Sing Backwards and Weep by Mark Lanegan

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, Mark Lanegan's Sing Backwards and Weep is a brutally honest and unflinching descent into the heart of a damaged soul and the drug-saturated underbelly of the Seattle alternative music scene. Nick Cave's succinct assessment – "Mark Lanegan-primitive, brutal, and apocalyptic. What's not to love?" – captures the raw power within these pages. Ian Rankin declares it "A stoned cold classic," while Bobby Gillespie notes that "Mark Lanegan writes like he sings, from the pained heart of a damaged soul with brutal honesty." Lucinda Williams aptly describes it as "Powerfully written and brutally, frighteningly honest." Rightly recognised as a ROUGH TRADE AND MOJO BOOK OF THE YEAR, this memoir pulls no punches.

From the cramped confines of the tour van to the dimly lit back of the bar, from anonymous hotel rooms to the stark reality of the emergency room, Lanegan takes the reader on a harrowing journey through the sinister, needle-ridden streets of Seattle during a period when the alternative music scene was simultaneously exploding with creative energy and drowning in drugs. He charts the tumultuous trajectory of Screaming Trees, from their beginnings as a brawling, acid-rock bar band to their ascent as world-famous festival favourites with a lasting legacy. Intertwined with the band's story is Lanegan's own visceral account of his relentless personal struggles with addiction, a battle that ultimately led to homelessness, petty crime, and the devastating loss of his closest friends.

Sing Backwards and Weep is gritty, gripping, and unflinchingly raw, offering no romanticised version of rock and roll excess. Instead, it's a stark and compelling narrative about a man who, against seemingly insurmountable odds, learned how to drag himself from the wreckage, dust off the ashes of his past, and find a way to keep living and creating. As the Daily Telegraph aptly states, this is "The most brutally honest rock memoir imaginable." It's a testament to resilience, a stark warning, and a powerful, unforgettable read.