BOOK: I, Shithead - A Life In Punk
By Joey Keithley - Arsenal Pulp Press
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

---

The list of the names Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins and Darby Crash read like an exalted pantheon of punk gods enshrined somewhere in a warehouse monument (likely doused affectionately in cheap beer and warm piss). The name of Joey Keithley - O.K., he's better known as Joey Shithead - of D.O.A. fame is not as recognizable, and after reading I, Shithead I shudder and think that not knowing of Joey is a real shame. Keithley tells the D.O.A. story in lucid detail, a surprising fact considering how prominently beer consumption plays. Hard rocking and hard touring, D.O.A. were reared in western Canada, cut their teeth in Los Angeles and ascended all the way to European stardom. Keithley is undoubtedly proud of his band's legacy, and rightfully so as few from rock bottom to riches tales are as inspiring as that spun in I, Shithead.

© 2004 - Erick Mertz