Horror Stories: A Memoir
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- Author：Liz Phair
- ISBN：0525512004
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Summary
The two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter behind the groundbreaking album Exile in Guyville traces her life and career in a genre-bending memoir in stories about the pivotal moments that haunt her。
"Honest， original and absolutely remarkable。"--NPR （Best Books of the Year）
When Liz Phair shook things up with her musical debut， Exile in Guyville--making her as much a cultural figure as a feminist pioneer and rock star--her raw candor， uncompromising authenticity， and deft storytelling inspired a legion of critics， songwriters， musicians， and fans alike。 Now， like a Gen X Patti Smith， Liz Phair reflects on the path she has taken in these piercing essays that reveal the indelible memories that have stayed with her。
For Phair， horror is in the eye of the beholder--in the often unrecognized universal experiences of daily pain， guilt， and fear that make up our humanity。 Illuminating despair with hope and consolation， tempering it all with her signature wit， Horror Stories is immersive， taking readers inside the most intimate junctures of Phair's life， from facing her own bad behavior and the repercussions of betraying her fundamental values， to watching her beloved grandmother inevitably fade， to undergoing the beauty of childbirth while being hit up for an autograph by the anesthesiologist。
Horror Stories is a literary accomplishment that reads like the confessions of a friend。 It gathers up all of our isolated shames and draws them out into the light， uniting us in our shared imperfection， our uncertainty and our cowardice， smashing the stigma of not being in control。 But most importantly， the uncompromising precision and candor of Horror Stories transforms these deeply personal experiences into tales about each and every one of us。
"Honest， original and absolutely remarkable。"--NPR （Best Books of the Year）
When Liz Phair shook things up with her musical debut， Exile in Guyville--making her as much a cultural figure as a feminist pioneer and rock star--her raw candor， uncompromising authenticity， and deft storytelling inspired a legion of critics， songwriters， musicians， and fans alike。 Now， like a Gen X Patti Smith， Liz Phair reflects on the path she has taken in these piercing essays that reveal the indelible memories that have stayed with her。
For Phair， horror is in the eye of the beholder--in the often unrecognized universal experiences of daily pain， guilt， and fear that make up our humanity。 Illuminating despair with hope and consolation， tempering it all with her signature wit， Horror Stories is immersive， taking readers inside the most intimate junctures of Phair's life， from facing her own bad behavior and the repercussions of betraying her fundamental values， to watching her beloved grandmother inevitably fade， to undergoing the beauty of childbirth while being hit up for an autograph by the anesthesiologist。
Horror Stories is a literary accomplishment that reads like the confessions of a friend。 It gathers up all of our isolated shames and draws them out into the light， uniting us in our shared imperfection， our uncertainty and our cowardice， smashing the stigma of not being in control。 But most importantly， the uncompromising precision and candor of Horror Stories transforms these deeply personal experiences into tales about each and every one of us。
Reviews
Christina
，
A memoir like none otherThe way this memoir was constructed and the stories that were told were like nothing I’ve read before。 Liz seems to hit home on so many philosophical dilemmas that seem so commonplace and yet so poignant。 I enjoyed every minute reading this book， in large part due to her witty， sarcastic at times， and engaging writing style。
Vera
，
4。4 stars。
Rick Pyle
，
Part autobiography， part reminiscence about life in general。 Especially life near the beach in LA。
Heather
，
