‘I Know How To Live’: The Life of Kristen Pfaff’ is finally being released

'This book celebrates the power of music but doesn’t flinch from the dark side, the hangover and the pain of drugs and the burn-out and death, yet ultimately places Kristen back in the deserved centre of the narrative.’ John Robb,  first man to interview Nirvana, and best-selling pop-culture author (Punk Rock: An Oral History.) 

Through this Substack, chapters from volume 1 of the biography of Pfaff’s life will be published from 10th December, in three monthly instalments for paying subscribers (who will also get unheard media from Pfaff’s life- such as excerpts from her journal recordings) and previews of interviews with the authors prior to general release).

It is a biography that has been in progress for over five years, and draws, for the first time, from the archive Pfaff left behind her after her tragic death at 27 years old. This archive includes hours of Pfaff’s unheard diary recordings, as well as her writings, critical essays, and unseen photographs from her short but compelling life. This archive led to new interviews by those who knew Pfaff best- including some powerful new voices which have not been on record before, and who will change the story about Pfaff. The Substack will begin with the release of volume 1 of 2 in the biography of Pfaff’s life. It goes up to Pfaff’s decision to join Hole and the circumstances around it and offers new insights into Pfaff’s interactions with key grunge figures such as Steve Albini and J Mascis. Much has been said and rumoured about Kristen Pfaff. ‘I Know How To Live’ finally offers Kristen Pfaff the chance for her to share her voice.

Over the course of five years this project grew, becoming two books as Pfaff’s multifaceted life was explored. Many interested people approached those behind this project, when word got out about it, with questions about Pfaff’s life- and death- and to share the influence she had on their life. (A TEDx talk, and last year a first chapter of the book was published, for free, by 3AM Magazine). 

We are grateful to those who have waited so patiently, and who’ve contributed their experiences with Pfaff. 

Quotes on ‘I Know How To Live’: The Life of Kristen Pfaff

‘The 1990’s are constantly being reassessed as a vital decade for music and musicians. Mankowski’s brilliant and exhaustive retelling of the extraordinary (and extraordinarily misunderstood) life of Kristen Pfaff- one of the most important players in the Seattle / Sub Pop scene- is a timely reminder that sometimes the heroes don’t always win, and the truth is out there if you look hard enough.’ Jane Savidge, of Savidge and Best (PR for Pulp, Suede) and author of 33 1/3 book ‘Pulp’s This Is Hardcore. 

‘Written by Mankowski with the help of Kristen's brother Jason Pfaff, this enthralling read documents one of the most talented female performers on the '90s alternative rock scene’. The YEAR Grunge BROKE website. 

‘Any writing is only as important as how it affects others. This book has done that for me…I feel like you put into words the way I feel about Kristen. Also, beautifully written and I love the way you bring yourself into the story.’ Mike Huber, Kristen Pfaff’s former partner. 

Book cover design by Irina Jihoshvili. Photos 2 & 3 by Brian Pobuda. 

This project is represented by Matthew Hamilton at https://thehamiltonagency.co.uk/ 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What do I get for my subscription fee of $9.5 dollars a month (a total of $28.5 dollars or 21.95 sterling- the price of a hardback with bonus features) over the course of three months? 

·      42,739 words of volume 1 of ‘I Know How To Live’: The Life of Kristen Pfaff, covering the first 26 years of her 27 year life up to her decision to join Hole and the circumstances around it. This is divided into three (broadly equal) monthly instalments published on the 10th December and then on the 10th of the following two months. This content draws from new interviews with those closest to her, and Pfaff’s private writing, stories, drawings, academic essays, archive, diary recordings and letters. 

·     Founding subscribers will get additional content, such as excerpts from Pfaff's journal recordings, interview footage of those interviewed in the book and previews of interviews with the author/s before they reach the general public. 

·      Media about Pfaff, including musical demos she created, and a cassette playlist she curated. ·      Unseen photographs of Pfaff, those closest to her, and key figures from the nineties grunge scene, all from her own personal archive.

So does this mean there won’t be a paper version of the book in the future? 

No. It doesn’t mean there won’t be a paper version, we just can’t see a way to it yet. This is a way to give people a fuller insight into Kristen Pfaff, drawing from her journal recordings and allowing people to hear her music. People also get the content of volume 1 of her biography with Substack. Though they don’t get a paper version to hold that does not mean that further down the line there won’t be a paper version. The agent behind this project is approaching this as a means to facilitate that. Kristen fans had been waiting a long time to get this content and this allows them to have it. 

So what about volume 2? When will we get to read that? 

After volume one, which monthly subscribers will have all of by 10th February. As content and when is cleared we can then look to considering volume 2 after that. For now we have volume 1, which takes us up to Kristen joining Hole, though it draws from her journal recordings throughout her life. So in that case, as things stand, I should cancel my monthly subscription after paying three months, once I have all the content? Yes. Unless we have more to tell you on this in due course. 

I tried on the first day this came out to pay for a subscription and the payment options were limited. Can you help? 

Yes. Since then Paypall as a payment option via Substack has been enabled. There are rare countries, like Russia, where Paypall and Stripe are not available. We are looking into that as we know Kristen’s fans are international.