Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide audiobook

3.5/4 - I always thought he and Run was close... A lot of flip flopping which irk my nerves.

Originally published online at BORG.com.Darryl McDaniels–he’s the DMC of the trio Run DMC, known for its team-up with Aerosmith on the band’s cover of “Walk this Way,” plus hits like “Tricky” and more. He’s the King of Rock, sold 30 million albums, made rap and hip-hop the popular music genre it is today, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But he doesn’t count any of those things as his most important personal accomplishment. In his memoir, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide–A Memoir, McDaniels reveals in a personal and down-to-earth way the trials he has faced despite his money and career success, leading to alcoholism and debilitating depression. Despite its “Ten Ways…” title, it’s not his version of a twelve-step program as much as an insightful self-help book that doubles as an autobiography.McDaniels’ story is deep and dark and yet he uses his story to motivate those around him and his writing reflects this generous sharing of failures for others to learn from. McDaniels was a middle class, self-styled geek, raised in a good family, successfully avoiding the gangs and violence of New York City as a kid, and by the time he was out of his teens he was a superstar. As a kid he loved comic books and he loved to draw. “Growing up, I’d always been a comic book geek. I loved to draw superheroes almost as much as I liked to read about them. Comics were an escape, a way to make myself feel strong and invincible rather than like the quiet little four-eyed nerd I essentially was.” But his venture into comics wouldn’t happen until much later. He jumped on board with two neighborhood kids from Queens as they used turntables and rhyme to create a new music niche in the mid-1980s. All those kids wearing high-top sneakers with no shoestrings? Run-DMC also set a new fashion style for a generation. And McDaniels infused comic book concepts into his songs along the way.But McDaniels says he always felt something missing, and he often turned to alcohol to escape. Ups and downs and assistance from family and friends allowed him to break through it all and come out on top, but not easily. In one of his best stories he recounts the backlash early on that he received because of his band’s instant fame–even beyond other established rap heroes. Members of his favorite band–Cold Crush–dissed him and Joey “Run” Simmons backstage at a show, but rather than be brought down by it, he saw it as an indication of success. But by McDaniels’ account, Run’s dominance in the band left him without a role after a few albums, and alcoholism would literally take away McDaniel’s voice. After he thought he was past the alcoholism, he would find himself returning to drinking whenever a life crisis presented itself. A key event was discovering he was adopted, learned after a conversation with his mother while working on documenting his life story. He would go on a reality show and track down and ultimately find his biological family, which introduced even more confusion for his mental state, but it was also his pathway for getting help from a therapist and rehab. Inspiration to get help and move forward surprisingly also came from the soothing music of Sarah McLachlan, and his story of her role in his upward climb is now well-known. They eventually recorded an album together (I discussed it here at borg.com after meeting McDaniels at Planet Comicon back in 2014). It’s a great story and he recounts all the details in his book.We know McDaniels in the comic book world from what he has done after Run DMC broke up upon the death of band member DJ Jam Master Jay, publishing his own comics as DMC, now “Darryl Makes Comics” and speaking and rhyming for fans across the country. McDaniels has attended local conventions and comic book store events, and is a champion of foster kids and adoption.You won’t find ten steps in this book that will help you or someone you care about deal with depression, but his message of “you are not alone” should resonate with anyone. McDaniels addresses many areas of tragedy, and if you or someone you know suffers from depression, addiction, has experienced the deaths of close family and friends, if they’ve wrestled with attempts at brainwashing or religious cults, overbearing friends and colleagues, and if you’ve been adopted or are thinking about adopting and fostering, you will find something positive and helpful to take away from McDaniels’ story. A great read published in hardcover late last year, Darryl McDaniels’ Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide–A Memoir is now available in paperback from HarperCollins’ Amistad imprint.

I liked this book mostly because I found it so relatable. McDaniels's fame didn't shelter him from the mental health and life-coping problems many of us face. In fact, his celebrity status probably exacerbated those issues.Of course, McDaniels is famous for being DMC, one third of iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC. Being in the spotlight in the hip-hop industry put a lot of pressure on McDaniels, and many others, to be tough and invincible around others, while internally he was suffering greatly by not standing up for himself and asking for help he clearly needed. It almost cost him his life.I'm not a famous rap artist, as far as I know, but McDaniels's story couldn't have been more understandable to me. I connected with what he was talking about from page one.This is more of a "recovery memoir" than a standard celebrity memoir, though there is plenty of insight into the music biz and issues within Run-DMC. I find it to be a compelling account of how his mind and spirit evolved and what he realized along the way.I was reminded of the Geto Boyz's old song, "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me", perhaps the first rap hit to address mental health problems. The genre has come a long way in talking about things like depression and addiction since Run-DMC hit it big in the mid-1980s.It's one of those lessons that is against cultural expectations: it actually shows great strength to be able to recognize your faults and ask for help. Tough guys are usually hiding something and presenting a facade. The trope that guys have to be emotionless is one reason suicide is a leading killer of young men.I appreciated and admired DMCs honesty, and willingness to be vulnerable in public with this memoir of his struggles with alcoholism, suicidal ideations, and crippling depression. And his candor in discussing his relapse, his growing apart from his band mates, and his cluttered but ultimately successful recovery and rediscovery of his true self were communicated like he is telling each reader as a trusted friend.Great lessons learned. Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who is a creative professional and struggling with mental health and addiction, or anyone who thinks they always have to be the tough guy instead of recognizing and talking about their resentments and struggles.

One third of hip hop's most legendary acts, Run DMC, Darryl McDaniels opens up with sometimes brutal honesty and intensity about the battles with addiction and depression that dogged him for most of his life. It's a quick, bracing read without too much of the usual celebrity tell-all salaciousness despite the subject. The object here is to offer a voice of compassion, survival and hope to anyone struggling to figure out who they are. McDaniels recounts how despite being one of the most celebrated and recognized rappers of all time-how a sudden career slump, a lifelong tendency to bury his feelings by drinking, and finding out in his thirties he'd been adopted all lead to a long, dark journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Not content to merely detail the high times and low-lights of a celebrity lifestyle, McDaniels carefully and honestly faces down his demons and goes for more than the simple, happy ending of triumphant redemption. I've long been a fan of Run DMC, but after this, I have tons of respect for Darryl McDaniels.

DMC has definitely had a wild ride in life. From reading his memoir, it's amazing he's still alive, but I'm glad he is and chose to share his experiences. I have bouts with depression myself --I call it the black funk and it visits me often -- and am always looking for insights into how other people cope. DMC got damn lucky with a lot of the breaks he had that kept him going and saved his life, but he also did a lot of work to heal his wounds and create the life he wanted. His journey opened my eyes to some ways I could handle my life and how I share my energy better. Not the most well-written book and he sometimes lost me a bit in the trajectory of his stories, but well worth the read if you are a RUN-DMC fan, dig memoirs, or struggle with addiction and/or depression.

Started off slow and was a bit hard to follow as far as a timeline. He arranged it by life events, his marriage, rehab, alcoholism and birth mother etc. He read the audio book so I was able to get a feel for his passion for his projects.... much of the last part of the book was about how he dealt with his problems and I took away some self help type advice. Very interesting background.

I’m not a hip hop fan. I picked up this book bc I will read the autobiography of nearly anyone. This was absolutely terrific. He utilizes a high level of honest reflection. His love and pain were palpable. I would love to hug him.

A very good memoir from a famous entertainer and his battle with depression.

Title says it all