Like Hell

Reading the other reviews after i read the book made me feel like those people didnt really even read the book - or otherwise over read the book. Its about a guy, what he thinks, and what goes through his mind as his life changes and stays the same at the same time. Its punk rock. Its growing up. Its finding yourself, and loosing everything else.

This is NOT just a book for fans of Screeching Weasel or of punk rock music. I had my 41 year old roommate who despises punk rock and punk rockers read this book and he loved it. This book is something like a Charles Bukowski novel with all the alcohol, sex, and bitter screwed up human relationships, but with a little punk rock thrown in. The only bad reviews I've read for this book have to deal with Ben's lack of literary form and the use of bigger words. Sure, you can tell the author never really had much more schooling than high school, but the story that he tells is so good. The story itself is hilarious, sometimes deep, and absolutely sad. The character constantly evolves, the Joe Pagan in the beginning of the book is not the same Joe Pagan at the end of the book. If you've ever had a relationship with a woman that is forever sour but for some odd reason you feel you can't go on without her you'll love this book. If you've ever struggled with who and what you really are you'll be able to relate to the main character in this book so much. This book is not a politically correct book by any means, so all the whiny little PC punks really should ignore this and go get Jeff Ott's political propaganda crap book My World.

This book is really not for everybody. But the psycholgical aspects within this book, in regards to the punk rock lifestyle are so seemingly true and real you can't help but get emotional. I speak from experience as being a former frontman for a punk band, this book is right on. Some will not like the writing style, which is gritty, simple and rough. But it is an authentic view of words, culture and traditions in the punk scene and I highly recommend this book to anyone intrested in how it really is out there and what goes on inside a true punks mind. Ben weasel does a great job.

What is there to say about 'Like Hell'? I will start off by saying that this book is extremely entertaining from cover to cover. Ben colorfully describes the life and world of Joe Pagan, lead singer of the Pagan Icons, a Ramones-influenced punk rock band. Ben shows off a comical and raw outlook on the events that occur day to day in Joe's life... the dialogue is hilarious. Book contains message "Any likenesses of fictional characters to real people is strictly coincidental" but any Screeching Weasel/Ben Weasel fan would know that that is not true in this case. Well worth the cover price!

It will be like Like Hell searching for MORE books by Ben and waiting for his next book to come out once you've read this book. There isn't one person who can't say that they ever wanted to be in a band and what it would be like to be "famous". The story has been told many times before but not in the way Ben does, you will feel like it was you who lived through the experience of dreaming of forming a band, of the fun you will have, how admired you'd be,the money, the parties,this story is all that and more, the "in between the lines" of life as a musician on the road with his band, the side of it that's seldom spoken but yet very much there, the reality of it all as told by someone who speaks his mind, or on the other hand is it true, remember,this book is fiction,but then the story is being told by Ben Foster.Ben is an "Artist with his words" who has found another forum to display his talent.If you have something else to do, you better do it first because once you pick this book up you won,t be able to stop reading it.