Nice cars, Playboy bunnies, wealth and thrown underwear — as the Nickelback song suggests, the awesome life of a rock ‘n’ roll band, right? According to NIU English professor Joe Bonomo, not quite.

“Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band,” Bonomo’s first biography, was published by Continuum in September.

For seven years, Bonomo spent his summers trekking to New York to interview and research for his book. As the title suggests, the book chronicles the lives of the Fleshtones, a little known band Bonomo first heard in the 1980s.

According to Bonomo, The Fleshtones are the only band that debuted at CBGB that played together uninterrupted since.

“The Fleshtones redefined what it means to be successful,” said Bonomo. “They’re simply a great American rock band that no one’s heard about.”
However, Bonomo says his book is more than just a biography of an obscure rock band.

“It’s a great story of perseverance and staying true to your dreams and visions,” said Bonomo.

The perseverance Bonomo refers to involves a journey of music that has spanned more than three decades and does not involve fame or fortune.

Bonomo joined the band on its Midwest tour in 2001 and discovered the realistic lives of rock stars.

“The memory I have from that tour is how much they struggled,” said Bonomo. “Sleeping on promoter’s floors and in flea-bag motels, playing to half-empty clubs. It cemented to me why their story is so unique and so interesting, why it’s a worthwhile story. They didn’t give up and soldiered on.”

Although the Fleshtones story is enthralling, Bonomo had difficulty getting “Sweat” published.

Bonomo believes that while “Sweat” works as a manual for those in a band, it is also a inspirational story for those who have no affiliation with music.

“If you’re in a band as a 20-something, this is an absolute crucial book. It shows what your future is,” said Bonomo.

“[But] no matter what your passion is, you will find yourself mirrored in this book. As you get older, you have to redefine what success means. The Fleshtones story is a great example of how to do that.”

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