Strange Cures - by Rob Zabrecky (Paperback)

About the Book

"A turbulent, against-all odds memoir of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvention, told by one of LA's most interesting natives. With an unflinching gaze, musician/magician/actor Zabrecky recounts his bizarre coming-of-age tale and his quest to find a place in the arts--and the world"--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

Strange Cures is a turbulent, against-all odds memoir of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvention, told by one of LA's most interesting natives. With an unflinching gaze, musician/magician/actor Zabrecky recounts his bizarre coming-of-age tale and his quest to find a place in the arts--and the world.

The author reveals a young life filled with both physical miracles and subversive role models, including an uncle who impersonated an FBI agent and, in a drunken delusion, shot and nearly killed him. He takes readers on a roller coaster ride through the nascent days of Silver Lake's music and art community, as seen through the lens of his critically acclaimed band, Possum Dixon.

We explore the left-of-center landscape of Jabberjaw, LA's independent coffee-house which featured the early talents of Nirvana and Beck; Zabrecky's own struggles with drug addiction, love, and recovery; and finally his re-emergence as a magician venturing into the sacred world of Hollywood's Magic Castle.

Strange Cures is a trip through the thrilling and hazardous landscape of Southern California at the close of last century. His story is a revelatory look inside the Los Angeles underground music world of the late 80s and early 90s--as seen through the alleys and doorways from a key insider.

Review Quotes

"Strange Cures combines magic and music, knowledge and innocence, humor and pathos into a singular and unique narrative. His story is a weird and worthy subject. As is he." --Jason Alexander, actor, comedian, director

"Zabrecky's stories of growing up in 1970s and 80s San Fernando Valley are woven with the rich color and detail of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story. But instead of fun adventures with Santa Claus and the Bumpus hounds, this poor kid ends up getting shot with a .22-caliber Winchester sporting rifle."--Chris Nichols, Los Angeles Magazine

"There are some voices, some lives, some stories that so uniquely and powerfully make up the blood of Los Angeles' pulsing, and Rob Zabrecky's Strange Cures is without a doubt one of them. A breathtaking journey through music, addiction, revival and literal and metaphorical magic by one of LA's most cherished and significant pillars makes Zabrecky's trajectory a read you won't soon forget." --Amber Tamblyn, actress, author, poet

"Rob Zabrecky has long been one of the most unique and fascinating characters LA has to offer, and now he has become one of the city's all-time great chroniclers as well. Strange Cures is a hilarious and incredibly moving depiction of a nearly forgotten corner of the city that produced one of its most dynamic artistic flowerings. Destined to go down as one of the great LA novels." --Richard Rushfield, Vanity Fair contributor, author On Spec, Don't Follow Me - I'm Lost

"Zabrecky's memoirs are surprising, addictive, terrifying, magical. He careens through childhood, rock and roll, and popular entertainment by driving on the shoulder, passing on the right, and then playing bumper cars with the cold, hard truth. You're in for a fantastic ride." --Jim Steinmeyer, President of the Magic Castle, author, inventor

"Strange Cures chronicles Rob Zabrecky's offbeat and amazing life. A suburban kid from Southern California, Zabrecky Houdinied himself from the underground Silverlake rock'n'roll scene--and the substance abuse that went along with it--and miraculously transformed himself as one of the most renowned magicians in the world. You won't be able to put this book down." --Pleasant Gehman, author of Showgirl Confidential, poet, dancer

"With Strange Cures, Rob at last reveals the origins of the many oddly-formed pieces that add up to this puzzle of a man. A fascinating and harrowing autobiography of a true American original." --Gregg Turkington, comedian & actor

"From deep inside the recesses of one of the world's most exquisitely cool and talented people comes a riveting memoir, deftly told, by an enchanting rebel hero in a special time and place. Strange Cures is a thrill ride I never never wanted to end." --Stacey Grenrock-Woods, author, I California