At age sixteen, with his home life shattered following his mother's breast cancer diagnosis, David Barnett's lust for the limelight took over, and he set out to conjure his very own rock and roll band. As he escaped into the underground music scene-and all the substances and temptations awaiting him-he underwent a fundamental shift in perspective and a fracturing of his relationship with his childhood best friend, Doug, the quintessential "golden boy," who possessed a latent rebellious streak.
In a high-intensity, coming-of-age memoir rooted in the counterculture that defined the turn of the 21st century, Barnett traverses the treacherous terrain of the road less traveled. He conducts an honest autopsy of his failed ambitions, as well as the collateral damage he caused. He subverts the traditional "addiction memoir" genre by playing with timelines and exploring relevant concepts through an atemporal lens. Barnett withholds judgment, abstains from moralizations, and encourages the reader to make their own evaluations and formulate their own analyses.
Ranging from his transformative first experience with drugs to the confounding nature of universal humanistic mysteries such as ego, identity, and consciousness, Foxtail takes readers on a journey through the pains of adolescence, the relationships gained and lost, and the heavy music that became his salvation. Featuring lyrics from bands and artists like Static-X and Lil' Keke, music serves not just as a background soundtrack but as a holy text throughout the book, making this sonically-saturated story perfect for those who find sanctuary in music of any genre. In this unflinching memoir, David Barnett explores whether the selves we create to survive the fire are the very ones destined to burn us down.