Bruce Adams

Bruce Adams

Adams attended the University of Michigan where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Syracuse University where he received a Masters of Arts degree in Newspaper Journalism.

Bruce Adams started working the music industry in 1988, is the co-founder of kranky records, which he’d established in Chicago in 1993. In 2005, he left kranky and still works in the industry.

Once he’d sold his share in kranky, his wife almost immediately began suggesting that he write a book documenting his experiences as a deep music industry insider at the crossroads of the 90s sonic landscape in Chicago.

Over time, he realized that it should be documented, especially by somebody that knew the scene from the inside out. Kranky was on the periphery was of it, and the importance of the bands on the label was especially important to document, like Labradford, who launched the imprint in the first place. This is where his memoir comes in.

The Continuing Case of Manny Tippitoes. A young girl awakes in her room to find a strange man singing this catchy song. Her uncle (the youngest detective on the force), meanwhile, gets handed this old leather attache case. He’s told that it contains the results of more than 100 years of secret police investigations.

Working separately and together, Marcella and “Uncle Detective” follow this trail which leads past Victorian detectives, World War II, vaudeville showmen, singing waiters, 30s Hollywood, and comic book heroes all the way to the present day. Why can’t the cops catch this intruder? Who’s breaking into the homes of the city’s richest citizens? And what is the deal with all of the socks?

You’re With Stupid: kranky, Chicago, and the Reinvention of Indie Music is an insider’s look at how Chicago’s underground music industry transformed indie rock during the 1990s.

Back in the 90s, Chicago was right at the center of indie rock, propelling bands such as Liz Phair and Smashing Pumpkins up to the national stage. The musical ecosystem from which these bands emerged, however, was diverse and expansive. Grunge players comingled with the jazz, electronic, psychedelic, and ambient music communities, and this inventive and collaborative group of local labels (Drag City, kranky, and Thrill Jockey, among others) embraced the evolving and new sounds of indie “rock”. Bruce as kranky records’ co-founder, was there to bear witness.

In this book, he offers an insider’s look at the role that Chicago’s underground music industry played in indie rock’s transformation. Chicago labels, like he explains, used the attention brought by national acts to launch bands which drew influences outside of the Nirvana-inspired sound that was dominating pop.

The bands themselves (Low, Labradford, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) weren’t necessarily based in Chicago, however it was Chicago labels such as kranky which had the infrastructure and ears to do something with this new music. Chicago-shaped sounds reached the wider world, presaging the genre blending music of the 21st century.

Related Authors

Fans of Bruce Adams also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. Charles Dickens, author of: A Christmas Carol.
3. Carl Hiaasen, author of the Andrew Yancy Series.
4. Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer Series.
5. Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files Series.

Bruce Adams: F.A.Q