Synopsis
So, I’ve written a book.
Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities (“It’s a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!”) I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I’ve recorded and can’t wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child.
This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it’s like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.
Review
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was spectacular, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I listened via audiobook, narrated by Dave Grohl himself which was excellent, made for a full story-telling experience, his perspective, cadence, and tone. Mom voice and other impressions were spot on and hilarious, even the French speaker addition was well loved. The audiobook features excerpts from five never before heard demos performed by Dave Grohl and an original story exclusive to The Storyteller audiobook. I would like to thank Libro.fm for providing me with a free copy. I’d recommend it to anyone.
The Story
Dave Grohl wrote this story himself, which I think speaks a lot to his talent and ability to tell a story in addition to the other aspects of his life expressing himself through music. Along with his own narration and nonfiction, first person content, makes for a unique and complete autobiography in my mind.
He’s got so much material, so many stories to tell. Super funny. I just couldn’t get enough of all the reminiscing, lessons learns, the exciting and the more mucky bits of his childhood, relationships, family, music career, entertainment celebrations and dilemmas, and life as a whole.
It’s not your typical belabored success story or preachy self-help biography, instead a super amusing compilation of stories told in an incredibly captivating way.
Everlong by Foo Fighters is one of my favorite songs to do a workout blitz to and as someone who loves Dave Grohl’s style of drumming and the multiple projects he’s been a part of, this book was such an interesting, vulnerable look into the deeper parts of his life and career.
The catalogue of music entertainers and events is amazing. I had so many aha moments within the music aspect and all the connections, meet and greets of people he’s come across in his life, and life perspective is its own treasure as well.
The Writing
Really a great story teller!
I appreciated it being told in first person POV both present and past tense. Not always strictly chronological which was nice in that it wasn’t rigid in that sense which kept it refreshing as the stories interwove in different time lines of life stage and circumstance. It flowed well.
Descriptions
They were just right. Just exactly how I love to come to know a scene, descriptions of people, the feelings. Sets up a story well, this anticipation, sometimes an unexpected twist or unpredictable outcome.
I feel this type of writing style for an autobiographical type book really sets a model for palatability when it comes to this.
I would love to read more.
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