Small Victories: The True Story Of Faith No More

by Adrian Harte

‘When I first heard about this Faith No More biography, I didn’t know what to think. But I have to give credit where it is due, it’s a quality piece. The man has done his research and it shows. It provided me with more than a few revelations … and I’m in the band.’—Bill Gould, Faith No More

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More is the definitive biography of one of the most intriguing bands of the late twentieth century. Written with the participation of the group’s key members, it tells how such a heterogeneous group formed, flourished, and fractured, and how Faith No More helped redefine rock, metal and alternative music. The book chronicles the creative and personal tensions that defined and fuelled the band, forensically examines the band’s beginnings in San Francisco’s post-punk wasteland, and charts the factors behind the group’s ascent to MTV-era stardom.

Small Victories strips away the mythology and misinformation behind their misanthropic masterpiece Angel Dust, explores the rationale behind the frequent hiring and firing of band members, and traces the unraveling of the band in the mid-1990s. It also examines the band’s breakup and hiatus, explores their unwelcome legacy as nu-metal godfathers, and gives a behind-the-scenes view of their rebirth.

Based on meticulous research and hundreds of interviews with current and former band members and other key figures, Small Victories combines a fan’s passion with a reporter’s perspicacity.

Adrian Harte is an experienced journalist and communications professional who works as a media intelligence manager for UEFA, the European football governing body. Since 2009 he has run newfaithnomore.com, through which he has become known and trusted by the band, their management, and their fans. He lives in Aubonne, Switzerland.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

563 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

Adrian Harte is an experienced journalist and communications professional who works as a media intelligence manager for UEFA, the European football governing body. Since 2009 he has run newfaithnomore.com, through which he has become known and trusted by the band, its management, and its fans. He lives in Aubonne, Switzerland.

Reviews

[Brian Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic rock bio that stands alongside such greats as HAMMER OF THE GODS, WATCH YOU BLEED, and Lemmy's autobiographical WHITE LINE FEVER. A must-read for any Faith No More devotee (or for fans of the Faith no More members' various side projects) but also a compelling narrative for anyone with an interest in creativity and artistic expression. Highly recommended.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, for the author's effort and presenting an informative timeline of FNM, I give this book a 4.5. He did a stellar job. But for what I wanted and what I thought I was getting, I give it a 3.5.

I've been listening to FNM since '89/90. THE REAL THING was my favorite record for a few years and I couldn't get enough of it. I've enjoyed every album (including the Mosely era, of course). But for me, the lure of the band was more than just the music. It was the antics of one Mike Patton. Whether it be in his early days, hopping around on stage with his long hair acting like a kid hepped up on too many Pixy Stix, or the unpredictable and aggressive Patton 2.0. I loved him because of his spontaneity AND his vocal skill, and in my opinion there has never been a better frontman. Not Jagger. Not Rollins. Not Iggy.

With SMALL VICTORIES, taking into consideration Patton's on and off stage antics, I was expecting much more in the way of entertaining segments regarding "this one time Mike said this..." "this one time Mike did this" because you just know there's enough to fill a book this size. That being said, I knew the book would be filled with the timeline of FNM's success from birth to near death and I wanted that, too; however, that's most of what this book is. This is not your average rockstar biography filled with dirt, gossip, and revealing stories. Sure, they're in there. But they're squeezed in between factoids regarding how long FNM's album was at #1, then #12, then #34 on which chart and in which country.

There is some interesting insight into the recording of each album, breaking down some of the songs, and I really appreciated that. But as a whole, there was too much focus on numbers and stats and current status and not enough stories. Some of the stories were touched on (the accident with the broken bottle at one of the first few shows, Mike hitting his head on the drum rise in London, and more) but they were fleeting and left me wanting more details. A few stories I was surprised that weren't mentioned at all were the infamous pouring of the urine and Axl Rose's monitor as well as Patton's poop pranks.

For what it was, the author did an excellent job, and you could tell he's a real fan who did his homework and laid it out well. But for me, I wanted to hear more about what a nut my favorite singer is.

