From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry

by Justin Pearson

Overview

As an adolescent, Justin Pearson moved with his mother from “Shit Creek Phoenix, AZ” to sunny San Diego after his father was murdered on Halloween. There, he fell in with a subculture of young musicians playing some of the most original and brutal music in the world. Turns out the chaos of Pearson’s bands — The Locust, Swing Kids, and Some Girls — is nothing compared to the madness of his life.
An icon of the West Coast noise and punk scene, Pearson managed to arrive at adulthood by outsmarting skinheads and dodging equally threatening violence at home. Once there, the struggle continued, with Pearson getting beat up on Jerry Springer and, on more than one occasion, chased out of town by ferociously angry audiences.
From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry is the outrageously candid story of Pearson’s life. In loving, meticulous detail, Pearson gives readers the dirt behind each rivalry, riff, and lineup change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593762629
Publisher:	Soft Skull Press, Inc.
Publication date:	05/25/2010
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

Editorial Reviews

Advance Praise for From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry

“After reading his book, I'm convinced that Justin Pearson offers one of the best reasons to not do drugs . . . the dude can remember every nuance of his twisted upbringing, which not only makes for interesting memories on behalf of the author, but an even more interesting read for we the people. A truly visceral account of the life of one of punk rock's more obscure excrements.” —Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation

“Christ, it’s four dudes with no faces squeezing into tight pants and feigning murder on the dancefloor. And you hear it in every note they play: The Locust simply love what they do.” —Brandon Stosuy in Pitchfork

“JP’s writings are as inspiring as they are brutally honest, filled with amazing tales of beating odds and getting beat. A true punk legend.” —Nick Zinner of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

“Justin Pearson is a phenomenal artist, songwriter and now author. Stories from his childhood, to touring in his bands, and running his label Three One G, this book is filled with experiences that we can all relate to at different times in our life.” —DJ Steve Aoki, “Kid Millionaire”

“You never really know someone and to be honest I don't think they know themselves until they evaluate their life and existence by writing it down. Justin Pearson has done that with an F-U attitude, never backing down and always pushing the boundaries. For a fan of his musical endeavors, this is a look inside the mind of a man who has made people cringe and writhe in glory at the same time.” —Tim Pyles, FM94/9

“Scraping the ground where the barrel of life used to be, Graveyard is an offensive, charming, funny and most importantly, a sincere look at a life you couldn’t make up.” —Rob Moran

“Most punk autobiographies are written late in a rocker's life. Justin Pearson has wisely chosen to write his way way way before the self-aggrandizing memory-loss tipping point—that's thirty-three years old for druggies, eighty-seven for straight-edgers. At the risk of being called a fag and getting beaten up by jocks, I would like to tell everyone to read this wonderful, trashy book. If you live in San Diego you might want to wait awhile. I'm pretty sure names and places have NOT been changed.” —Quintron

“With this book Justin Pearson restores our faith in two important values that the modern epoch is deleting: integrity and artistic credibility.” —Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo (Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77)

“Reading From The Graveyard Of The Arousal Industry is like buying a ticket to the amusement park that is Justin Pearson's brain. Pay the admission and experience the life and inspiration of this unique and incredibly prolific artist.” —Eric Paul, author of I Offered Myself As The Sea, Love In The Monkey Cage, and Pussy Pow Wow

“Showbiz never looked so violent yet cheery, chaotic yet level-headed. Justin Pearson is a lovely lunatic who writes with kindness even if he’s describing being in the middle of an on-stage brawl. He may pick the wrong girl and never be able to escape the mayhem in his personal life but he still seems kind of perfect . . . in a twisted way.” —John Waters

From the Publisher