In episode 31 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with musician and author Roddy Bottum from the band Faith No More about his recent memoir, “The Royal We” (Akashic Books, 2025).
As cofounder and keyboard player for Faith No More, Roddy was center stage for a music revolution that germinated and grew in underground clubs and bars in the 1980s only to explode into the mainstream in the early 1990s. It was an exciting time for music, but the often-homophobic music industry was another beast, especially if you were a young gay man like Roddy. It led to a personal and professional life that blazed bright with success but also darkened with recklessness, including heroin addiction.
In his exceptional, poetic memoir, “The Royal We,” Roddy details this life, from his childhood in Los Angeles, coming-of-age as a young gay man in 1980s punk San Francisco, and musical journeys with Faith No More and other bands to his battles with addiction, friendships with people like Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, and eventual self-acceptance and becoming a queer icon.
Roddy joins the show to discuss “The Royal We” and its writing, his incredible life story, book bans and censorship, and, of course, how he libraries.
“How I Library” is available for download or streaming on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or listen below.
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