post-hippy scene, travelling to Europe and back to the US and literally introducing the skinhead culture to NYC, the Cro-Mags years until the fall and redemption with ju-jitsu.
Bought it because I wanted to learn about the scene, loved it because of Harley's honesty.
March 11, 2021
Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from an autobiography that was actually written by Harley. In amongst it all there are some interesting and genuinely funny stories and you definitely get a strong sense of who he is. More extensive editing would definitely have helped the book- if only to cut down on the frequent bouts of repetition and improving the overall focus of the narrative, as well as maybe suggesting that he didn’t need to detail every single moment of every major fight he’s been in at the expense of more discussion of the reason people are reading this (his music)- but too much editing or control in this sense and I suppose it’d no longer be representative of the man. Worth a read if you like Cro-Mags and have made your peace with all that entails.
February 21, 2018
The life and times of Harley Flanagan. There are three sides to every story, and Harley offers his version of numerous tales circulating the universe with his name. It is a shame he recalls more details of fights than recording sessions. Indeed, it appears he has more altercations than songs to his credit. You may agree or disagree with his methods of madness. However, the highs and lows of his life are incredible, and this book provides an exhilarating read.
August 10, 2019
I can't believe Harley Flanagan survived some of the things that he describes in this book. Even more drugs and violence than I anticipated. It's an entertaining and informative read but it is repetitive at times and ends up being a little longer than necessary. It's also just littered with typos. But, if you're a fan of Cro Mags or Hardcore Punk, or music bios in general, you gotta read this. It's nuts.
June 24, 2018
As an author, Harley has work to do - As a storyteller, wow, this guy has lived. Hard. If you have any awareness or interest in the New York Hardcore scene of the 80’s and 90’s, give this a read. Heard his interview with Jocko Willink and was fascinated. Well done Mr Flanagan - Way to right the ship.
August 25, 2020
Good read about the life of Harley. Shows his side of the break up between him and John. Typical tough guy New York Hardcore attitude just as with other books from band members who performed in same band as Harley or from other bands who have jumped on the bandwagon to write a book about New York and how tough it was.
May 30, 2024
Didn’t know before reading this that he authored a book as a child and the foreword was written by family friend Allen Ginsberg. Sometimes annoying to read about his Krishna consciousness as he is beating people into a pulp for looking at him the wrong way. Hardship and drugs…makes TSOL’s Jack Grisham look like a choir boy.
Great details about LES NY in the 1970s-80’s and NYCHC.
Great details about LES NY in the 1970s-80’s and NYCHC.
August 12, 2019
Mengungkap sekelumit sejarah NYHC dan Cro-Mags dari sisi Harley (yeay! aku fokusnya sih sama konflik Harley-John-Parris). Bahasanya sederhana dan mudah dipahami, ora ndakik-ndakik.. yah khas Harley yang emang "wong ndalan"
January 1, 2020
This book should have been called “Name drops, embellishments, and truth pretzels”. I’m not convinced he wrote the book. It seems like someone had a really long interview with him, transcribed it, and added some fluff to the stories. Mediocre folk lore at best.
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