Some books make you wish that you grew up in a different time, like, let’s say, the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, where really good rock was coming to a head. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert, whose title is borrowed from the Sleater-Kinney song of the same name, sucks you in from the very beginning. The novel is about small-town punk-rocker Emily Black, the daughter of the notorious Louisa Black, a rebellious drifter who skipped town and headed west when we was a teenager. In the town of Carlisle, Wisconsin (where everyone really does know your name), Emily has grown up hearing stories about her rebellious mother from the townsfolk, and how she left her family to follow punk rock.
True to form, Emily feels the need to live up to the wild stories of Louisa and goes to River’s Edge, an abandoned warehouse where local rock bands play, with her best friend Regan every weekend in search of rock gods and music. However, Emily is constantly disappointed by the so-called “rock gods.” “You girls need to do what I did,” Regan’s older sister tells them, “Start your own damn band!”
Their band, She Laughs, breaks onto the scene, and becomes increasingly popular because of MTV’s hand in early ‘90s rock (the novel was published by MTV books, so just think: product placement). I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone is the combination of a coming-of-age story and a “think piece about a mid-level band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom,” to quote Almost Famous. Emily must come to terms with the gaping hole her mother left in her life by trying to fill it with music.
Emily is a vivacious and engaging character. Though readers won’t agree with everything she does, she makes for an interesting read. She is fragile and human, yet strong and tough at the same time. Her character sticks with you even once the book is finished. Emily is the friend who you always wanted to be, but could never quite pull off the coolness factor for. Her voice is an addicting read, as is her edgy story. “I wanted something that you could feel in your throat when you played it loud, something that churned through your stomach and shook you to the tips of your toes,” Emily says of her searches through her father’s vinyl collection. She is the epitome of everyone’s rebellious periods. But where most people more or less fall back into line, she refuses.
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is well written, with a strong literary voice that has been missing in contemporary fiction. Stephanie Kuehnert is an extremely talented writer. She has already gained lavish praise from Trainspotting’s Irving Welsh. The novel is basically the story of someone coming into their own, but with music as the pulse.