What I did get out of this book that I didn't know before was how the band worked as a whole and how much each member played a crucial role. FNM is much more than just a wild frontman with a killer voice. FNM is full of talented songwriters who created their own sound. I was particularly impressed to see much of their sound is Bill Gould's doing, and it was clear by the end of the book that Roddy, Puffy, Mike P., and Billy were all irreplaceable and with one of them missing, there is no FNM.

[Andrew Dun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and fascinating history of Faith No More. While the author's clear passion for the band drives the work, it is nevertheless written with an honest objectivity. Comprehensive and well researched, with extensive interviews with some (but not all) key members of the band. Highly recommended for anyone who likes Faith No More or the history of alternative music in general.

[Bert Blommen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Well documented, much info and a pageturner at the same time. Even being a big fan, I learned a lot of new things.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant retelling of a fascinating career. Highly recommended.

My own Faith No More story began with seeing the video for Epic on Saturday morning television, in New Zealand, sometime in 1989. Chapter one was brief. I was 9 years old.

When I was 14, in 1994, I bought Angel Dust, and really didn't know what had hit me. It remains a contender for my favourite record of all. (Isn’t that debate the most fun?) Midlife Crisis quickly became my favourite song. I got King For A Day.. and Album of the Year as they were released, and lived and breathed them. I never had the chance to see the band live before hearing that they had split, while I was in my first year at university, in 1998. I was so disappointed. Chapter two unfolded in real-time.

Moving to London in 2007 meant I was perfectly placed for the 2009 reunion, and I was there at Brixton Academy, losing my shit. I went on to see the band five times in four countries on that tour cycle, making up for lost time, including an intimate and wild show at Dublin's Olympia (capacity: 1240!) During this chapter three period, I revisited all the albums and embraced The Real Thing in particular, it having passed me by the first time (aside from Epic, which passed no one by at the close of the 80s). In subsequent years I caught a couple more live shows, and even met Mike Patton at an after-show at Brixton Academy. I couldn’t speak, which is a blessing as all that came to mind was “you’re my hero”. Can imagine how that would have gone down! Chapter three really delivered.

Now, reading Small Victories has brought about my fourth chapter with Faith No More, and I have loved every minute of behind-the-scenes insight and exposition related to the band's evolution and each album's creation. Seeing official music videos and other content on YouTube has added to my sense of rediscovery, and deepened my understanding of the band's significance and also how much I hadn't known. Now I realise that this band I love have had a whole complicated turbulent career which I was completely unaware of, knowing only the recorded music, and somehow it feels strange to realise that while it was all about the music for me, now I get a glimpse into the personalities and circumstances which created it. Naturally I've been listening to entire back catalogue again, particularly Sol Invictus which I neglected upon release (bad fan), and Introduce Yourself. Thanks Adrian Harte!

[Andrew Bowie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's impossible to overstate how enthusiastic I have been about the idea of a new comprehensive Faith No More biography. I've desperately wanted a book on the era beyond 1994 (where Steffan Chirazi's The Real Story ends), but also some clarity on the early history of the band, something about which The Real Story has always frustrated me.

Small Victories deliverers. Adrian manages to build both a solid timeline, satisfying the obsessive fan in me, but also a very personal insight into the personalities of everyone in the band, and those in the band's team, and almost-members, telling a comprehensive and interesting story of a group of people you'd not expect to stay friends over so many decades.

The book manages to paint an interesting picture of the music industry of the mid 80s and beyond, highlighting how many connections there with various bands of the time.

The book itself is a gorgeous package, with a lovely layout and carefully labelled photographs.

I adore everything about it, and I feel was likely to be the most critical, as my expectations were very high.

I can't recommend this book enough for fans of Faith No More, or even only for fans of bands of the era.

[Colin Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitive history of Faith No More. A must read for all fans or just rock fans in general. Extensive interviews with key players in FNM history (sans Patton sadly).

[MaskedSanity­ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The detail in this book is incredible. Adrian Harte went to the sources and spoke to just about every single person that played a part in the life of Faith No More.
I learned a lot about the days before I was a fan and I learned a lot about the days since I've been a fan.
I really enjoyed the details about their song writing process. I think a few of their songs make more sense now, if that makes sense. I even have a new appreciation for some of the songs that weren't my favorites.
If I have one issue with the book, and it's a very minor one, I would have liked a mention of Chuck Mosley's reunion with the band prior to the "Chuck Mosley and Friends" shows. But, if that's my only issue with the book, it's not a big deal.
If you're a Faith No More fan, you need to read this.