（3。5 stars/rounding up）In this book's prologue， Liz Phair explains that the book is about "the small indignities we all suffer daily， the silent insults to our system， the callous gestures we make toward one another" （4）。 These are everyday horror stories， for some definition of "everyday": affairs， relationship troubles， performance mishaps， brushes with danger。 As others have noted， this isn't really a music-centric memoir， but I was fine with that。 Phair's writing has some clunky moments （lik （3。5 stars/rounding up）In this book's prologue， Liz Phair explains that the book is about "the small indignities we all suffer daily， the silent insults to our system， the callous gestures we make toward one another" （4）。 These are everyday horror stories， for some definition of "everyday": affairs， relationship troubles， performance mishaps， brushes with danger。 As others have noted， this isn't really a music-centric memoir， but I was fine with that。 Phair's writing has some clunky moments （like when she describes people temporarily without air-conditioning as stuck in their "stultifying domiciles"）， but overall I found this very readable， the kind of book where I kept pausing to tell my fiancé about what I'd just read。 As a New Yorker who missed the 2003 blackout （I was living in Massachusetts that summer） I thoroughly enjoyed Phair's chapter about it， which she starts by talking about how she was "spellbound by the sight of an unlit Central Park at sunset。 Dusk is falling， but there are no streetlights illuminating the sidewalks， no traffic signals changing from red to green" （80）。 I like how the blackout is presented as a moment of potential discomfort and danger but also a moment of chance connections， and how it's juxtaposed with Phair realizing that she and her guitar player "are into each other"， though he's dating someone else （81）。 I also really liked the chapter where Phair is on a plane and the flight attendant tells her there's someone on board who knows her and wants to say hi; it turns out to be a guy from her hometown who had a leg amputated after an accident。 Phair thinks this guy "probably doesn't get out that much" and thinks about how to make sure their interaction is fun and positive， and then has to laugh at herself when her assumptions turn out to be totally wrong （116）。 （He tells her he's been touring as a competitive wheelchair athlete and his schedule has been packed， and then hilariously gets her to help him out by carrying his prosthetic leg through the airport so he can make his connecting flight。）And I loved "Red Bird Hollow"， the chapter where Phair writes about how she and her brother would spend time with their grandparents in Ohio。 I like how Phair captures moments of connection with nature （feeding the horses in the barn， finding toadstools and birds' eggs and wild blackberries）。 And the chapter's central story， which is about climbing up a tall pine tree， is totally gripping。 。。。more
julieta
，
My favorite thing about this book is the form it is written in。 Short stories， told in present tense， make it seem like fiction， but it's actually a memoir。 In that sense it reminded me of "Rat Girl" one of my favorite memoirs by a musician， Kristin Hersh， with whom I agree more than with LPhair， in every sense。 I was kind of surprised of how much she mentions the bible， and the devil， but that's just my dogma phobic self with a catholic past。 I found some of these stories very memorable。 My favorite thing about this book is the form it is written in。 Short stories， told in present tense， make it seem like fiction， but it's actually a memoir。 In that sense it reminded me of "Rat Girl" one of my favorite memoirs by a musician， Kristin Hersh， with whom I agree more than with LPhair， in every sense。 I was kind of surprised of how much she mentions the bible， and the devil， but that's just my dogma phobic self with a catholic past。 I found some of these stories very memorable。 。。。more
AJ
，
I have mixed feelings about this memoir。 On the one hand， I appreciate the open vulnerability in these pages。 We are all flawed human beings in some way， and coming to terms with that can be difficult but is important if we ever expect to be better。 Liz Phair certainly has come to terms with it and is very open about her flawed past， and present。 I appreciated that openness and honesty。Some parts of this book were just physically uncomfortable for me to read。 I thought I was going to pass out wh I have mixed feelings about this memoir。 On the one hand， I appreciate the open vulnerability in these pages。 We are all flawed human beings in some way， and coming to terms with that can be difficult but is important if we ever expect to be better。 Liz Phair certainly has come to terms with it and is very open about her flawed past， and present。 I appreciated that openness and honesty。Some parts of this book were just physically uncomfortable for me to read。 I thought I was going to pass out while reading the chapter that described her childbirth scenario。 I feel like its inclusion was just to be shocking and screamed: "see how much of a woman I am！" Basically challenging the reader to suck it up and keep reading。I dunno， I guess this book just made me think of all the ways third wave feminism has failed me。 The idea that if a woman puts on makeup and has sex with enough guys， that we're liberated。 I feel like that's the image I got of Liz Phair （whether or not that's a fair assumption I can't say， as I only have this book and her music to go from）。 But what I read about is a woman who does not feel complete without a man attached。 And that makes me sad。 。。。more
