NYC Punk Rocker Angela Jaeger Turned Her Teenage Diary Into a Memoir

I wish my diary was this exciting.

Angela Jaeger, a singer, writer, and teacher, recently released her memoir, I Feel Famous: Punk Diaries 1977-1981, about her wild teenage years in the New York City punk rock scene. Now a 65-year-old New Yorker, she gets to relive her glory days through her equal parts journalistic and poetic teenage journal entries.

The synopsis for I Feel Famous: Punk Diaries 1977-1981 details the memoir as “a girl’s coming of age story set to the pulse of punk rock” following “a music enthusiast living in New York’s East Village.” The book highlights 17-year-old Jaeger’s discovery of and devoted love for punk music, paying tribute to her unconventional lifestyle.

Who is Angela Jaeger?

The writer’s chronological diary entries detail her journey from being a pining punk music fan to becoming an avid CBGB music club occupant, following the Clash on their UK tour, and eventually starting her own band, the Stare Kits.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Jaeger described her teenage self as “this young girl walking along Bowery, in little high heels, into CBGB with full-on rock’n’rollers, Stiv Bators, Dee Dee Ramone.” Since her then-friends didn’t share the same passion and vigor for punk, teenage Jaeger embarked on many of her adventures solo.

She even divulged to The Guardian that she kissed both Joe Strummer and Billy Idol, as well as became friends with big names like Lydia Lunch, Ari Up, and Viv Albertine.

Jaeger’s memoir also includes some of her personal drawings of individuals in the punk scene, photos from her glory days, and ephemera from the late 1970s/early 1980s. 

“The diaries touch on a variety of themes, including identity politics, downtown NY, anglophilia, fandom, fame, and fashion,” the synopsis reads. “Contrasting the stark black and white of 1970s New York with the exuberant beat-up color of a decaying London and its disenchanted youth, a lost era is brought back to life through a dedicated fan’s own reportage. Creative, funny, and endlessly cool, the result is an unprecedented perspective into an ever-popular moment in contemporary cultural history.”

Back then, “I was rebelling against school, against conformity,” Jaefar recently told The Guardian. “The music was so different. The pace, the energy, the style but also the attitude: society sucks!”

In one of Jaeger’s 1977 entries, she posed a compelling question: “Why should we be expected to live like everyone else does?” 

Though some might scoff at the teenage sentiment of living an unorthodox life dedicated to art and music, well, perhaps those young, fanatical dreamers are onto something. I mean, Jaeger is now a successful writer and stylish 65-year-old New Yorker with years of splendor and fulfillment to reflect on. Sounds like she’s winning.