[Jordan Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely took my time with this one, as I wanted to go back and listen to each album as I read about its making. Not that I ever really stopped listening to them, especially "Angel Dust" and "King for a Day...Fool for a Lifetime". But one of the pleasures of reading a book like this is it offers the opportunity to listen to songs you've heard a million times with at least somewhat fresh ears.

I will say I believe this book will be a five star read for fans of FNM and\or Mike Patton. It is a bit dry and repotorial in style, so may not be super interesting for a casual listener or general fan of music biographies. But if you are a fan of the band I can't recommend this book enough.

[Keen Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are not many successful bands who have made four consecutive albums that sounded so different, from each other as FNM did, from 1987’s “Introduce Yourself” through to “King For A Day” in 1995. This spell demonstrates just how diverse and experimental the band were willing to be. Of course their lack of predictability has always been part of their enduring charm.

This opens with the story of the Indonesian civet and its relation to an upmarket coffee and the author tries to link it tenuously to FNM. It doesn't work at all. Unfortunately this really sets up the tone and approach of this. This is a book which appears to make up for its deficits by resorting to intellectualising the subject and lavishing it with floral academic terminology, which just doesn’t work.

Autarky, Ouilipian, Musique concrete are words and terms I have never heard mentioned in reference to Faith No More before, but Harte is certainly not shy in dressing up the story of a rock band into a hyper-intellectual, onanist frenzy, crowbarring anything which seems remotely pretentious, no matter how tenuous it is. The likes of,

“Faith No More’s varied discography and rotating cast of guitarists and singers lends itself to Heraclitian analysis.” And later on in the same page, “But the enduring presence of the band’s core-bass, drums, and synthesizer; Gould, Bordin and Bottum-offers an alternative Parmenidean explanation.”

Does it really though?...Then later when discussing the lyrical content of some songs from The Real Thing, he insists, “it is possible to interpret ‘Epic’, ‘The Real Thing’ and even ‘Zombie Eaters’ in Freudian or Lacanian psychoanalytic terms.” Later adding, “like Lacan’s objet petit a…for Lacan and Patton, ‘The Real Thing’ is the impossible thing.”

It’s a strong candidate for some of the most bizarre and hilarious guff I’ve ever read about a band’s lyrics. You could almost take this approach with any music anywhere…so when Take That are singing Back For Good, we see that Barlow is actually…Sorry, but you see the point.

I did learn some interesting things in here, like the background into many of the obscure samples they have used over the years. I had no idea about Roddy Bottum’s heroin addiction, and of course there is the band infighting and the ever recurring guitarist problem (having at least twelve over the years). Apparently FNM were playing on stage in Berlin back in 1989 when the wall started to come down, meaning that a few hundred or so people would have first learned through lead singer Mike Patton’s announcement. Elsewhere I thought the image of Eddie Chacon of Charles & Eddie fame briefly being in a band called Fry By Night alongside Cliff Burton of Metallica and Mike Bordin of FNM a delightfully bizarre one.

I am a huge FNM fan but I have to say I was incredibly disappointed with this. I really, really didn’t like the author’s style at all and I felt there was no spark or craft in the prose whatsoever. Both Jim Martin and Mike Patton refused to be interviewed for this book and as a result there is clearly a gaping hole in the story. It never quite manages to shrug off its unauthorised cut and paste feel, so that too often we just feel like we’re reading random cuttings from magazine interviews or album liner notes, which is often the case, particularly when the likes of Martin and Patton are mentioned.