nolan
，
the book is good。 the magdalena chapter is great。
T M
，
stopped
Phil Costa
，
In addition to being an influential musician， it turns out Liz Phair is also a good writer。 This pieces in her memoir are not all equally strong， but many are， and it's refreshing to see Phair's brutal honesty translates well into the written word。 In addition to being an influential musician， it turns out Liz Phair is also a good writer。 This pieces in her memoir are not all equally strong， but many are， and it's refreshing to see Phair's brutal honesty translates well into the written word。 。。。more
Brent Ecenbarger
，
No surprise that I really liked this book。 I'd been looking forward to reading it since it was first announced。 For those unfamiliar， Liz Phair is a singer/songwriter famous for writing pretty confessional and personal songs （and catchy ones too）。 This is her memoir， told via short stories in non-linear order about some traumatic and important moments in her life。 If you're familiar with Phair， I don't need to sell you on it more than that。It's no surprise to anybody that reads a book by Liz Pha No surprise that I really liked this book。 I'd been looking forward to reading it since it was first announced。 For those unfamiliar， Liz Phair is a singer/songwriter famous for writing pretty confessional and personal songs （and catchy ones too）。 This is her memoir， told via short stories in non-linear order about some traumatic and important moments in her life。 If you're familiar with Phair， I don't need to sell you on it more than that。It's no surprise to anybody that reads a book by Liz Phair that a lot of the stories in this book deal with relationships， sex， and breakups。 There are some other things in here too， including death， childhood trauma， and a chapter about Ryan Adams that doesn't ever mention his name。 Noticeable absent are many stories about being a musician。 Sure there's a chapter where Liz got caught in a blizzard following a gig， photoshoots promoting material， and there's the talk about Ryan Adams， but there's nothing here about her picking up an instrument， learning to write songs， her first performance， or much of her actual job as a rock star。 （The lone exception is a an performance of a holiday song where she came in at the wrong part during a nationall televised performance。）That's the stuff I really wanted when I picked up this book。 After reading it though， I'm fine she left it out。 Phair's stories were all interesting。 She has some flowery prose in here that might turn me off in a fiction book of short stories， but here it just made everything feel more personal coming from her。 No ghostwriter in sight。 Phair also doesn't make herself the victim or hero of all her stories， telling some that I'm sure most people wouldn't feel comfortable sharing with others。 Also， by leaving out most of her music career in here， she's left plenty of material for a followup book if she ever decides to write one。 I'd be equally as excited for that after reading this one。 。。。more
Claire
，
I love Liz Phair and her songwriting so much， but I did not love this。
Sarah
，
“We spend so much time hiding what we’re ashamed of， denying what we’re wounded by， and portraying ourselves as competent， successful individuals that we don’t always realize where and when we’ve gone missing。”“But a small kernel of self-awareness has taken root in my brain， and I can’t pretend that it hasn’t。 I know exactly what’s wrong with me， I just don’t want to do anything about it。”
Leonore
，
We all have our ups and downs in life no matter if we are famous or not。 It's what life is all about。 Interesting to see we are all more common than you think。 We all have our ups and downs in life no matter if we are famous or not。 It's what life is all about。 Interesting to see we are all more common than you think。 。。。more
Steve
，
Wow。 This is not what I expected。 But Horrorstories is an appropriate title。Liz details a series of stories from her life that portray the difficulty in getting through things as a young woman and even covers marriage， boyfriends， relationships and aging。The twists and turns within each chapter should certainly hold your attention and it did hold mine throughout。 I cringed through many of the essays。 Bit I take them to be true。The artistry she shows in writing is different than her music， but it Wow。 This is not what I expected。 But Horrorstories is an appropriate title。Liz details a series of stories from her life that portray the difficulty in getting through things as a young woman and even covers marriage， boyfriends， relationships and aging。The twists and turns within each chapter should certainly hold your attention and it did hold mine throughout。 I cringed through many of the essays。 Bit I take them to be true。The artistry she shows in writing is different than her music， but it is still artistry。 。。。more
