Bad Brains frontman Paul “H.R.” Hudson has had an amazing career, which is far from over. From helping create and lead hardcore punk with Bad Brains being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Now Lesser Gods Publishing (A Vulgar Display Of Pantera) is releasing the first fully authorized biography for H.R.: Finding Joseph I: An Oral History of H.R. from Bad Brains.
Finding Joseph I: An Oral History of H.R. from Bad Brains, is “a thoroughly uncensored rollercoaster ride through a riotous, tumultuous and utterly singular life and career. The 272-page gripping story features interviews with H.R., his bandmates past and present, friends and those he has influenced and inspired.”
Highlights of the book include commentary and stories from artists, writers and musicians, including Minor Threat/Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Living Colour’s Corey Glover and Vernon Reid, plus members of Sublime, The Roots, Cro-Mags, Fishbone, The Wailers, Circle Jerks, Murphy’s Law, 311, Deftones and many more.
Packed with many rare and never-before-seen images, Finding Joseph I is the definitive account of this punk rock icon. H.R.’s journey has been riddled with unprecedented volatility: drugs, violence, disappearances and a debilitating mental illness.
Co-author Howie Abrams adds, “H.R. is a once in a lifetime talent and individual. I know I feel fortunate to have experienced his greatness, let alone be blessed with the trust to represent his story in book form.”
“When I first saw him perform, I was just blown away as far as the passion
he had as a singer and a human being. When I met him, I was perplexed by
who he was. He’s definitely his own being.” —Chino Moreno, Deftones
“After seeing H.R. that first time, he could have had me worshiping Cocoa Puffs.
I would have done it. His example, and the message behind the lyrics—revolution,
spiritual revolution, consciousness, positive mental attitude—was like some mystic
punk and harder than all the rest. Nobody could fuckin’ touch him.” —John Joseph, Cro-Mags
“H.R. is the person through whom I vicariously express my rage. More often
than not, I grab early Bad Brains material to relieve the stress and the anger
I feel. I can channel it through his music.” —Questlove, The Roots
The book is a companion to the documentary film from James Lathos (co-author), Finding Joseph I, which puts into moving picture form many of the stories from the book. The film will debut at London’s Doc and Roll Film Festival (docnrollfestival.com) on November 10, 2016, and the book will be available in January 2017.
Finding Joseph I will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books are sold. You can pre-order the book here:
ISBN: 978-1-944713-01-0