The Royal We

A Memoir

By: Roddy Bottum

Narrated by: Roddy Bottum

A founder of the iconic band Faith No More shares his coming-of-age and out-of-the-closet story in pre-tech boom San Francisco

The Royal We is a poetic survey of a time set in a magical city that once was and is no more. It is a memoir written by Roddy Bottum, a musician and artist, that documents through prose his coming of age and out of the closet in 1980s San Francisco, a charged era of bicycle messengers, punk rock, street witches, wheatgrass, and rebellion. The book follows his travels from Los Angeles, growing up gay with no role models, to San Francisco, where he formed Faith No More and went on to tour the world relentlessly, surviving heroin addiction and the plight of AIDS, to become a queer icon.

The book is an elevated wallop of tongue and insight, much more than a tell-all. There are personal tales of historical pinnacles like Kurt and Courtney, Guns N’ Roses, and recaps of gold records and arena rock—but it’s the testimonies of tragedy and addiction and preposterous life-spins that make this work so unique and intriguing. Bottum writes about his dark and harrowing past in a clear-eyed voice that is utterly devoid of self-pity, and his emboldened and confident pronouncements of achievement and unorthodox heroism flow in an unstoppable train that’s both captivating and inspirational.

A remarkable portrayal of a creative individual in emergence, a gay man figuring out how to be a gay man, and a detailed look at the nuance of 1980s pre-tech boom San Francisco, The Royal We will be greatly appreciated by people who loved Kathleen Hanna’s Rebel Girl, Patti Smith’s Just Kids, Hua Hsu’s Stay True, and other memoirs about the artist’s life.

©2025 Roddy Bottum (P)2025 Blackstone Publishing

We care a lot

Probably played a keyboard in one of my all-time favorite bands, and weather wasn’t a whole lot about the music. It was really interesting to hear his story in his life. I had no idea about some of the things that are portrayed in this book somewhere more harsh and hard to believe. And some were beautiful and inspiring thanks Roddy for the music and the stories. We care a lot.!

Beautiful

This is less a rock autobiography than a poetic novel where the main character sometimes dabbles in band stuff.

Poetic and Fascinating

Such a lovely cadence and narration by the author. Fascinating memoir, awesome history of one of my favorite bands, and the stories of characters surrounding the author growing up.

Great listen!

Loved hearing Roddys story in his own words, read by him. Very relatable moments throughout.
I appreciate the vulnerable honesty with some tongue in cheek sprinkled throughout.
Not your typical autobiography and I recommend it for those who are a fan of his music or those just wanting to get to know him more.
Well done, sir. Splendid work.

I Love This Book

I love this relatable book. Bottum provided insight and anecdotes about what it was like growing up as a gay teen in Los Angeles. His rise to punk-rock stardom in San Francisco was surprising, but not so surprising once you know him. His coming to terms with his queerness late in life and coming out fueled a renaissance of creativity that took him to the next level of honesty and raw beauty. "The Royal We" is a must-listen audiobook narrated hauntingly by the author himself as no one else could.