Kimberly S
，
5 stars only because I love herIt’s more like 3。5
Arleen Ayala
，
Very profound。 Liz Phair made herself an open book。 I was given this book as an ARC and lost it。 I wish I could have read it sooner。 Highly recommend。
Dan Witte
，
What a great job Liz Phair did with her memoir。 For her first three albums she had me in a vice lock of lust and awe， but that seems a long time ago， and anyway she lost me with her whole girly sound thing。 Despite losing track of her after her third album， I’ve nevertheless always admired her songwriting and guitar playing， and especially her winning battle with stage fright。 Now I have another reason to be impressed。 The horror stories she relates are undoubtedly “first world problems”， as a f What a great job Liz Phair did with her memoir。 For her first three albums she had me in a vice lock of lust and awe， but that seems a long time ago， and anyway she lost me with her whole girly sound thing。 Despite losing track of her after her third album， I’ve nevertheless always admired her songwriting and guitar playing， and especially her winning battle with stage fright。 Now I have another reason to be impressed。 The horror stories she relates are undoubtedly “first world problems”， as a friend of mine likes to say， but she strives to make the universal connection in all of them， and does it with uncommon humility and eloquence。 I was an avid reader throughout， and having just read Roger Daltrey’s autobiography， and then this one， back-to-back， I really appreciate her approach。 The only time I saw her was at Taste of Chicago in 2006， and my impression then was that she could easily have been a poet and a folk singer。 Now I’d add writer， but I think the fact is that she always was one。 This was a solid read。 。。。more
Lauren Schwarzentraub
，
I appreciated Liz Phair’s candid voice describing the horror story moments in her life。 You can hear her creative ability to describe feelings and moments in graphic detail throughout the book。 If you listen to the audio version， she is the reader and it’s a lot of fun hearing it from her directly。
Jen Logan
，
I had no opinion of Liz Phair prior to reading this book， but after reading it I can say I do not want to know anything more about her。 She is a whiny victim of her own stupid decisions。 Paris Hilton comes off less entitled than this cry baby。 Liz Phair has released one good album and zero good books。
Daniel
，
Various stories about her past。 I liked the book but was hoping for more insight into her songs。
Jared Millet
，
I've been a Liz Phair fan since my brother's roommate played me Exile in Guyville way back in '93。 Her self-titled album was a regular pick-me-up at a time in my life when I needed just that。 Needless to say， I'm predisposed to like this book。 Even so， I was surprised by how much I loved it。Liz Phair's memoir isn't quite a biography in the traditional sense。 Phair understands that it's the little moments that shape us as much as the big events you can look up on Wikipedia。 Horror Stories focuses I've been a Liz Phair fan since my brother's roommate played me Exile in Guyville way back in '93。 Her self-titled album was a regular pick-me-up at a time in my life when I needed just that。 Needless to say， I'm predisposed to like this book。 Even so， I was surprised by how much I loved it。Liz Phair's memoir isn't quite a biography in the traditional sense。 Phair understands that it's the little moments that shape us as much as the big events you can look up on Wikipedia。 Horror Stories focuses on small， intimate triumphs and failures， of being a linear chronicle of a career。 Her vignettes are arranged like songs on an album， skipping back and forth in time， but charting a powerful arc。 In many ways， it doesn't even matter that she's a rock star。 This is the story of a life - fully human and fully lived。 。。。more
mandy
，
