“The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music” by Dave Grohl
This is quite possibly the most intriguing autobiography that I’ve ever read. It tells the tale of Dave Grohl’s life, from childhood to 1/3rd of Nirvana to the lead singer of Foo Fighters, and many more in between, including trips to the ER, cramped vans, freakin ghosts, his beautiful relationship with his mom, the KFC-champagne pairing, fatherhood and the many star-studded cameo appearances in his life.
The memoir really does matches Dave’s very likable personality and his maestro-like ability in mashing up words together to create an art. It’s amusing, weirdly wise, and funny as hell. It’s like the cherry on top of an already delicious – 16-time Grammy-winning – cake.
And the audible version, with Dave himself as the comical narrator, makes the book even harder to put down once you begin reading/listening to it (with all the attempts of Swedish accent or the poorly disguise references to obvious songs to avoid paying licensing free, the audible version provides even more hilarious edge).
Now, I’m not going to spoil out anything more, because the strengths of the book are in the stories, the plot twists, the jokes, and the poetic way that it is written. But let me just share 2 of the examples:
Dave on his goal to grow old until he looks worn out and don’t give a fuck anymore about his appearance: “Not everything needs a shine, after all. If you leave a Pelham Blue Gibson Trini Lopez guitar in the case for fifty years, it will look like it was just delivered from the factory. But if you take it in your hands, show it to the sun, let it breathe, sweat on it, and fucking PLAY it, over time the finish will turn a unique shade. And each instrument ages entirely differently. To me, that is beauty. Not the gleam of prefabricated perfection, but the road-worn beauty of individuality, time, and wisdom.”
And a glimpse of the kind of poetic jokes that are scattered throughout the book: “Like a weepy Hallmark moment, the kind those hyperemotional Super Bowl commercials are made of (the ones that would leave even the hardest monster truck enthusiast crying in their buffalo chicken dip), this is a memory that I will cherish forever.”
EDWIN SETIADI 