Jon Ginoli Pleases All At Book Zoo Reading

March 30, 10:32 PMEast Bay Literary ExaminerTony R. Rodriguez

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Pansy Division's JON GINOLI & Green Day's BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG

Jon Ginoli is the founding member of the local punk rock band Pansy Division, who made strong national notices back in the mid 90s when they did a heavy amount of touring with punk music icons Green Day. Pansy Division formed in the early 90s, and has since played over 900 shows in 45 states and in 17 countries.

This past Saturday, just blocks from the UC Berkeley campus, Book Zoo hosted the Jon Ginoli reading at 7:30 PM. His memoir, DEFLOWERED: MY LIFE IN PANSY DIVISION, recently hit number six on the San Francisco Chronicle best-seller list. And it’s no wonder — Ginoli’s book is crammed with moments of exploration, celebration, and much-needed personal liberation.

During his reading, Ginoli’s selected excerpts that addressed his recollections pertaining to how Pansy Division, his all-gay punk rock band formed, the band’s past and present members, political and social judgments made by the group, and a couple moments of intense sexual permissiveness. Whereas some reviewers have classified DEFLOWERED as a memoir loaded with scenes of alcohol and drug intoxication, Ginoli made it clear during his reading that his memoir doesn’t focus on or celebrate such actions. Rather, his memoir is an honest account of Ginoli and his band’s response to a musical world that has yet to fully embrace all-gay music groups.

 

Throughout the reading, the audience was often moved by Ginoli’s calm and collected voice as he bounced from excerpt to excerpt. They appeared highly attentive and eager, often hanging on his words by leaning forward with eyes wide open.

Check out DEFLOWERED as it continues to climb the best-sellers list. Learn more about the musical escapades of Jon Ginoli, the man who’s rocked the music world and has now rocked the literary scene.

Copyright © 2009 Tony R. Rodriguez, Examiner.com