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Escape from Bellevue: A Memoir of Rock 'n' Roll, Recovery, and Redemption

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Description

Read Christopher John Campion's posts on the Penguin Blog. Indie rock raconteur Chris Campion-one of the few patients ever to escape from Bellevue's locked ward-recalls his band's tumultuous ride, his plummet into addiction, and the strange road back to sobriety Chronicling more than twenty years in the life of a Long Island kid who became a hardcore fixture of Manhattan's indie rock scene, Escape from Bellevue is a coming-of-age tale like no other. As the lead singer of New York-based indie rock band Knockout Drops, Campion got a taste of fame (but, alas, no fortune) on a wild ride that lasted from the early 1980s through the 1990s. Escape from Bellevue puts the spotlight on the collective psychosis of twenty years spent in a rolling bacchanal. Just as the Knockout Drops reached the height of their success, Campion began his downward spiral. After finally coming to grips with his addictions, Campion molded his songs and stories into a sold-out off-Broadway musical. Now, presenting these tales in a memoir of madness and redemption, Campion once again proves to possess the creative genius of a die-hard front man. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avery; Reprint edition (December 29, 2009)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592405304


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 05


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.6 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.87 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #474 in Golf Biographies (Books) #1,389 in Comedic Dramas & Plays #1,642 in Culinary Biographies & Memoirs


#474 in Golf Biographies (Books):


#1,389 in Comedic Dramas & Plays:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Great book keeps you interested!
I’ve stopped reading books for so long saw this & said it’s a must to be well read again strengthen my brain muscle ! Very entertaining keeps me interested & i get side tracked easily!! Enjoy.
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2023 by Nina
    • A Hard Read
This book is exceptionally well written, but it's a little hard to get through at times. Chris' frank portrayal of himself is tough. There were some chapters that took me two or three days to complete because I knew what was going to happen, re: he would screw up his life yet again. It took great courage to write this book, I'm sure. Pick this up when your head and your life are in the right place. No doubt, you'll be routing for him right up to the end. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2010 by Stacey Clark
    • Burn, burn, burn!
Campion is a natural storyteller. His stories within-the-story are as hilarious as those of Charles Bukowski and Hunter S. Thompson. But this first-time author's life story offers more than just funny or shocking drunken anecdotes, more than just drug-addled gonzo reporting. You will certainly laugh and most likely cringe at his exploits on and off the rock n roll stage, but unlike other books of this genre you will also be moved and inspired by the author's battle to recover from a nearly lifelong addiction to alcohol, drugs, and avoiding "the real world," and that is because he does something that many of us in the real world can't or won't do: he is completely honest with himself, and with us. Campion lays bare his soul, admitting to all of us how he got here, why he couldn't hold down a "real job," why he lost faith in religion, why he couldn't make relationships work with the sweet, intelligent, beautiful young women who loved him. As he admits, he had an idyllic childhood, a loving family, great friends and a wonderful girlfriend, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted it ALL; he wanted to be a rock star. Some will conclude that he failed because he didn't become rich and famous, and because his addictions nearly killed him and caused great pain for his loved ones. But I came to greatly admire his spirit, going "all in" without a back-up plan. He hasn't made it all the way to the top (yet), but what a hell of a journey he's had trying. And at the end of the day, he beat his addictions, he's doing what he loves, he's happy, and has more friends and more fun than most of us materialistic nine-to-fivers could ever dream of. That makes him a winner in my book. I'll look forward to the next book from this multi-talented original. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2010 by TF76
    • Buy this book...!
First I must admit, I am a boyhood friend of Christopher's. We were in the same 6th grade class at Woodhull School in Huntington, NY during the 1970's. Chris kept the whole class, (even the teacher!) entertained. In Escape from Bellevue Chris paints a great picture of what it was really like growing up in Huntington in the 70's and 80's. This book was a great read! It is touching, and serious at times but not corny. If you like the 70's, real life, rock & roll, big Irish Catholic families, NY City, or recovery PLEASE buy this book. It is laugh out loud funny. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015 by Steve Dono
    • Great, Funny, Poignant
Having seen Chris perform in recent years, I could tell he was a wild guy (or Vicious Freak in his parlance), but this book had me at times howling in laughter and filling up with tears with his entertaining writing style and pure honesty. Absolutely recommend this book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019 by DP
    • Rock and Roll, Alcohol, Insanity
I bought this book only because I wanted to find out for a book I was writing) if it was possible to escape from Bellevue. The answer is yes, (sorry to give this away) but only three people have done it, one of them the author of this book. Along the way, I found his tale fascinating, something like an eighties Jim Morrison who got intervened before he drank himself to death. There's only about two pages about the actual escape from Bellevue, but you should read the whole book anyway. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014 by Ron Ginzler
    • Loved Every Word
I don't know that I've enjoyed many books more than this. It's like VH1s behind the music, The Brothers McMullan (great film check it out) and The Basketball Diaries all rolled up into one. Must read for anyone who enjoys laughing at life and themselves and can see the beauty in the least beautiful situations or at last can look back and see it later Just loved it!!! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2016 by Dave Barckow
    • You wont want to put the book down
What a great story! I have watched Chris play for many years and have always been a big fan of his music but now I am a big fan of his writing. Take Brothers McMullen, add tons of humor and drugs and there you have Escape From Bellevue. Chris, the lead "vicious freak" has a way of keeping the reader intrigued from the beginning to the end and you wont want to put this book down. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2010 by East End Jim

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