# What are some good biographies of drugged out or emotionally troubled people **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937 "2012-11-23T21:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/1 "2012-11-23T21:20:17Z")
I really enjoyed [the heroin diaries](http://www.amazon.com/Heroin-Diaries-Year-Life-Shattered/dp/1416511946) and have read it multiple times. I’ve read Tommy Lee’s biography too, but found the part where he was in jail the most interesting. So I think I’m drawn to biographies about addiction, emotional problems, people living life on the edge and things like that. Are there any recommendations along those genres? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/2 "2012-11-23T21:25:36Z")
Years ago I read [Wonderland Avenue](http://www.amazon.com/Wonderland-Avenue-Glamour-Excess-Abacus/dp/0349101752/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353705793&sr=1-1&keywords=wonderland+avenue) and loved it. Just the first pages available here will give you a good taste. ---
**Author:** ![Willcross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Willcross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willcross)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/3 "2012-11-24T01:13:20Z")
I’m currently reading “Too fat too fish” about Artie Lange, from Mad TV and later Howard Stern. It’s pretty good and focuses on the things you mention. It helps that i’m a huge Howard fan, and think Artie contributed a lot to that show. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/4 "2012-11-24T01:25:48Z")
I haven’t read it since high school, so consider this with the due weight you’d give any recommendation by an angsty teen girl, but I really loved [And I Don’t Want to Live This Life](http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Want-Live-This-Life/dp/0449911411), the biography of Nancy Spungen, best known as the bad news girlfriend killed by equally bad news punk rocker Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, written by her mother. It’s quite possibly utter tripe, but it has good reviews on Amazon. They can’t \*all \*be from angsty teen girls, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/5 "2012-11-24T01:26:01Z")
I believe it’s sort of half autobiography half fiction, but there’s always Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If it’s anything like the movie, it’s probably about as drugged out and emotionally troubled as you’re going to get. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/6 "2012-11-24T01:30:45Z")
Jean Stein’s _Edie: American Girl_, dealing with the life and decline of the troubled socialite/starlet Edie Sedgwick. It’s told in a series of interviews with various people over the course of her life, which illustrates all the angles of her personality and behavior. Really fascinating and sad. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/7 "2012-11-24T01:48:39Z")
[Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius](http://www.amazon.com/Jaco-Extraordinary-Tragic-Life-Pastorius/dp/0879308591/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1353721577&sr=8-11&keywords=jaco) tells the story, through interviews and up-close reminiscences, of the immense talent and steady descent into madness of the man who was possibly the world’s greatest bass guitarist. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/8 "2012-11-24T02:11:00Z")
WhyNot, I was going to suggest “Syd and Nancy!” ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/9 "2012-11-24T02:45:13Z")
> [@jordanr2](#): > > Jean Stein’s _Edie: American Girl_, dealing with the life and decline of the troubled socialite/starlet Edie Sedgwick. It’s told in a series of interviews with various people over the course of her life, which illustrates all the angles of her personality and behavior. Really fascinating and sad. This is the book I opened the thread to recommend. Absolutely fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/10 "2012-11-24T04:42:50Z")
[Please Kill Me](http://www.amazon.com/Please-Kill-Me-Uncensored-History/dp/0802142648) is a fascinating read about the early punk scene in New York, from Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground, The Stooges and the MC5 in the 60’s to the CBGB scene in 1980. Lots of messed up, drugged out people. ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/11 "2012-11-24T15:12:01Z")
_Long Time Gone_ by David Crosby. He tells a story about wandering off stage in Philadelphia to freebase cocaine, Stills and Nash frantically trying to find him. I was at that show. In Pittsburgh. :rolleyes: So even his memories are messed up. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/12 "2012-11-24T15:47:19Z")
Check out the books written about (and one by) **Dee Dee Ramone**. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/13 "2012-11-24T16:12:35Z")
A Fan’s Notes by Exley should fit the bill. [A Fan's Notes: Exley, Frederick: 9780679720768: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Fans-Notes-Frederick-Exley/dp/0679720766). > [@](#): > > Frederick Exley recounts his life as the son of a hero-worshipped high school athlete who is doomed to be a spectator not only of sports, but of life. From irresponsible drifter, to dreamer of impossible dreams, to drunkard, to frequent patient at an insane asylum, Exley carried baggage from his childhood through much of his adult life, never feeling he could escape the dark cloud of expectation that hung over him. When Frank Gifford, former New York Giants backfield star, is injured, Exley is jolted into painful realizations about his life, and a confession. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/14 "2012-11-24T17:07:04Z")
I thought Tony Fletcher’s biography of Who drummer Keith Moon was very good. Moon definitely had major substance abuse problems, and Fletcher argues that he likely suffered from borderline personality disorder as well. The book is titled _Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon_ in the UK and _Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend_ in the US. Blurb from [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Life-Death-Rock-Legend/dp/0380788276/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1): > [@](#): > > Keith Moon was the bad boy of rock & roll, the most manic member of an aggressive and fabulously successful band, a full-throttle hedonist who lived at the center of an unending party. He was also a musical genius who inspired whole generations of artists, a generous friend to nearly everyone who crossed his path, a guileless man of immense personal charm to whom the sweetest sound on earth was surf music. A generation after his death, Moon is still revered as the greatest drummer in rock history and the single wildest personality in an age of pop excess. Here is the truth behind the legend, the result of more than three years of research in which music journalist Tony Fletcher interviewed dozens of Moon’s friends, colleagues, and associates. The result is an instant classic that brilliantly illuminates both the tender and self-destructive sides of this singular personality. This is the story of one of the most outrageous rock stars ever born – and \*Moon \*is one of the greatest rock biographies ever written. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/15 "2012-11-24T18:17:37Z")
Girl, Interrupted Hurry Down Sunshine More about emotionally troubled rather than drug addiction. ---
**Author:** ![NGC2024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@NGC2024](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NGC2024)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/16 "2012-11-24T18:25:59Z")
I just read Jenna Jameson’s memoir “How to Make Love Like a Porn Star”. It was good and I ended up liking her quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/17 "2012-11-24T19:29:44Z")
I enjoyed Carrie White’s biography very much. She was a celebrity hairstylist in California in the 60s & 70s. > [@](#): > > Carrie White was one the most celebrated celebrity hair salon owners of the '60s and '70s, having styled the hair of Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn and Ann-Margret. She also dated Jack Nicholson and was sought after by Hollywood directors, serving as technical director on “Shampoo” and creating Nurse Ratched’s infamous hairstyle in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” > > But beneath the surface of her glamorous life, White had buried a painful past, surviving abandonment, alcoholism and sexual abuse as a child, participating in gangs as a teenager, and having three husbands and five children before age 29. > **[Salon Owner Gets Second Chance After Drug Addiction](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carrie-white-hair_n_1730835)** > > Salon Owner Gets Second Chance After Drug Addiction ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/18 "2012-11-24T20:09:20Z")
Bob Woodward’s classic _Wired_, about John Belushi _Drinking, A Love Story_ by Carolyn Knapp ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/19 "2012-11-24T20:14:36Z")
[Scar Tissue](http://www.amazon.com/Scar-Tissue-Anthony-Kiedis/dp/1401307450) by/about Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/20 "2012-11-24T20:25:34Z")
I read Sylvia Plath’s [The Bell Jar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Jar) many years ago and was very taken by it. Plath committed suicide shortly after it was published and the book itself is essentially autobiographical although in the guise of a novel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937.md?page=2)