Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz announces his debut memoir, Lost Innocent World: Chronicles of a Ukrainian Punk Rocker in the Free World, out December 8, 2026, via Matt Holt Books, with a foreword by Thurston Moore and a musical companion piece. Pre-order now.

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The memoir chronicles Hutz’s explosive journey from Ukrainian refugee to famed global punk icon, acclaimed actor, cultural rebel, and vital political force. A musical companion piece will also illustrate the era, highlighting the resonance between Ukrainian musicians and artists and those of Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch, and beyond.

Born and raised in Boyarka, Ukraine, uprooted by the Chernobyl disaster and inspired by a Sonic Youth concert in Kiev in 1989 Hutz set out to find his sonic heart in New York City, eventually birthing Gogol Bordello, a raw blend of traditional Eastern European music and punk that became known as gypsy punk. The band broke through at the Whitney Biennial in 2002 and built an international following from there.
The announcement coincides with the release of Gogol Bordello’s latest album, We Mean It, Man!, produced by Nick Launay and Adam “Atom” Greenspan on Hutz’s own Casa Gogol Records, and featuring Bernard Sumner of New Order and Joy Division. Hutz has also appeared in arthouse films, including Everything Is Illuminated, Madonna’s Filth and Wisdom, and last year’s Vice documentary, Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story.