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Rock and Roll Terrorist: The Graphic Life of Shock Rocker GG Allin
Born as Jesus Christ Allin and raised in rural isolation by a violently abusive religious fanatic, GG Allin grew up to be one of punk's most controversial figures. His music was overshadowed by his on-stage antics, including throwing blood and feces at the audience and hurting himself and audience members. In this first substantial biography of the man who wanted to make rock "dangerous" again, Hardcore Anxiety author and illustrator Reid Chancellor portrays Allin's life and early death with sensitivity, asking us to look beyond the shocking spectacle to understand the troubled human behind the scenes, and the societal forces that pushed him to the edge of creative expression.
191 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 18, 2021
"I do whatever I want. Rock and roll is the enemy. And I am your enemy."
GG Allin was one of the strangest musicians I have ever witnessed. He had that idgaf attitude and played by his own rules. We only know what we saw and this gives an in-depth look at his earlier life and as he became a household name.
I’m not sure what I was expecting with this but it sure was a fascinating read. I think fans of GG will really enjoy the story behind the madness. Non-fans just won’t understand.
GG Allin was one of the strangest musicians I have ever witnessed. He had that idgaf attitude and played by his own rules. We only know what we saw and this gives an in-depth look at his earlier life and as he became a household name.
I’m not sure what I was expecting with this but it sure was a fascinating read. I think fans of GG will really enjoy the story behind the madness. Non-fans just won’t understand.
October 10, 2020
I sat down with this graphic biography last night and read it one sitting. I couldn't put it down. This seems to be a common theme with me when reading a Reid Chancellor book! If you decide to read this, get ready. You will go through just about every emotion possible. This isn't for the faint-hearted but if you want to read about one of punk rock's most controversial figures, dive in!
Are you a true crime reader/podcast listener? If you just answered yes.....OOOOOH, there is a connection within these pages to someone, that will make you say WHAAAAAT, how did I not know this?
I think it's important to mention that Reid makes it very clear that he didn't write and illustrate this book to glorify any of GG's actions nor did he bring this work to life because he is making light of any harm GG make have caused.
"Reid Chancellor brings a Real America story to your eyeballs, one you can’t put down. The key
is the affection and respect he gives his subject." - IGGY POP
"Chancellor delivers an in-depth, deep dive on rock's most infamous performance artist." - Box Brown, New York Times bestselling creator of André the Giant: Life and Legend
"Primitive, visceral, and fascinating, Reid Chancellor wonderfully documents the insane life, and inevitable demise, of GG Allin. You can literally feel the body fluids flying off the pages!" - Derf (My Friend Dahmer, Trashed, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks)
Are you a true crime reader/podcast listener? If you just answered yes.....OOOOOH, there is a connection within these pages to someone, that will make you say WHAAAAAT, how did I not know this?
I think it's important to mention that Reid makes it very clear that he didn't write and illustrate this book to glorify any of GG's actions nor did he bring this work to life because he is making light of any harm GG make have caused.
"Reid Chancellor brings a Real America story to your eyeballs, one you can’t put down. The key
is the affection and respect he gives his subject." - IGGY POP
"Chancellor delivers an in-depth, deep dive on rock's most infamous performance artist." - Box Brown, New York Times bestselling creator of André the Giant: Life and Legend
"Primitive, visceral, and fascinating, Reid Chancellor wonderfully documents the insane life, and inevitable demise, of GG Allin. You can literally feel the body fluids flying off the pages!" - Derf (My Friend Dahmer, Trashed, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks)
February 7, 2021
This was awesome, Reid is a funny dude!
November 11, 2020
GG is known for being violent (with himself and others), his acts sexual degradation/assault (with himself and others), his often blood and feces filled performances and his harsh demeanor. He’s know for all those things because...well, they’re all true. I have friends that won’t even considering listening to a song by GG Allin let alone reading a graphic novel style memoir, but they should. Rock and Roll Terrorist is intriguing and tries to paint an honest picture of GG/Kevin/Jesus Christ from his early New England childhood to looking down on his unwashed human vessel in his casket. Despite the often crass and abusive way he delivered it, GG would claim the message is what mattered and he would be right. I doubt this graphic novel will sway you to love Allin or his nihilistic approach to life, but the HATE! styled artwork and larger than life story may crack the door enough for you to consider exploring more.
October 22, 2023
Great lil read. Cute illustrations of a vile crazyman. Copious pooping.
August 26, 2021
This is interesting, but then also kinda depraved and disturbing, but I think that is the whole point. GG Allin can't be looked away from but it also begs the question--yikes what was going on here, and while the author delves into that a bit, there might be too much distance, so it just comes off as "look at the freakshow! he's so entertaining! so wild!" wheras some more questions and criticism might have helped with the tone of this book.
