title: My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor
author:  Keith Morris 
description: I came late to Southern California and its Punk Rock scene, but after reading Keith Morris's memoir, feel I was there from the start. <i>My Damage</i> is like Neal Cassady's <i>The First Third</i> read aloud by William Burroughs for his private enjoyment: clear and unapologetic as a bell, fast as you can go, a rolling dumpster on fire, and a treasure trove for any student of West Coast Punk history. Lonely, funny, brave, tragic, anonymous, and famous all at once, until the moon disappears and everything goes to sleep. And wakes up again to dream a new song.<b>Viggo Mortensen</b><br /><br />Kill your idols, please. Check that tired rock star shit at the door. Keith Morris is nothing less than a living, breathing symbol. He's a snot-voiced, Southern California archetype and prototype, an influential fuckup whose ripple effect in punk has been felt every single day since he spat out, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown' in 1979. Without <i>My Damage</i>'s middle-finger-shaped piece snapped into place, no history of L.A.'s punk rock puzzle is complete.<b>Todd Taylor, <i>Razorcake</i></b><br /><br />
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  Copyright © 2016 by Keith Morris
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
  a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
  mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
  permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For
  information, address Da Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, Third Floor, Boston,
  MA 02210.
  
  Editorial Production by Lori Hobkirk at the Book Factory
  
  Designed by Cynthia Young
  
  Set in 11.75 point Minion
  
  Morris, Keith (Vocalist), author. | Ruland, Jim, author.
  
  My damage: the story of a punk rock survivor / By Keith Morris with Jim
  Ruland.
  
  Boston: Da Capo Press, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
  
  LCCN 2016014833 (print) | LCCN 2016015099 (ebook) | ISBN 9780306824074 (ebook)
  
  Morris, Keith (Vocalist) | Singers—United States—Biography. | Punk rock
  musicians—United States—Biogr