[Luis Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu achava que sabia muito, mas não tudo, obviamente, sobre a banda e nem era a ponta do iceberg. Adrian Harte não teve acesso a todos os integrantes, como Mike Patton, mas contou com uma extensa pilha de material compilado por fãs do mundo inteiro em blogs, websites e grupos antigos do Yahoo, que nesta biografia aparece com detalhes, datas, lugares, revelações e fofocas para não deixar nenhum fã ou leitor desinformado sobre o início da banda, o recrutamento de cada vocalista e guitarrista, além de particularidades ou descobertas sobre letras, capas de discos e comportamento de cada integrante e suas convivências. As leituras e pontos de vista do autor sobre letras, músicas, performances, condutas dos membros da banda por meio de ótica acadêmica, às vezes filosóficas, outras vezes psicoanalíticas, são interessantes e fazem o fã conhecedor da obra repensar as composições do Faith No More, assim como o que passava na cabeça dos músicos, tidos como “do contra”, o que para eles era elogio. Informações sobre autorias do repertório elucidam bastante sobre o grupo e são muito bem-vindas. Detalhes esses que deixam o livro mais interessante e a banda menos misteriosa aos seus admiradores. Gould, Bottum e Bordin contribuíram bastante. E o autor chegou a conversar com Chuck Mosley, antes do seu falecimento. As fontes foram muitas e no fim o livro não resultou em biografia chapa branca. Erros cometidos pela banda não ficaram ocultos e no fim a verdade sobre a banda prevalece/prevaleceu nesta obra.

[Frederik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Propfyldt af klassiske klicheer og en tynd omgang wikipedia-agtig gennemgang af et af mine yndlingsbands storhed og fald og endelige genopståen. Der er selvfølgelig fokus på rivalitet mellem bandmedlemmer, raserede hotelværelser og deslige, men også input omkring de de krævende rock-tours og de kreative processer, som - trods alt - ledte til skabelsen af et af 90ernes mest kreative og nyskabende rockbands. Alligevel er den underligt uengageret og anonym, og kvalitetsmæssigt milevidt fra superbiografien Scar Tissue af Anthony Kiedis fra Red Hot Chili Peppers, og fremstår derfor lidt som en forspildt chance for at kunne give ægte FNM-fans noget substantielt at tygge på.

[Don Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent band bio!! Highly recommend!

[Gabriel Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith No More is one of my favorite bands. Small Victories was a nostalgic, informative ride. While I enjoyed some of the more gossipy bits like who punched who, what I found most interesting were the descriptions about song writing. Learning who wrote what riff, and how each album was produced and recorded was candy to me.

[Steve Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight especially on early years... Would have liked the same level of detail later on but still a good geeky book for fans

[Kieran Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of Faith No More since 1989, in the Pre Digital age would hang on the rock articles from Kerrang or stay up to watch MTV Head bangers ball (and the re runs).
Never was it possible to join the dots on the bands escapades and behind the scenes stories, but until now where Adrian has delivered the ultimate FNM roadmap, since the bands inception to modern times.
His writing style has to be commended and ability to hook the reader, is testament of his work & effort, because it is a thorough job and Adrian deserves all the plaudits.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute wealth of information on the history of Faith No More, my all time favorite band. They were my favorite band going into this book, and after reading it they are even more so.

The book is well written and doesn’t feel like a cheap history. Highly recommended if you love the band or love music. Faith No More paved their own way by their own rules. Very few artists are fortunate enough to be able to do that while signed to a major label. They broke rules and came out with incredible music that is still relevant today. They changed my view of music and helped me appreciate things I hadn’t understood or cared for before they entered my world.

This is the story of how they did that. Highly recommended

[Neil Quinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, detailed history of the most fascinating alternative rock bands. Fans will love it, but it’s well written enough to reel in the casual reader too.

[Ashley Capes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this biography - filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge and put to rest various rumours and half-truths that I remember from the 1990s and after.

Fascinating to learn more about the band's early history too. Above all, though the book is not only focused here, I loved the insights into the studio and writing process.

Definitely recommended if you're a fan.

[Glen McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, but a little too much "just the facts" and not a whole lot of dirt or wild stories.

[Matthew Hinchliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im a die hard fnm fan and thought I knew everything there is to know about the band, but Adrian's book has given me a whole new insight. I really recommend the book to fans of the band as well as music fans in general.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Comprehensive History

The author brings together many older interviews with new interviews of band members past and present. It paints a pretty good picture if the history of FNM.

