When her memoir hit bookstores in 2007, Laurie Lindeen couldn’t complain about the reviews or reception for it, each glowing.

The singer/guitarist in the Twin Cities’ pioneering all-female rock band Zuzu’s Petals did have one gripe, though: Her life’s story was filed on bookshelves among music biographies and not with women’s books or general autobiographies.

“It’s shelved in between John Lennon and Marilyn Manson,” she groaned in a Star Tribune interview at the time. “It’s driving me crazy. I go in one store a day and go: `No woman is going to come back here!’”

Fourteen years after the publication of “Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story” — and 30 years since the band it was based around packed it in — Lindeen died unexpectedly Monday of a brain aneurysm at age 62, according to friends. Word is she had hit the beach that day on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where she had been living for the past two years.

Close friend and fellow Minneapolis musician John Eller saw her East Coast relocation as the last in a steady line of bold moves.

Other gambits on Lindeen’s list included becoming an author, a New York Times-published essayist, a college and grammar school writing teacher, a mother, and a wife to a much more famous rock star, Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg — all after her own 1990s-era music career with Zuzu’s Petals.

“She announced to all of us she was moving to Martha’s Vineyard, and we thought, ‘How are you going to swing that?’” Eller recounted. “She did it, of course, and loved it.”

Lindeen showed similar gumption when she left her native Madison, Wis., for Minneapolis in 1987 with the goal of starting a band. Never mind that she had recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she and her bandmate, Coleen Elwood, were both music novices at the time.

“Sure, I’ll take my college degree, move to Minneapolis and start a band with you before I can play the bass,” Elwood humorously recalled Tuesday in a Facebook post. “She was one of the smartest and funniest [and] could convince me to do just about anything.”

Named after the rose petals carried by James Stewart’s character in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Zuzu’s Petals quickly became a fan favorite at venues including the 400 Bar, 7th St. Entry and Uptown Bar and Grill. The trio recorded a debut four-song cassette with help from Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks while Lindeen also worked as a waitress at Al’s Breakfast in Dinkytown.

After recruiting second drummer Linda Pitmon — who’s returning to the Twin Cities this weekend with members of R.E.M. in the Baseball Project — Zuzu’s Petals got more serious, hit the road (and Europe) and released two full-length albums for Twin/Tone Records, 1992′s “When No One’s Looking” and 1994′s “The Music of Your Life.”

“They just ripped,” recounted former Pioneer Press and City Pages music scribe Jim Walsh, who later served as a witness at Lindeen’s and Westerberg’s courthouse wedding.

“When you talk about the ’90s grunge thing and bands making all that wonderful guitar noise of that era, you have to save a place for Zuzu’s Petals.”

Minnesota Public Radio operations director Ali Lozoff, who was recruited at age 20 to help manage Zuzu’s Petals, remembered the difficulty the band sometimes faced getting gigs despite being on a reputable record label.

“As much as we all loved the other all-female bands in town,” Lozoff said, ticking off a list that included Babes in Toyland and Smut, “a lot of clubs still didn’t want to book more than one of those bands on a bill.”

Zuzu’s Petals’ successes and foils alongside Lindeen’s steadfast feminism were humorously and bluntly covered in “Petal Pusher,” a book that Publishers Weekly called “sharp and sensitive, stoned silly and serious, all in the right places.” Lindeen wrote the memoir after earning a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Minnesota while also raising her son with Westerberg, Johnny.

One of her best-loved writing pieces was a 2017 essay for the New York Times, “Johnny Goes to College,” which tearfully and laughingly recounted driving her son to college in Colorado with her “professional rebel” ex-husband.

“At IHOP he ordered pancakes slathered in whipped cream and strawberries,” Lindeen wrote of her son. “This kid is clearly too young to be on his own.”

Lindeen still performed occasionally on stage, including at the annual David Bowie feline-rescue fundraiser tribute at First Avenue, shows that were co-led by Eller with Lindeen’s former sister-in-law, ex-Current DJ Mary Lucia. First Ave posted a tribute to Lindeen on Tuesday calling her “a dominant force in the ’80s and ’90s female rock movement in Minneapolis.”

She mostly focused on teaching in recent years, offering writing and literature lessons at the University of St. Thomas, St. Cloud State University, the Loft Literary Center and grammar schools. She also led writing retreats at Madeline Island in Wisconsin and other locations and worked as a coach-for-hire helping kids write college entrance essays.

One of her most recent writings, titled “My Third Act” and published by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, detailed her move to Martha’s Vineyard with her new partner, Jim Diem.

“After COVID, online teaching, losing my best friend suddenly to heart failure, followed by the decline and deaths of my mother and my best dog,” Lindeen wrote, “I decided to take a leap of faith and move toward a meaningful and courageous Act Three of my life.”

Lindeen’s family in Wisconsin — including two sisters and a brother — made national news in 2021 when their paid obituary for their mother, Carol Lindeen, asked for donations in lieu of flowers to be made to “[Sen.] Ron Johnson’s opponent in 2022,” per Carol’s wishes.

Family memorial information has not yet been issued for Lindeen.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – While the number of stolen vehicles continues to decline across the region, one issue still haunting law enforcement is young people targeting Kias and Hyundais.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told FOX 9, the so-called “Kia boys” remain a top public safety threat in the city. On Sunday night, one of his officers was injured when young people in a stolen Kia crashed into a police squad car.

For Shauna Valdez, she recalls having little time to react during her recent run-in with the Kia boys.

“It all happened so fast,” Valdez said. “As they say, in the blink of an eye, anything could happen. And that was it.”

Valdez, a mental health counselor, was driving her client southbound on one-way Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis last week when she caught a glimpse of a Kia coming towards her, from her left, along 31st Street. The driver did not stop at the red light, plowing into Valdez’s vehicle practically head-on.

“It was a shock. I thought it was actually smoke. That is what it looked like to me. But it was just shocking,” Valdez told FOX 9’s Paul Blume during an interview back at the crash scene. Her car was totaled. “I thought he was going to see me and slow down, but he didn’t at all. So, I almost think maybe he meant to hit me. Like, maybe they think that is fun, I don’t know.”

Valdez and her passenger are just the latest victims of a crime trend that has wreaked havoc on the streets of the state’s largest city for several years now — young car thieves turning easily stolen Kias and Hyundais into what seems like their own video game adventures.

“It is crazy,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “I am sure people see it on the street. They see it in videos posted online.”

Chief O’Hara described countless incidents of reckless, high-speed driving, quick-hitting robbery sprees involving packs of youth in stolen vehicles, and on occasion, deadly rolling shootouts.

“This problem is frustrating because it feels like it is something we should be able to prevent at this point,” added O’Hara.

On Sunday night, MPD reported a group of young suspects in a stolen red Kia Sol was involved in a multi-vehicle crash that included a Minneapolis squad car. The officer inside was injured and sent to the hospital.

Among the suspects rounded up in the aftermath was an 11-year-old boy as well as 22-year-old Jahkel Oneal. Oneal was charged with a gross misdemeanor weapons violation and a single misdemeanor count of obstructing the legal process on Tuesday. 

Said O’Hara, “So many kids out here stealing them and joyriding them and really driving crazy. It is really, a significant public safety risk to our community. It is a risk to these own kids’ health and well-being.”

The squad crash involving a stolen Kia (Supplied)

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Despite the hassle of a totaled vehicle, Valdez said she knows all too well her run-in with the Kia boys could have ended a whole lot worse.

“I just thought to myself, ‘I actually could have died.’ Like, I am lucky to be alive, you know?” said Valdez. “So, this is not victimless by any means. They could kill people. They could kill themselves. These young folks have a whole life ahead of them.”

Fortunately for Valdez, outside of some bumps and bruises, she is doing fine. Insurance provided a new vehicle. The Kia boys who hit her in their stolen vehicle were captured in a blurry cell phone photograph, running from the crash scene, and have not been either identified or apprehended as far as she knows.

Valdez personally blames the Kia and Hyundai automakers for not doing more to prevent the thefts of their cars and SUVs, and like the Minneapolis police chief, hopes the community can somehow figure out the issue.

“I think it is sad, you know, and I do my best to hold some empathy,” concluded Valdez. “These young folks must not have good home lives to be out doing stuff like this. And so, I wish society could do something to help them have some sense of hope and make some changes.”

“Good Morning America” dedicated more than four minutes of airtime Tuesday to celebrate the “St. Anthony Main neighborhood,” the artsy area along the Mississippi River across from downtown Minneapolis.

In a live segment in front of the Main Cinema, correspondent Alex Perez called the area in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood a “hidden gem” as about two dozen locals held up signs proclaiming their love for the Twin Cities.

A taped segment gave viewers a quick history lesson of the area and spotlighted folks including Aster Cafe general manager Shane Arundel, water taxi operator Cory Parkos and Bill Neuenschwander, who leads Segway tours of the Minneapolis riverfront. After nodding to the TC Swing classes that take place in the area, Perez introduced a couple who showed off their moves on cobblestone SE. Main Street.

Back in the New York studio, the show’s hosts burst into the applause. No one cheered louder than ABC News chief business reporter Rebecca Jarvis, who grew up in Minnesota.

“Minneapolis represents!” she said before tacking on the fact she used to take art classes not far from where Perez was broadcasting.

The segment was part of “GMA’s” regular series, “Main Street USA,” which kicked off last July in Stillwater.

The long-running morning show, which airs locally from 7 to 9 a.m., will visit Ann Arbor, Mich., Wednesday.