Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
“Divine Invasions”, Lawrence Sutin’s biography of Philip K. Dick.
I haven’t read it myself, but Portrait of an Addict As A Young Man by Bill Clegg got a lot of press a year or two ago.
You might enjoy Nico: Songs They Never Play on the Radio; I’m not into music, but read it after I heard an excerpt on BBC radio, and found it fascinating, in a car-crash reading way.
If you liked the Heroin Diaries, I highly recommend Slash, by, well, Slash. Hell of a lot of crazy drug and drinking stories, but a lot of cool stuff otherwise related to the various bands he’s been in too
I read that one and it didn’t resonate with me the way Nikki Sixx’s biography did. Sixx was a damaged hedonist with a death wish. Slash almost seemed responsible by comparison in my view.
James Ellroy’s My Dark Places, part autobiography of a paranoid depressed junkie, part murder mystery. His mother was murdered in his childhood and he was attempting to solve it. Ellroy also wrote LA Confidential, The Black Dahlia, and American Tabloid, among others. He’s one of the best, and most disturbing, writers I know of.
HA! I have to read that sometime. I was at the Pittsburgh show, too - it was my first concert! I remember The Band opened. Great show, probably BECAUSE he was so fucked up. Stills and Nash took turns doing solo material while the other one tried to talk him back on-stage. Strange occurrences like that, where the artists wing it, are more exciting than any planned production. Watching seasoned veterans making unplanned changes to make the most of a bad situation is a joy to see. Stills kicked much ass.
I recently read Ozzy’s autobiography. I’d say he counts as a drugged-up, emotionally-troubled person. GREAT read BTW, and I’m not a huge Ozzy fan.
Keith Richards’ autobiography wasn’t horrible, but to be honest, I haven’t finished it yet. It’s probably a must-read for Stones fans, though he talks about other things a great deal more than I expected. I’m about 3/4th’s of the way through, and it’s sat like that for a few months while I read other things. I’ll get back to it eventually.
Steven Tyler’s autobiography - well, I don’t know how it is, because I didn’t make it ten pages. He’s someone that doesn’t use one word where a paragraph will do.
I Don’t Want to Live this Life is an excellent read. I love this book. It shows the absolute frustration of a family dealing with a mental ill member who simply could not or would not be cured.
Jill Ireland’s “Life Lines” deals with the mental illness and drug addiction of her and David McCallum’s adopted son Jason.
Both these children were perscribed psychotropic drugs at a very young age. I’ve often wondered if the idea that “drugs are okay” can be destructive in the long run.
The Doors camp is very against this book, subtitling it “Nothing Hear But Pack of Lies.”
Carrie Fischer’s semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge.
The Cracker Factory by Joyce Rebetta-Burditt.
I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can by Barbara Gordon.
Go ask Alice Anonymous.
I haven’t read it in eons, but Speed by William S. Burroughs Jr. is an autobiography of a very drugged out and emotionally troubled young man. How troubled? Well, he was probably born addicted to amphetamines; his father is one of the world’s most famous junkies; his father also shot his mother when William Jr was 4; later being introduced to drugs by his father in Tangier, he was arrested as a teenager for stealing prescription pads to get amphetamine; and it doesn’t get much more pleasant from there.
Have you read “The Dirt” which is the Mötley Crüe biography? I loved it, even more than the Heroin diaries. Also Dave Navarros book is pretty good too.
My son reads and re-reads Brandon Novak’s Dreamseller.
Jerry Garcia’s biography Dark Star something or other.
Also the biography of John Belushi.
If you get a chance read “father does know best” by Lauren Chapin. Lauren played Kitty on father knows best, and boy did she have one messed up life.
Jim Carroll’s The Basketball Diaries fits the bill.
The OP might also appreciate watching Intervention on A&E.
The Eden Express describes Mark Vonnegut’s experiences with schizophrenia (the author is Kurt Vonnegut’s son).