Chris Kirchner

Fidler’s sub-title “Life Beyond Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll” is slightly misleading as most of this enjoyable read is about life with robust love-making, daily tokes, and all stages of music-making. One could read this short autobiography to gain insight on any one of those FOUR topics—partnering, addiction, supporting a band, and recovery—the life beyond. This book describes the broad reach of the desire to create music: the writing of lyrics true to life, the rock sound, booking performances and competitions, and best of all for this reader, the sweat around equipment. Yes, equipment gets stolen, there’s always better equipment beckoning the members of the band to invest what little they are earning, and oh the transport. As Fidler’s final band The Abstractions finds some comic relief in air guitar performances with modified brooms and plumbing supplies, this reader was delighted by the adaptability of this group of Midwesterners. Also in this account, the economic slide during the Reagan years and the new technology helps close Fidler’s record store. Her partner and employees didn’t agree to her suggestions to add video rentals or computerized prints for T-shirts so, like so many businesses, hers became part of the American story of independent owners losing out to the chains. The role of therapy and the AA model, along with the magnificence of a liberal faith like Unitarian Universalism, remind us of the importance of counseling and community resources to help everyone return to full health. This is a story of listening to yourself at every stage of life, reading all the signs reflected by your family, and self-correction.