So Real It Hurts

More about the book

Through personal essays and interviews, punk musician Lydia Lunch confronts the reader's conscience in this powerful feminist collection. She oscillates between bold celebrations of her defiant spirit and poignant reflections on the harsh realities of poverty, abuse, and environmental degradation, alongside a visceral revenge fantasy against misogynistic men. Lunch presents her experiences unapologetically, challenging readers to judge her as she reveals the traumas that have shaped her into a cultural icon. Interspersed with her incisive personal narratives, Lunch offers cultural insights that express a collective desire to combat cultural amnesia and honor her predecessors and peers. Her interview with Hubert Selby Jr., profile of Herbert Hunke, and unromanticized histories of No Wave and the late Sixties, along with a critical look at the commercialization of counterculture, highlight the search for heroes in overlooked places. While it may seem that true heroes are absent, Lunch urges us to dig deeper, revealing that worthy idols have been obscured by more lucrative historical narratives. This collection immerses readers in Lunch's world, where she exacts vengeance on predators and asserts her dominance over authority, refusing to let those in power maintain their grip.