The Snake Continued to Eat Itself

by Travis Alexander

Inspired by the author’s misadventures of playing guitar in a touring hardcore-punk band, The Snake Continued to Eat Itself tells the story of an alcoholic college dropout’s quest to find meaning and purpose on the road only to discover that isolation, depression, and poverty follow him everywhere he goes, even home.

Written with a mixture of hopeless naiveté and blind ambition, The Snake Continued to Eat Itself accurately chronicles the sad reality of broken dreams and lost love as the nameless main character navigates a world of disappointment, heartache, and self-realization.

“I stared at the closed door for a solid minute, bare-chested. I was holding a ripped beer-soaked tee shirt in one hand and my pea coat in the other. I tried to be rational. I tried hard to calm down. I tried to think of the best possible reaction, so I did what any drunk would do in this situation. I stormed down four flights of stairs, and I bolted full-force into the wall at the bottom of the stairwell with my right fist straight out in front of me. I sunk through the wall up to my shoulder. After a few seconds of struggling, I freed myself from the drywall. I made a hole the size of my torso and just like that, I left.”

329 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2017

Reviews

[Tim Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are plenty of books chronicling rock and roll's life on the road but The Snake Continued to Eat Itself tells a different story from a different scene. Touring in a van, playing to nobody, drinking heavily, and the struggle to maintain normal human relationships anchor this story of wanderlust-meets-depression. The penniless existence on and off tour lends itself to a lot of shenanigans and even more address changes. The narrator's loose definition of "home" follows him around greater Boston with many chapters titled simply with the address of that period's lease. Much of what makes this story so unique is that the narrator never really seems at home. The vagabond life on tour gives way to a vagabond life off tour. I expected this book to be a raucous account of the gig life (and I got that), but there is much more to it.

The Snake Continued to Eat Itself subtly tiptoes the line between autobiography and literary fiction without ever being dense or intimidating. It's a book you can grab with a spare 10 minutes, or get lost in for two hours. It's the kind of book that makes the next one you read a little worse.

[Caitlin Kullberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t need to be in a band to relate to this story. Themes of deep-rooted depression and struggles with alcoholism from a young person in the city carry throughout. Often it felt as if I was reading straight from a diary.

I was drawn to this book as a fan of “the band” and a resident of Boston, but these pages filled me with nostalgia for reasons I was not expecting.

Overall, this was a pleasure to read. Thank you for telling your tales.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up last night with the intention of reading for maybe half an hour before bed - instead, I ended up plowing through half the book and finishing it this morning because I was hooked. A lot of these experiences of moving someplace new, meeting new people, trying to find yourself, and feeling the nostalgia of home and past relationships are relatable in lots of different ways.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

an honest, vulnerable story of the ups and downs of life