Not a memoir so much as a disjointed collection of personal essays。 Some are more interesting that others - mostly the ones about her life as a kid。 The post-fame essays strike me as her walking a tightrope between reminding us that she's famous and important and beautiful， but also that she's not *that* famous， *that* important， or *that* beautiful。 I kept reading to see if anything changed， but after completing this I really don't feel like I have a sense of her values， beliefs， or life's time Not a memoir so much as a disjointed collection of personal essays。 Some are more interesting that others - mostly the ones about her life as a kid。 The post-fame essays strike me as her walking a tightrope between reminding us that she's famous and important and beautiful， but also that she's not *that* famous， *that* important， or *that* beautiful。 I kept reading to see if anything changed， but after completing this I really don't feel like I have a sense of her values， beliefs， or life's timeline （it was not chronological）。 Some memoirs make me feel like I just had a really good chat with the author - this one leaves me feeling a bit more like I got stuck next to a talker on an airplane。 。。。more
Kate
，
One of the best memoirs I’ve read。 She writes about growing up in Illinois， living in California， going overseas on tour， and getting stuck in a NYC snowstorm。 Her writing is powerful but relatable。 There are so many poignant moments that we all have but don’t speak of。
Stuti
，
I take my job very seriously。 I don't want the fairies to get mad at me or the trees to complain。 But mostly， I don't want to live in the flat dull world of reality。 I need more than that。 And I know it's out there。Entirely coincidentally I re-listened to a couple of Exile in Guyville tracks a few weeks ago， and my impression of Phair was much more positive than it was when I first was introduced to her。 I studied Exile in Guyville and its reception in a college class and was embarrassingly unim I take my job very seriously。 I don't want the fairies to get mad at me or the trees to complain。 But mostly， I don't want to live in the flat dull world of reality。 I need more than that。 And I know it's out there。Entirely coincidentally I re-listened to a couple of Exile in Guyville tracks a few weeks ago， and my impression of Phair was much more positive than it was when I first was introduced to her。 I studied Exile in Guyville and its reception in a college class and was embarrassingly unimpressed by the album。 Maybe part of that was the 2016 pop music sound， so smooth and synthy with rock all but absent from， like， The Sound of The Radio; a good part of it was probably that Phair's voice is in her lowest register and comes across as deadpan， occasionally unmelodic and even dissonant。 But when I re-listened to "6'1"，" I got it in a way I absolutely hadn't before。 And so I thought maybe Horror Stories would surprise me。 And it did — it really， really did。 Some musicians are storytellers， and judging by the fact that Phair's narrative voice earned her a lot more attention than her actual singing voice it shouldn't have surprised me that her writing reads well。 It's self-assured and blunt in places， then whimsical in others; it's funny。 More than a meditation on her celebrity， Horror Stories is a bunch of anecdotes in which Who Liz Phair Is sometimes feels incidental， or at least secondary to the reality of the Liz on the page。 That's not to say there aren't awkward moments。 There are some pat resolutions and lessons， so to speak。 But her Voice is so refreshingly present that I wasn't too bothered by them。 I hesitate to use words like real or honest， but I appreciated the way Phair lays out her more embarrassing， needy desires — this is quite clearly the same woman who wrote "I want a boyfriend/I want all that stupid old shit/Like letters and sodas。" 。。。more
Laura
，
“Maybe love is not something that is destined to come my way， after the things I’ve done and the person I’ve been in the world。”And just like that， like I’m 19 listening to Guyville on a loop in my dorm room， Liz Phair manages to make me gasp in pain， in fear， in horror at a thought I haven’t been able to express myself。Phair’s memoir is a confessional of sorts， of the small horrors inflicted on and by her。 It’s an examination of a life thus far。 And it’s much more insightful into the true perso “Maybe love is not something that is destined to come my way， after the things I’ve done and the person I’ve been in the world。”And just like that， like I’m 19 listening to Guyville on a loop in my dorm room， Liz Phair manages to make me gasp in pain， in fear， in horror at a thought I haven’t been able to express myself。Phair’s memoir is a confessional of sorts， of the small horrors inflicted on and by her。 It’s an examination of a life thus far。 And it’s much more insightful into the true person of Liz Phair than any album she’s released。 Those are art projects。 Yes， she is in there， too。 But they are a constructed presentation of a self。 