Tranny

Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout

De: Laura Jane Grace, Dan Ozzi

Narrado por: Laura Jane Grace

One of Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time: The provocative transgender advocate and lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me! provides a searing account of her search for identity and her true self. It began in a bedroom in Naples, Florida, when a misbehaving punk teenager named Tom Gabel, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a headful of anarchist politics, landed on a riff. Gabel formed Against Me! and rocketed the band from its scrappy beginnings-banging on a drum kit made of pickle buckets-to a major-label powerhouse that critics have called this generation's The Clash.

Since its inception in 1997, Against Me! has been one of punk's most influential modern bands, but also one of its most divisive. With every notch the four-piece climbed in their career, they gained new fans while infuriating their old ones. They suffered legal woes, a revolving door of drummers, and a horde of angry, militant punks who called them "sellouts" and tried to sabotage their shows at every turn. But underneath the public turmoil, something much greater occupied Gabel - a secret kept for 30 years, only acknowledged in the scrawled-out pages of personal journals and hidden in lyrics.

Through a troubled childhood, delinquency, and struggles with drugs, Gabel was on a punishing search for identity. Not until May of 2012 did a Rolling Stone profile finally reveal it: Gabel is a transsexual, and would from then on be living as a woman under the name Laura Jane Grace.

Tranny is the intimate story of Against Me!'s enigmatic founder, weaving the narrative of the band's history, as well as Grace's, with dozens of never-before-seen entries from the piles of journals Grace kept. More than a typical music memoir about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll - although it certainly has plenty of that - Tranny is an inside look at one of the most remarkable stories in the history of rock.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Laura Jane Grace (P)2016 Hachette Audio

equal parts punk rock/trans experience

I was pretty well in the target audience for this book. I'm a huge Against Me fan, I see them almost every time they're in town, and I also like reading about LGBTQ issues and had made it a goal to read more about the trans experience. But I was blown away by how good this book is. I knew Laura was a gifted lyricist, but that does not necessarily a great prose writer make. I am also a little suspicious of biographies with co-writers attached. But since so much of this was from Laura's journals, I felt more confident this was really her voice. Despite it being a sometimes dark and emotionally difficult read, I was sad when this was over. So many celebrity biographies, even of people with interesting stories, feel forced, feel like they should be blog posts, not a book. There are usually chapters it seems obvious are only there to increase page count and somehow make this long enough to be a book. This is not the case here. I regret not buying a physical copy last time I saw them on tour, because it makes me sad I was missing out on this for so long!

There is equal material here for the punk rocker, Against Me fan, anarchist DIY sort and for those mainly interested in Laura's gender dysphoria experience. I will say if you wanted to read all about her physical transition you might be disappointed there. The book ends with her committing fully to hormone therapy, no surgeries are mentioned, as it's none of our business.

I loved the band name dropping. Hearing about Laura almost getting in a fight with Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio when she was Tom, hanging out with NOFX on Warped Tour and jamming with Lars and Tim from Rancid was amazing. Joan Jett was also a big presence.

It's also worth noting that even people confident and firm in a traditional gender identity will find plenty to relate to here. If you've ever felt like your body or the image you present to the world doesn't match what's inside of you, if you've ever hated what you see in the mirror, you will see that you may have more similarities than differences with trans or gender non conforming folk.

In a time when many of our heroes are falling, it's nice to see one rise.

We are all just bones in a box ...

Prior to listening, I had read the book. I couldn't put it down. It left me wanting more. When I noticed this was being read by Laura I had to listen. It has great flow as she shares these moments in her life. Laura has a genuine charm about her. This book is honest and extremely courageous. There were several parts that I just found so heartbreaking and
even relatable. I hope there will be another book!

amazing

I couldn't stop reading and listening to this book. Laura Jane Grace is real, raw and honest. I have a whole new respect for her and Against Me! I hung on her every word.

So Fucking Good!

Listened straight through at work and when she yelled at the pharmacist I literally shouted "Fuck yeah!" out loud at my register!

illuminating for the against me! fan

as a longtime fan of their music, I really enjoyed learning more of the story behind the band. I largely really liked this book, but as a trans person, I wish there was more in the Transgender Dysphoria Blues era, because its certainly weighted towards their early-middle output. nevertheless, it was a great listen and Laura did a great job

Amazing!

Laura Jane Grace told her story with such poison and grace. I have loved her music for years. she made me love her more after reading this book.

To learn someone’s history is so powerful.

I have always adored Laura Jane Grace & after reading this book I’ve only grown to appreciate her more. I loved the realness & vulnerability expressed in these stories. An iconic musician & author.

Amazingly Written

What did you like best about this story?

As a long time Against Me! fan, I was looking forward to know what was going on behind the scenes during this whole period in her life and that's exactly what I got and more.

What about Laura Jane Grace’s performance did you like?

She's so inspiring for everyone, no matter what gender, sexual preference, walk of life, etc... A great story and someone to look up to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The ending to this book is perfect. I loved it.

All the cards on the table.

Laura Jane lays out the good the bad and the ugly in her own voice.

Laura Jane Grace is an icon

As a young anarchist punk, I was always a fan of Against Me! They were never my favorite, I never cared much to see them live, but something drew me to them. I noticed the metaphors alluding to Laura's gender identity and something about it always resonated with me. Flash forward to 2011, I was just beginning to learn about was being trans was and I knew that that's what I was. Then the rolling Stone article in which Laura came out in dropped. My only thought was that if she could be brave enough to be out to the world, maybe I could do it too eventually. That album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, quite literally saved my life. I wasn't alone. It wasn't easy for her and it wouldn't be easy for me, but I wasn't alone. I pulled myself away from the edge and knew I had to live long enough to be as brave as her. Now years later, 1 year on hormones, I've seen Against Me! (now my favorite band) and met Laura, she is still my hero. I aspire to be like her, to look like her, to live my brutal truth. This book really hit home. It reinforced this shared experience that I felt I had with her. So many of things she tells of, the experiences she's had, seem like they could have been copy and pasted from my own journals. I truly believe this is a must read (or listen I guess) for anyone, but especially for all of the transgender punks like us out there.