Nicholas Tanek is a writer and was on my show! You should read his stuff

 Author Nicholas Tanek came on my podcast promoting "The Coolest Way to Kill Yourself" and "Chipped Black Nail Polish". Man was he patient, and man has he led an interesting life. I hope he has found some peace. Look forward to talking w/ him again. I could write more, but I'm sure I have some corporate Powerpoint thing to to. More later.

I can only say, w/o blowing smoke up  anyone's butt, that Nicholas perfectly captures that 80's/90's time of perfect music coming over from The UK. I remember going to the "import" section of my local Scotti's (RIP) Records in Madison, NJ and buying tons of stuff in my late 20's, and before that when I lived in North Plainfield, Stereo City, which was a dump. Everything came in those protective, cheap, cellophane wrappers due to importation, I assume

The sense of freedom, and endless time as an alterna kid, be it running around NYC, or skateboarding by Princeton Record Exchange on Nassau St. was perfect.  I had quite the visceral reaction to it. Very emotional... not necessarily tears... or fondness... but it brought back memories of a different time.. Matt Pinfield... concerts at The Ritz in NYC. Drinking underage at Suzy's Chinese restaurant on Bleeker St. ( you could have been in first grade and they would have served you)

Running into actor (from "The White Shadow") and now big time TV director ("The Sopranos" and "Boardwalk Empire") Vince Van Patton while he was in film school in NY, and him breaking my balls by telling me that actually he and his Dad (Dick Van Patton)  weren't actually father and son, but brothers.

So, while I didn't have all the drug interaction Nicholas did, Emotionally I was there. I would have liked to have gotten a better sense of what his family was like (like a couple chapters about them - just them, it's a minor quibble). I know during that time, my parents drove me crazy, and eventualy into therapy.

It took me til my 40's while in therapy to have that moment of clarity where I realized parents are not perfect, or all knowing. They are just a couple of schmucks, like you and I.... dancing their way thru it, trying to not get arrested. Trying to get out of the 11th round against Marco Antonio Barrera 

In all seriousness, I feel like it sums up "my scene" or my part of my generation in a seminal way, much like "Bright Lights, Big City" or "Less Than Zero" did for theirs (for New York, and Los Angeles.)

And to top it off; Nicholas is a good guy, a good human being. A survivor, and fascinating to talk to. So seek his books out. Read 'em. Think about what's on those pages.