Strange Cures: A Memoir

“Strange Cures is a punk poem to a forgotten Los Angeles. And likeall good poems, its heart is filled with tragic beauty. In StrangeCures, Rob Zabrecky reminds us that life is what you make of it,and what you make of it is rarely what you dreamit to be.” – Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times“A 1980s San Fernando Valley Time Machine.” – Jane Wiedlin, the Go-Go’sRob Zabrecky is one of LA’s most interesting natives. His memoir, STRANGE CURES, is a turbulent, against-all-odds memoir of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvent. With an unflinching gaze, musician / magician / actor Zabrecky recounts his bizarre coming-of-age tale and his quest to find a place in the arts—and the world. The author reveals a young life filled with both physical miracles and subversive role models, including an uncle who impersonated an FBI agent and, in a drunken delusion, shot and nearly killed him. He takes readers on a roller coaster ride through the nascent days of Silver Lake’s music and art community, as seen through the lens of his critically acclaimed band, Possum Dixon. We explore the left-of-center landscape of Jabberjaw, LA’s independent coffeehouse which featured the early talents of Nirvana and Beck;Zabrecky’s own struggles with drug addiction, love, and recovery; and finally, his reemergence as a magician venturing into the sacred world of Hollywood’s Magic Castle.STRANGE CURES is a trip through the thrilling and hazardous landscape of Southern California at the close of last century. His story is a revelatory look inside the Los Angeles underground music world of the early 90s—as seen through the alleys and doorways from a key insider.