[Vincent Cirigliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comped

Great read! I've read hundreds of rock bios & Mr. Harte got this one just right - a thorough telling of the genesis of the group, plenty of detail of their performances, and most importantly, a glimpse into some of the songwriting process.

[Samuel Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so right off the bat, just going to put it out there that I am not the most objective reviewer in the world for this book. Faith No More has inspired me throughout my life ever since I first heard them back in 1990 at the impressionable age of 16. Their album "Angel Dust" is probably one of my top ten favorite albums of all time and still informs and inspires me as a musician. So yes, agreed I am probably going to like this book as I am deeply interested in the subject matter. But........I am also a passionate reader and am not going to let slide any old junk just because I like the band.
I was a little leery when I first heard about this book to be honest. Faith No More returned after a 18 year recording hiatus in 2015 with a new album called "Sol Invictus." As much of a fan as I am, I was scared to listen to the new album fearing a soulless cash in that so many other groups have done in the past. So when I finally listened to the album a couple of months after the release, I was really surprised with how good it was. That is sort of how I feel about this book. Leery going in, but once I sat down with it, i realized what a fantastic job Adrian Harte did with the subject matter. Meticulously researched at times even a little too well researched, Harte does not just get his information from internet blogs as he interviewed all the band members sans front man Mike Patton, as well as just about anyone who had anything to do with their history ever. His book captures the difficulties of a divergent group of personalities who at times seem to thrive on conflict. It is this conflict that led to some great music. "Angel Dust" just sounds tension filled and misanthropic. It sounds like it was hard to make. You can hear the discord. This type of collective front by the band members paid off in some good music, but there are some downright dysfunctional episodes in the book. Harte plays it objectively, never shying away from painting the members at some points in a bad light.
The book for the most part focuses on the band and the work. The records and the tours feature most prominently and the members personal lives are mostly left alone. The band in their history, provide a classic story arc in their career. Their ascendent rise to being one of the highest grossing rock acts in the early 90's to falling out of favor with the press and with fans with each album after "Angel Dust" leading to their almost whimpering disbandment in 1998. Which led to a triumphant return 12 years later to be critical darlings of the rock world again and ending the story on a high note. Harte stays focused on the subject matter at hand and provides an intriguing book on some heroes of mine. Thanks for not letting me down. I am sure I will revisit this one in years to come.

[Gavin McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best Faith No More story out there, this book was meticulously researched and lovingly crafted. The original insights from Bill, Roddy, and Mike really sets Adrian’s book apart from those that have preceded it. A real pity that Patton didn’t participate in the interview process but that’s just Patton being Patton! Very proud that a fellow Irishman cared so much about this band to dedicate years of his life to the creation of the book. Masterpiece!

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike far too many music biographies, 'Small Victories' is painstakingly researched, and will shed new light on Faith No More's creative process, never-ending inner turmoil, negotiations and dealings with their label, along with many missed opportunities. While it's not an authorized book, Harte travelled far-and-wide to interview most of the necessary players (Patton didn't participate). Billy, Roddy, and Puffy's participation is crucial here, as it provides insight that could only come from those in the band.

Revelations come fast and furious with tales about Courtney Love, Josh Homme, MC Hammer, Billy Idol, Axl Rose, Milli Vanilli, Chile and Faith No More’s part in the Berlin Wall’s downfall.

Another factor that makes this version of events essential is the inclusion of so much detail about Chuck Mosley, the band’s erratic, frustrating and yet still somehow loveable former frontman who helped them to early, modest success before Patton joined the band.

My friend, Steffan Chirazi, wrote the now-out-of-print "Faith No More: The Real Story" in '94, and while it's a great book, the fact it was released in '94 prevents it from telling the complete story. Faith No More's story may not be over, but this book is an excellent way to learn their story.

[Sofia Costa Lima]

I know 1994 was a great year but why does the book seem to be rushed once it gets to 1994. From that year forward it really looks that the writer was in a hurry to finish it. Otherwise, it's great.


quoting: «When life betrays, music soothes and saves.»

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More
Author: Adrian Harte

Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 22
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 22 readers:
17 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
20 felt it was easy to follow.
17 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
Of all the readers, 11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
20 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
17 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘Interesting read. The author seems to know his stuff. Also, much of the info seems firsthand direct from talking with band members. I liked that.’ Male reader, aged 54
‘A little too wordy for me but I still enjoyed it. The writing style was good although the odd sentence needs cutting down as they tend to ramble. I loved all the insights into the bands’ life, relationships and music.’ Female reader, aged 43
‘The first half of the book is really good. The second half seems sort of rushed. Possibly the author knows the bands’ early life and albums better than later life/albums. I don’t know. I think the author did a good job of interviewing the band although I feel many things needed developing more. Possibly a second, follow-up book might work.’ Male reader, aged 44
‘I think any big fan of this group would love this book. Full of insights and info on the band and the inner workings.’ Female reader, aged 57

To Sum It Up:
‘A fascinating book for fans of the group. Well-written and informative.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Kaj Roihio]

Jos rockbändin historiikin kirjoittaa sen fanisivuston aiempi ylläpitäjä, suurempaa kriittisyyttä on turha odottaa. Faith No Moresta kertova Narrikuninkaat ikävä kyllä on juuri niin turhauttava kuin tällaiselta kirjalta voi pelätä, kerrassaan ikävystyttävä fanituote, joita on kolmetoista tusinassa. Myötäkarvaan silittämistä, ylisanoja ja pitkäpiimäistä yksityiskohtaisuutta. En koe mielekkääksi lukea pikkutarkkaa selostamista siitä, kuinka kuka tapasi kenet ja missä tai millä laitteella milloinkin ollaan mitäkin ääniä saatu aikaan. Varmasti niinkin kovan linjan ihailijoita kuitenkin löytyy. Eikä Narrikuninkaat ole edes yhtyeen jäseniä kuvatessaan kovin kiinnostava. Mark Laneganin muistelmat sentään levittivät eteen heroinistina elämisen helvetin, mutta keskiluokkaisista yliopistopojista ei oikein saa revittyä irti sielua kouraisevaa rosoisuutta. Suomi-mainintoja tässä sentään on mukavasti, mikäli joku kokee tarvetta painella torille liehuttamaan siniristilippua. Lisäksi kirjoittaja Adrian Harte kompastuu omiin jalkoihinsa piikitellessään musiikkibisneksen ahneutta ja pinnallisuutta, mutta samaan aikaan raportoi tunnollisesti myyntilukuja ja listasijoituksia. Huumoria tässä lähinnä on, kuinka Courtney Love onnistui aikoinaan tyrkyttämään itseään joka paikkaan, jopa Faith No Morenkin laulajaksi. Eihän siitä tietenkään mitään tullut, mutta on ainoa todella mieleen jäänyt kohta kirjasta. Narrikuninkaat tuntuu lähinnä hengettömältä markkinointimateriaalilta, pestyltä ja puleeratulta maisemapostikortilta ulottuvuudesta, josta varmasti olisi ollut paljon repäisevämpääkin kerrottavaa.

[Sherry Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about a lot of music because of my time as a DJ at a college radio station. One of those bands was Faith No More via the song “We Care A Lot”. We gave it a ton of airplay. Shortly after that their lead singer was history. Maybe they were too? Fast forward to 1989 – The Real Thing burst on the scene and completely changed my life. It was frenetic, catchy, and nothing like I had ever heard before. They intrigued many others and inspired a laundry list of musicians.

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte is the story of a group that is unable to be labeled, although many people have tried – mainly frustrated music critics. The book takes the reader on a journey from the early beginnings to recent happenings with interviews from band members, record producers, label executives, and others involved in their history.

I would be remiss to gloss over the content. Everything you would ever want to know about FNM is found in the pages of this book: from the revolving door of guitarists to internal struggles – both personal and professional to lighthearted stories on the road. Harte, who has run the website newfaithnomore.com since 2009, provides one of the most comprehensive biographies I’ve ever read. Even Bill Gould (Faith No More’s bassist and co-founder) stated, “It provided me with more than a few revelations … and I’m in the band”.

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More needs to be in your To-Be-Read list if you are a fan (casual or rabid) or an audiophile in general due to their influence in the landscape of modern music.