• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
gallery
July 6, 2017

Garbage Brings the Noise in a New Book

By Sarah Nechamkin

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Photo: Joseph Cultice

“In a band you can make noise,” writes Shirley Manson, grunge goddess and front woman of Gen X rock band Garbage, in the opening of the recently released This is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake, published by Akashic Books. “You can make a mess. You can make mistakes. You can travel. You can show off. You can shut up. You can speak out or speak up for those who cannot. It is the best thing that ever happened. It is the most exciting, selfish, generous, surprising, reckless, challenging, revelatory, and celebratory thing you have ever done. That is, if it doesn’t kill you first.”

The book, titled after a lyric in Garbage’s 1998 single “Push It,” comes as the band embarks on a U.S. tour with Blondie to promote its sixth album, Strange Little Birds. It tracks the band’s rise from its genesis in 1993, when guitarist Steve Marker heard Manson — then a member of the small Scottish band Angelfish — croon the words, “Suffocate me with burning love” on MTV. He rallied old friends and bandmates Duke Erikson and Butch Vig, making remixes for rappers like House of Pain, before recruiting Manson to join the band. In shoddy handwriting on lined paper, Vig wrote in 1993, “I hope that all this garbage will become something beautiful.” What ensued was a new name and an undying legacy.

The band brought grunge flavor to the pop-dominated landscape of late-‘90s radio, combining elements from other genres to produce commercially successful yet wholly rock-and-roll hits like “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Stupid Girl.” Unlike predecessors Nirvana and Soundgarden, however, Garbage brought a female voice to center stage. In the book, Manson is seen with a bob cut and smudged black eyeliner, power posing for magazines and shredding guitar solos onstage. You’ll also find candid interviews, cocktail recipes (one reads “fill your glass with garbage”), and hundreds of archival photos from the road.

This is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake
$46 now 37% off
$29
$29 at Amazon
Buy
$29 at Amazon
Buy

If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

Related

The Return of a Grunge Goddess
View
1 / 13 Photos
Photo: Joseph Cultice
Photo: Autumn DeWilde
Photo: Dana Distortion/©Photo by Dana (distortion) Yavin. all rights reserved 2013. www.distortionpix.com
Photo: Frank Ockenfels/imacon
Photo: Joseph Cultice/© Joseph Cultice
Photo: Official Garbage Archive
Photo: Autumn DeWilde
Photo: Joseph Cultice/© Joseph Cultice
Photo: Joseph Cultice
Photo: Official Garbage Archive
Photo: Official Garbage Archive
Photo: Cindy Kahn
Photo: Roxy Erickson
1 / 13

Tags:

  • gallery
  • slideshows
  • garbage
  • shirley manson

More Galleries

in memoriam Dec. 30, 2020
30 Incredible Fashion Moments From Pierre Cardin  Remembering a creative visionary. 
By Andrew Nguyen
rest in power Dec. 23, 2020
A Photo Memorial for an Iconic Model  She passed away suddenly at the age of 50 this week. 
campaign trail Nov. 18, 2020
‘Tis the Season for New Fashion Ads  See the best ones from Gucci, Prada, Versace, and more. 
By Emily Burns
nyfw spring 2021 Oct. 26, 2020
How a Great Collection Comes Alive  Christopher John Rogers launched its first-ever online shop, along with a new campaign. 
By Andrew Nguyen
campaign trail Sept. 24, 2020
See the Fashion Campaigns for Fall 2020  From Prada, Michael Kors, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
nyfw spring 2021 Sept. 22, 2020
See the Coach Spring 2021 Collection  Worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Kate Moss, Cole Sprouse, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
fashion Sept. 16, 2020
The Stunning Awkwardness of Face Masks on the Red Carpet  Celebrities tried to make the best of a strange situation at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. 
one word one shot Sept. 15, 2020
72 Designers on Their Spring/Summer Inspirations  Just in time for Fashion Week. 
By the Cut
red carpet Sept. 8, 2020
This Red Carpet Was Totally Surreal  But also amazing. See all the looks at the Venice Film Festival. 
By Emilia Petrarca and Andrew Nguyen
in memoriam Aug. 31, 2020
Remembering Chadwick Boseman on the Red Carpet  His style was bold, risk-taking, and always impeccable. 
the wedding files Aug. 21, 2020
The Design-Minded Couple Who Didn’t Want to Try Too Hard  The bride got a wonderful surprise the morning of her wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 14, 2020
A Costa Rica Wedding During the Rainy Season  Thunder roared during the toasts. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 7, 2020
A San Francisco Wedding at a Big, Empty Pier  The bride changed into crushed-velvet pants for the disco-infused reception. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 31, 2020
An Elopement Among the Lupines in Iceland  The late afternoon was spent snapping photos near waterfalls and black beaches. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 24, 2020
A Pennsylvania Potluck for 280 People  “I looked at her for the first time and had this feeling like, You. I know you.” 
By Kaitlin Menza
milan fashion week July 22, 2020
Behind the Scenes at Gucci’s Virtual Show  Instead of models, members of the design team sported the eccentric collection. 
By Andrew Nguyen
the wedding files July 17, 2020
A Dance Party Under Puerto Rican Palm Trees  Bad Bunny blasted and pitorro flowed. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 10, 2020
A Zoom Wedding Only Two Digital Creatives Could Produce  The couple coordinated multiple video segments, breakout rooms, and a dance party. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 3, 2020
The Anti-Spectacle Wedding That Turned Into a Spectacle  Brooklyn Bridge Park was the site of their first date, proposal, and wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files June 26, 2020
A Night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art  The flowers were specially treated to protect the masterpieces. 
By Kaitlin Menza
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.