September 29, 2021
Written by a guy from my hometown in BFE, Indiana. If you ever knew of GG Allin and thought, "WTF?!" This graphic novel sums it up quite nicely.
December 9, 2021
rock n roll till i die
August 27, 2021
Graphic novels, eh? Who needs them! It's not real reading! They are cheat books, used perhaps only in desperate times to meet the yearly Goodreads challenge. Or, in this case, purchased as a birthday gift for a girl I was dating, one who broke it off before I had a chance to give it to her. I'm fine! Fine, but determined not to waste my money. Hence I decided to read the damn thing on a recent flight because at least there would be no time lost there. I was moving forward regardless.
And, to be fair, if you're going to chow through a graphic novel, there is no human subject as worthy as GG Allin. For those who aren't aware of this man's extreme nonsense, I am reluctant to educate you. Due to his violence against everyone (including women) and his tendency to cut himself before rolling around in his poop, my adoration is forever tricky to justify. But it's important to note that Allin was the only real deal in rockstar history. He was the epitome of embodying art by permanently becoming the performance to the most dangerous degrees at all times. Perhaps he had a mental illness. Perhaps he was the highest tier of narcissistic degenerate that the world has ever seen. Perhaps his entire persona was a calculated move towards infamy. But whatever the truth, he gave everything to his craft and not only in terms of stage madness. He was also a very productive musician, perpetually adding to his (surprisingly varied) catalogue of music. What's more, it wasn't all bad! Nor was it particularly good either.
Thankfully, this review is not about GG Allin because his rating deserves both a ten and a zero. Instead, we are talking about Reid Chancellor's interpretation of the story, which is predictably reserved with specific details but otherwise an accurate portrayal of the artist's history. And with so much content to satisfy, the comic's pacing was exciting, driven by simplistic drawings that perfectly match GG's roughness (which I think he would've loved). On the less impressive side, however, the narrative was shoddily written and seemed like a rushed project that used the Hated documentary as its primary resource. Speaking of which, don't bother with this book. Watch Hated! That shit will change you.
One of the most rock n roll moments of my life was when I once got drunk and proceeded to harass GG Allin's Facebook group for essentially degrading itself into a marketplace cashing in on memorabilia. It got so heated that GG's brother and bandmate, Merle, banned me. Little Jared was too much for GG Allin's official representation. I'm proud of that. Anyway, this book taught me nothing (except that GG has a daughter, wtf), and I am pleased that it only took an hour to finish. This report took longer.
And, to be fair, if you're going to chow through a graphic novel, there is no human subject as worthy as GG Allin. For those who aren't aware of this man's extreme nonsense, I am reluctant to educate you. Due to his violence against everyone (including women) and his tendency to cut himself before rolling around in his poop, my adoration is forever tricky to justify. But it's important to note that Allin was the only real deal in rockstar history. He was the epitome of embodying art by permanently becoming the performance to the most dangerous degrees at all times. Perhaps he had a mental illness. Perhaps he was the highest tier of narcissistic degenerate that the world has ever seen. Perhaps his entire persona was a calculated move towards infamy. But whatever the truth, he gave everything to his craft and not only in terms of stage madness. He was also a very productive musician, perpetually adding to his (surprisingly varied) catalogue of music. What's more, it wasn't all bad! Nor was it particularly good either.
Thankfully, this review is not about GG Allin because his rating deserves both a ten and a zero. Instead, we are talking about Reid Chancellor's interpretation of the story, which is predictably reserved with specific details but otherwise an accurate portrayal of the artist's history. And with so much content to satisfy, the comic's pacing was exciting, driven by simplistic drawings that perfectly match GG's roughness (which I think he would've loved). On the less impressive side, however, the narrative was shoddily written and seemed like a rushed project that used the Hated documentary as its primary resource. Speaking of which, don't bother with this book. Watch Hated! That shit will change you.
One of the most rock n roll moments of my life was when I once got drunk and proceeded to harass GG Allin's Facebook group for essentially degrading itself into a marketplace cashing in on memorabilia. It got so heated that GG's brother and bandmate, Merle, banned me. Little Jared was too much for GG Allin's official representation. I'm proud of that. Anyway, this book taught me nothing (except that GG has a daughter, wtf), and I am pleased that it only took an hour to finish. This report took longer.
August 16, 2025
Overall this a very good, if unconventional, biography. Well researched but some details are wrong or omitted entirely. But it paints a good picture of who GG was.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews