Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist of Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, will release her highly anticipated memoir Even the Good Girls Will Cry on March 17, 2026. Published in hardcover, the book offers a raw, poetic, and profoundly personal portrait of the 1990s Alternative Rock era, told through the lens of one of its most quietly powerful figures.
The memoir opens with Auf der Maur’s bohemian upbringing in Montreal, where she grew up surrounded by art, music, and creative rebellion. Working as a cassette DJ and ticket girl, she found herself immersed in a thriving local scene that welcomed artists like Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, Pavement, and Sonic Youth. A serendipitous chain of events—including a beer bottle, a fan letter, and a recommendation from Billy Corgan—led her to join Hole during one of the most turbulent chapters in rock history.
Thrust into the spotlight amid grief and chaos, Melissa joined Hole for the Live Through This world tour following the deaths of Kurt Cobain and bassist Kristen Pfaff. She captures the experience with vivid intimacy, painting a portrait of Courtney Love as both fierce and fragile, channeling pain into electric, unforgettable performances.
Part rock memoir, part spiritual travelogue, Even the Good Girls Will Cry captures the raw pulse of the 90s—the last analog decade—through art, loss, and transformation. With a blend of mysticism, honesty, and memory, Auf der Maur delivers an intimate dispatch from a time when music was loud, messy, and life-changing.