This is an archaeological dig of the foundation for those works。I’ve been a lifelong fan of Phair。 But because she has been private， and she hovers on the periphery of the radar， there are a lot of things here I did not know， in terms of biographical details。 I’ve picked up what I can about her along the way; I’ve never scoured the internet for juicy tidbits。 It never seemed like something a true fan would do。 So this was a treat。 Instead of being a retread of stuff I’d read before， anything beyond the basics was a new way to know her。And it felt like the very first time I listened to Exile in Guyville。 I spent $10 on a tape; I put it on one night over Christmas break at home from college; and I had a soundtrack for the next 5 years of my life。 While other girls were listening to Alanis wail about the rage we were going through， Liz was acknowledging it， and saying， “Follow me to get through it and come out at this cooler place。” It was what I needed。 I needed this woman who wasn’t the BEST singer， but who was brave enough to put her voice out in the world; wasn’t the BEST guitarist， but didn’t feel the need to emulate someone else and be the “female version” of so-and-so - she was just her; wasn’t afraid to look or be feminine， but wasn’t interested in dressing for the part， nor for the men - nor was she trying to downplay her attractiveness。 It took me years to unpack all I got out of that first listen。 But I knew there was a lot in there for me。And so it goes with Horror Stories。 Here she is， almost 30 years since the world met her， and she’s expressing her discomfort at where & if she fits in - in both her personal & professional life。 She’s confessing how a flirtation with a cashier at Trader Joe’s means way more to her than it should。 Where before I peeked over shoulder down the road to what lies ahead with work， and men， and choices about marriage and children， now she’s giving me a look at aging and mortality。 It will take a while to unpack all of this and see what to take from it。 But I’m certain there’s just as much for me here as there was that first winter night I listened to what she had to say。 。。。more
Kathryn
，
Solid memoir！
Carolyn Sanders
，
3。5
Sue Donovan
，
just ok
Kris Freestone
，
This is one of my favorite autobiographies， officially。 I remember borrowing her album 'Whip-smart' from the library when I was fourteen。 Too young to understand all of it， but I recognized her natural talent and prose。 I followed her music from that point on， even enjoying the more heavily pop period。 In my thirties， I can appreciate and understand her music far more after this read。 I felt like I was listening to a dear friend tell me about her life over multiple cups of coffee I wanted to str This is one of my favorite autobiographies， officially。 I remember borrowing her album 'Whip-smart' from the library when I was fourteen。 Too young to understand all of it， but I recognized her natural talent and prose。 I followed her music from that point on， even enjoying the more heavily pop period。 In my thirties， I can appreciate and understand her music far more after this read。 I felt like I was listening to a dear friend tell me about her life over multiple cups of coffee I wanted to stretch out。 Her natural prose weaves the story of her life from her childhood to adult years。 I look at her music with new eyes。 I don't hand out five。stars easily， but this deserves it。 💜💜💜 。。。more
Jeff
，
I did not care for this much and I am a huge Liz fan。 I think I learned more about her in her songs than this book of essays。 Some essays were good。 As another reviewer wrote， I wish Liz had written with more self-awareness and compassion。 Every time she wrote about how her life was so hard while on a first class trip to Europe or on the beach in Manhattan Beach， I cringed a little。 She hasn't put out an album in 10 years。 Maybe she is creating visual art？ I would love to see an art show of hers I did not care for this much and I am a huge Liz fan。 I think I learned more about her in her songs than this book of essays。 Some essays were good。 As another reviewer wrote， I wish Liz had written with more self-awareness and compassion。 Every time she wrote about how her life was so hard while on a first class trip to Europe or on the beach in Manhattan Beach， I cringed a little。 She hasn't put out an album in 10 years。 Maybe she is creating visual art？ I would love to see an art show of hers rather than a new book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Horror Stories: A Memoir
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Horror Stories: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft