An iconic rock DJ of the Twin Cities tells her harrowing story of being stalked while living her very public life
What's it like to be in the public spotlight when it just might get you killed? For Mary Lucia, becoming a wildly popular rock DJ meant connecting with a multitude of fans through a shared love of music and deep cuts. But for one listener, that connection became a dangerous obsession, catapulting Lucia into the terrifying three-year nightmare that she chronicles in this raw, wry, and profoundly courageous memoir. With electrifying wit and anger, Lucia shares her experience of navigating constant terror while life absurdly goes on: interview rock stars, curate a radio show song list, judge high school battles of the band, kick a drug addiction cold turkey . . . all while fearing what might be waiting in her mailbox or who might be waiting on her front step or at her back door.
Lucia was no stranger to inappropriate or weird contact from fans, but things turned sinister when ten pounds of raw meat were delivered to her at work, followed by a steady stream of ominous letters, cards, packages, and messages. When the letters included threats to her dogs' safety, she tried to get help, but without a name and return address on these communications there was nothing she could do. As the stalker's actions escalated, Lucia felt more and more isolated. Police responding to her 911 calls were insensitive and dismissive, and even her friends implied that being stalked was just a hazard of her high-profile job and her high-energy personality. No one seemed to take seriously the danger she faced.
Inseparable from this ordeal is the story of how Mary Lucia became the notorious radio malcontent known by so many avid listeners. From the good, bad, and weird of growing up in her eccentric family to drugs, death, and dogs, Lucia finally shares her life on her own terms in What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate To. Applying her signature dark humor to her own traumatic experiences, Lucia's memoir is idiosyncratic, bold, and-ironically-relatable.
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Table of Contents:
Contents
Prologue: Smudge
Introduction: Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself
1. Spreadsheets and Sadness
2. Raw Meat
3. Detoxicated
4. Untested Monkey Tranquilizers
5. Positivity, Do We Mark You Present or Do We Mark You Late?
6. Now What Have I Done?
7. Q and A-hole
8. Eating Out of a Pail
9. There Goes the Last DJ
10. 911 Is a Joke
11. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory
12. Hey Ho! Let's Not!
13. Are You Sure You're His Type?
14. Sister Morphine
15. About That Time Mr. Cheswick Ate a Couch
16. Breaking Up with Minneapolis
17. Creeper's Paradise
18. Alone with Everybody
19. Taking a Leave of Absence from Work and My Mind
20. What's Your Pain Level At?
21. Highway 61 Regurgitated
22. Halitosis
23. Shingles at the Stones
24. Bring Me Dead Flowers
25. At This Time, We Begin Our Priority Boarding of All Cats
26. Keep in Mind There Will Be Plenty of Listeners Who've Forgotten You
27. Smoking in the Courtroom
28. Shit Bag Returns
29. For Those About to Salute, I Rock You
Epilogue: My Mom Is Coming Home to Die
Last Show Playlist
Acknowledgments
About the Author :
Mary Lucia is a media broadcast personality, writer, actor, and voiceover artist. She worked at The Current from 2005 to 2022 and was well known for her unconventional style and expansive music knowledge. She hosted the local music show Popular Creeps, twice a Minnesota Music Award winner for Best Locally Produced Show, and she was voted best FM radio personality by City Pages seven times. She is currently the program advisor at the University of Minnesota's Radio K.
Review :
"A compulsive, heart-pounding read from a true rock-and-roll heart. Mary Lucia has been terrorized and let down and disrespected and underestimated, yet here she is, raw and real with her spirit shining, braver and kinder than ever - yes, you need to read this book." - Rocky O'Riordan, The Pogues
"Mary Lucia's beautifully written memoir is as brave, smart, funny, honest, authentic, and full of heart as she is. She pours the same passion she's always had for music into telling her very personal, powerful, sometimes harrowing story, and like the countless amazing songs she's turned people like me onto over the years, it really packs an emotional punch. Plus, she loves dogs. What more could anyone ask for?" - Brian Stack, writer/actor, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Conan
"Mary Lucia's book is a hilarious and touching outpouring of radical love. A radical love of music, of pugs, and of adventure. But maybe the greatest thing about it is how she trusts us with radical honesty about herself. It's as though she wants you to know everything, not for her own catharsis but for ours. She writes for anyone who has been through some shit, has survived that shit, and who has had their fears marginalized - and she gives us, in every page, the feeling that we are not alone. Using humor to tell hard truths helps us all get through the pain. But the way Mary weaves it throughout this memoir bitch-slaps you into reality and serves as a reminder that we are worthy, warts and all." - Lizz Winstead, cocreator of The Daily Show
"In her unmistakable voice, Mary Lucia weaves family history, obsession with music, and love of animals into the tapestry of a jaw-dropping journey. Through unflinching accounts of anxiety, depression, and how an unhinged listener altered her professional and personal life, Mary creates a powerful and resonant self-portrait for longtime listeners and current readers. Her survival skills, hard-earned wisdom, and a giant dose of rock-and-roll swagger prove that Mary Lucia is a legendary figure in the broadcasting world. We are fortunate to be her audience." - Bob Mould, musician
"I roared through this book in two sittings and then immediately started over and read the whole thing again. And then . . . I read it again. You'll probably do the same, so carve out a little extra time. Looch is a hurricane of pure heart and soul, and you're gonna wanna be her best friend . . . but I must insist you do us both a favor, and leave her the hell alone. Enjoy!" - Steve Gorman, musician and radio host
