Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Hit So Hard  By  cover art

Hit So Hard

By: Patty Schemel
Narrated by: Patty Schemel
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A stunningly candid portrait of the Seattle grunge scene of the '90s and a memoir of an addict during the last great era of rock 'n' roll excess, by Hole drummer Patty Schemel

Patty Schemel's story begins with a childhood surrounded by the AA meetings her parents hosted in the family living room. Their divorce triggered her first forays into drinking at age 12 and dovetailed with her passion for punk rock and playing the drums. Patty's struggles with her sexuality further drove her notoriously hard playing, and by the late '80s she had focused that anger, confusion, and drive into regular gigs with well-regarded bands in Tacoma, Seattle, and Olympia, Washington.

She met a pre-Nirvana Kurt Cobain at a Melvins show, and less than five years later, was living with him and his wife, Hole front-woman Courtney Love, at the height of his fame and on the cusp of hers. As the platinum-selling band's new drummer, Schemel contributed memorable, driving beats to hits like "Beautiful Son", "Violet", "Doll Parts", and "Miss World". But the band was plagued by tragedy and heroin addiction, and by the time Hole went on tour in support of their ironically titled and critically acclaimed album Live Through This in 1994, both Cobain and Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff had died at the age of 27.

With surprising candor and wit, Schemel intimately documents the events surrounding her dramatic exit from the band in 1998 that led to a dark descent into a life of homelessness and crime on the streets of Los Angeles, and the difficult but rewarding path to lasting sobriety after more than 20 serious attempts to get clean.

Hit So Hard is a testament not only to the enduring power of the music Schemel helped create but an important document of the drug culture that threatened to destroy it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 Patty Schemel (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Patty Schemel's drums have always been a wake-up call, the punctuation that makesserious the wild streams of punk consciousness her bands have expressed. This book is a wake-up call, too - a clearly considered, deeply honest look back at arock scene that's often been mourned but rarely truly understood. Schemel writes most honestly about herself: she spares nothing and no one as she traces the path of addiction as it intersects with the privileges and costs of young fame. A must-read about rock 'n' roll realities." (Ann Powers, NPR music critic and author of Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music)

"Reading about the myriad ways Hole drummer Patty Schemel - 'the best musician in that band' as her pal Kurt Cobain put it - brutalized herself with addiction can feel like a kind of sadistic experience. And yet, Hit So Hard feels ultimately uplifting and hopeful, in part because its author so fully and completely appreciates what she's survived in order to have written it. Hit So Hard is a harrowing but heartwarming read. Schemel's made the years she got that others didn't count. And it shows." (Lizzy Goodman, author of Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011)

"[A] heartbreaking memoir...Schemel's recounting is bluntly terrifying and provides invaluable insight into the ravages of addiction-and just as importantly, the possibility of recovery...A must-read for any grunge fan." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Hit So Hard

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    465
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    419
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    409
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The BEST Book I have ever read. Hands Down.

disclaimer: I have been a Hole fan since I was 12 years out. Live Through This got me through the roughest times of my adolescence, and is still a seminal album for me. I can put it on, and I'm instantly back in the places I was when I first heard them.
I was super stoked to hear that Patty Schemel would be releasing her memoir. There was a doc of her personal footage on Netflix called "Hits So Hard", which is a great precursor or even afterword to her book...... that originally exposed me to her story and her journey.
I love that she narrates the book herself. it's like sitting with a friend and listening to them tell you their life story. She injects humor and wit, and even when she's talking about really heavy subject matter, her self deprecating story telling keeps you connected to her.
She is unflinching in her story telling. She holds nothing back. This isn't the type of memoir where she glosses over the dark parts and only luminates her successes. You go down to her darkest moments and live them with her, so by the time a success comes, you're so emotionally involved, you celebrate for her.
By the end, I was honestly crying tears of joy for her. Patty Schemel has written a once in a lifetime roller coaster ride of a book. an absolute must read for any fans of Hole, grunge music and culture, lovers of biographies, and recovering addicts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Courageous

A captivating account of her life told with self-deprecation and humor. Self-aware and gutsy. Emotional and inspiring. Jaw-droppingly honest. Seemingly nothing left out. An important and fascinating chronicle of the era.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

As addicting to read as the drugs

I listened to this in just two days - a well written story. Addicts take note - the descriptions of drug use are vivid and exceptionally lengthy. Honestly, this should be required reading for those working with addicts. Absolutely worthwhile.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

She tells it like it is

I was struggling with heroin addiction during the nineties, and hole was my favourite band. What more can I say? I was bound to love this book from the start. I got clean in 2001, and Patty a few years later. Brilliant book, told by the author, raw and unplugged.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome book!

I never knew who she was really but I have heard of Hole back in the 90s. I literally couldnt stop listening to this book on audio and stayed up many late nights cuz I just wanted to hear more. A very honest and raw description on addictions first hand. I learned who Patty Schemel is and what shes been through and Id have to say she seems like an amazing person. I could relate to a lot of what shes gone through in life and she did so well writing this book in such detail that I imagined everything vividly in my mind as if I were personally there going through it. This would make one hell of a movie that I would def watch! I love the fact that she is the narrator for the audio version! Keep on rocking Patty you are such an inspiration!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must Read

Patty Schemel is the Forrest Gump of grunge heroin town. Absolute blistering honesty about a time and place many have over romanticized. A truly inspirational & memorable work that can be enjoyed by recovering addicts and rock n roll fans in equal measure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This book was so good.

Patty is so brave. She really holds nothing back. I’ve been a big fan since she joined Hole but I didn’t expect to be so moved by this story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Best recovery memoir this year

I’ve listened to dozens of such memoirs as I’m in recovery. Patty writes with humility and honesty. Not your usual name-dropping Rock bio but very personal. Of course she had to talk about Kurt and Hole yet her focus was always about her own struggles with all of the humiliating situations that come with addiction. Great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling story of Courage and humbleness!

Be prepared to dive into the darkness of a soul in pain with an inspiring ending. Just loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

no thanks

I am no stranger to memoirs by musicians, nor to addiction and recovery, but this one was painful, and not in a good way. After 26 chapters of zero self-reflection or introspection and far too many "how-to" passages for anyone intereated in step-by-step instructions on smoking crack and shooting up, along with rapturous pages of her highs, I felt grossed out. I won't be investing any more time hoping she changes her tone in the second half. I get it - we tell what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. but in this author's case, the description of what is was like reads as whiny, blaming, and completely lacking in any personal accountability, which prevented me from wanting to read more. While I absolutely want her to succeed and stay sober and clean, I wish she had waited a few more years before crafting this narrative. It doesn't read as though she was ready.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful