High Friends in Low Places features in lurid detail Alan Lord's epic romp through the riotous avant-underground scene of Montreal, New York, and Europe in the 1980s. Along the way, he relates his encounters with the luminaries of cutting-edge literature, music and art including William Burroughs, Kathy Acker, Chris Kraus, John Giorno, Manu Chao, Blixa Bargeld, Chris Burden and pop artist James Rosenquist, as well as introducing us to brilliantly creative unknowns in all the arts. In the end, exhausted, he begins a downward spiral—only to be rescued by a woman who becomes his wife of 34 plus years.

Bilingual writer (English, French), guitarist, songwriter, retired bridge engineer, multidisciplinary artist and event organizer in the cutting-edge arts of the 1980's. Has lived in Paris, Santiago, Toronto, and now back in hometown Montreal. His wife of 33 years is a conference interpreter and they have a nineteen-year-old son in college.

Works like High Friends are invaluable; without them, crucial currents of non-mainstream social and cultural history would be largely confined to the fading memories of the surviving participants . .. what Lord achieved can be hard to wrap one’s head around. It’s as if Joey Ramone also happened to have overseen the construction of the Guggenheim.

— Ian McGillis, The Montreal Gazette

Alan Lord’s High Friends In Low Places captures the spirit of Montreal’s postpunk cultural world with its ties to New York in the 1970's and 80's. But even more, it captures the spirit of aspiration, possibility, excitement, joy and despair that comes from discovering high culture from the margins of working-class life in a small city. Lord offers brilliant and intimate portraits of friends famed and obscure, from William S. Burroughs to the late Québécois poet Mario Campo. Reflecting both the era’s mainstream underground values and the values of his Hochelaga neighborhood, he’s written a kind of definitive history.

— Chris Kraus, author of After Kathy Acker and I Love Dick

Twenty years ago, Alan Lord wrote the first sentence of what would become his autobiography, fifteen words that already contained a whole program: "I smoked a joint with Burroughs at sunset and fucked Kathy Acker's brains out at dawn. " How can you not want to read the rest?

— Dominic Tardif, La Presse

OH MY GOD! This work is important. SO MUCH. I am hooked. It's fucking exciting.

— Félix B. Desfossés, CBC Radio Canada music journalist

Engaging and fun to read. Very addictive, too. Love it! Brilliant writing. Wow, loving Alan's memoir! So many great lines. He should be cranking out books all the time. Just saying.

— Lisa Blaushild, author of Up Is Up, But So Is Down