Rock Monster - by Kristin Casey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Far from bitter or self-pitying, Rock Monster is an honest account of one woman's life-changing experience in a relationship with rock legend Joe Walsh. At once envious, glamorous, debauched and disturbing, it's her long and winding journey from life in the fast lane to sobriety and redemption.

Set in the late-eighties and nineties, these are some of Walsh's darkest years, from spiraling addiction to a stunning comeback with the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over tour. Loaded with true stories never before heard, Rock Monster is essential reading for classic rock fans and anyone touched by addiction. Kristin Casey pulls no punches, sharing gritty details with self-awareness, humor, and affection. Sharply written, bold and incisive, it's the worldly-wise tome only an ex-addict, ex-stripper, and ex-rock-chick could give us.

In the tradition of women-in-rock survivor tales-by Marianne Faithfull, Crystal Zevon, or Mackenzie Phillips-Kristin Casey pulls a veil on the enduring myth of the lifestyle's glamorous decadence. Rock Monster is a sexy, crazy, cautionary tale of two addicts in love without a single relationship skill.

Review Quotes

"...a well-written and often harrowing tale of love, lust, and little packets of white powder."
-Houston Press

"Told with an aching straightforward vulnerability, peppered with massive superstars and seedy hangers-on, this addictive spiral catapults you into what life with an unpredictable rock god is really like. Hooked on each other, the booze-fueled muse and her man, Joe Walsh, take "monstering" to a harrowing level. The writing is so good it feels like spending a chatty couple of weeks with your wildest best friend, spilling oh so many scintillating secrets."
-Pamela Des Barres, New York Times Bestselling author of I'm with the Band and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart

"Kristin Casey goes straight for the jugular with high-octane tales of rock and roll, addiction, a highly dysfunctional celebrity relationship, and finally recovery...There's a depth to Casey's introspection that elevates it above your average "tell all" books...Buy this book!"
-Patrick O'Neill, author of Gun, Needle, Spoon

"I knew I was gonna love this book the moment I got to the line, 'Can we please fuck normally now?' And that was within the first dozen or so pages. I mean seriously, what more do you want from a whirlwind romance between a stripper and a rock star? You want drugs, too? Well you're in luck, fancypants. It's like they raided Hunter S. Thompson's personal stash, and then fucked like demons. If this isn't what constitutes great literature anymore, then I give up. If nothing else, read this book and the next time 'Life's Been Good' comes on the radio, you can smile knowingly to everyone around you and say, 'You guys have NO idea.'"
-Eric Spitznagel, author if Old Records Never Die: One Man's Quest For His Vinyl and His Past

"Rock Monster gives an unflinchingly honest, crisply detailed look into Casey's years as a young stripper dating a famous rock star. It's everything you ever wondered about that life and more. Her writing is so intimate and revealing that you almost feel guilty, as if you're reading somebody's diary. Her spot on descriptions of the yearnings, the urge to please, her own feelings of inadequacy as well as the insidious slide into drug addiction amidst the glamorous touring life makes this a must read."
-Amy Dresner, author of My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean

"No vantage point is better than the one on the inside. KC was on the front lines of one of rock's most decadent eras. She tells her story with skill and detail that will stay with the reader a very long time."
-Marc Eliot, New York Times bestselling author of To The Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles

"Kristin Casey's moving, honest, and powerful story takes us into a world we've all dreamed of being inside-the excitement of life with a famous rockstar, the drugs, the sex, and the romance-and pulls back the curtain to reveal what actually happens backstage."
-Kerry Cohen, author of Loose Girl

"This ain't no fanboy account, it's the genuine lived experience of Walsh's most intimate relationship. And while you're there check out the pictures! (Walsh may be crazy, but he ain't that crazy!)"
-Adam "Slowpoke" Temple, Austin guitarist (The Scabs)

About the Author

Kristin Casey is a writer and recovered alcoholic and addict. Her memoir Rock Monster: My Life with Joe Walsh documents their tumultuous six-year relationship and drug-fueled, train wreck breakup. She's survived numerous addictions, suicide attempts, clinical depression, Catholicism, and the panhandle of Texas.

Her writing has appeared in the Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, From the Asylum, $pread, and elsewhere. She writes about addiction, dependency, sexuality, and relationships. She resides in Austin, Texas, and works in the field of sex therapy.