Banned for Life

For almost two decades, rumors have swirled around Jim Cassady, the quasi-legendary punk-rock frontman who disappeared without a trace shortly after his girlfriends apparent suicide. Though largely written off as dead, some claim to have had brushes with Cassady, now said to be homeless and bumming change on the streets of his native Los Angeles. Intrigued, Jason Maddox, a would-be filmmaker and Cassady fan, decides to investigate. But the man he eventually finds and befriends is damaged in ways he could never have imagined, and Jasons own life begins to unravel as he tries to save the hapless Jim Cassady from himself. A mystery wrapped in a love letter to overlooked American rebels, Banned for Life has already amassed a cult following in L.A.s underground music scene, where D. R. Haney has long been a fixture. Flashing back from the particular flavor of boredom that was late 1990s Los Angeles, Banned for Life captures the inchoate brilliance of punkthe 20th century's last social movementbetter than any account I've ever read. It's a eulogy to dead friends and those who died trying to transform personal pain into something extraordinary that happens outside the body. It's also pitch-perfect, laugh-out-loud funny and heartrendingly sad. Haney remains faithful to the spookily truthful insights of adolescence while keeping his eye on the big picture. By turns broadly epic and embarrassingly specific, Banned for Life is one of those rare books that tells the story of a generation. — Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick, Aliens & Anorexia, Torpor ]] takes you down all the roads of the seventies and eighties that most people never knew existed. — Sab Grey, author of Skinhead Army and Hated and Proud

Banned For Life is about punk rock? Sure, just like Moby-Dick is about whales. This is the thrilling story of Jason Maddox, 80s musician turned 90s screenwriter, who embarks on an Ahab-like quest of his ownalthough the blubbery object of his fascination is a vanished punk-poet. Like Melville, D.R. Haney has created a world so rich in detail, so authentic, so damned cool, you want to take up a harpoonor, in this case, a guitarand join the fray. Banned For Life is literary fiction at its bestfunny, heartbreaking, hopeful, and every bit as inspiring as the punk music it extols. — Greg Olear author of Totally Killer This is a story that belongs to everyone, but is our best-kept secret. — Jennifer Lynch, author of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer ]] a rock n roll novel that truly rocks. Not merely is the novel obsessed with hard rock musicit sounds like rock as you read it. Rock music pulses and pounds on every page. — Joseph Suglia, author of Watch Out and Days of Rage With his character Peewee, Haney has extracted probably one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Hes that good. — Bryan Price, author of The First Book of You

D. R. Haney is more punk rock than me — George Tabb, author of Surfing Armaggedon and Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Brooklyn

For almost two decades, rumors have swirled around Jim Cassady, the quasi-legendary punk-rock frontman who disappeared without a trace shortly after his girlfriends apparent suicide. Though largely written off as dead, some claim to have had brushes with Cassady, now said to be homeless and bumming change on the streets of his native Los Angeles. Intrigued, Jason Maddox, a would-be filmmaker and Cassady fan, decides to investigate. But the man he eventually finds and befriends is damaged in ways he could never have imagined, and Jasons own life begins to unravel as he tries to save the hapless Jim Cassady from himself.

A mystery wrapped in a love letter to overlooked American rebels, Banned for Life has already amassed a cult following in L.A.s underground music scene, where D. R. Haney has long been a fixture.