Liz Phair Details New Memoir ‘Horror Stories’

Liz Phair will explore the moments throughout her life and career “that have haunted her most” in her new memoir, Horror Stories, out October 8th via Random House.

The book will reportedly be a “memoir in stories” similar to Patti Smith’s 2015 book, M Train. Phair will chronicle her early years in the Chicago music scene where she put together her famous “Girly Sound” cassettes and frequently contended with people — mostly men — who wanted to see her fail or just go away entirely. Phair will also recount her remarkable rise from the indie hero of Exile in Guyville to the genuine pop-rock star behind “Why Can’t I?” while delving into the anxieties and issues that plagued her during that period.

Per a description, “For Phair, horror is what stays with you — the often unrecognized, universal experiences of daily pain, shame, and fear that make up our common humanity. In Phair’s case it means the dangers of falling for ‘the perfect guy,’ and the disaster that awaits her; the memory of a stranger passed out on a bathroom floor amid a crowd of girls, forcing her to consider our responsibilities to one another, and the gnawing regret of being a bystander; and the profound sense of emptiness she experienced on the set of her first celebrity photoshoot.”

Horror Stories is the first of two books Phair is set to release with Random House after she inked a deal with the publishing house in 2017. It’s unclear when the second book will be published or what Phair will cover in it.

Phair’s most recent solo album, Funstyle, arrived in 2010. Last year, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of Exile in Guyville with a massive box set that included the original album alongside the three “Girly Sound” cassette tapes.