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calamityrach's review against another edition
4.0
So many references... Lots of googling for a kid of the 90's.
trin's review against another edition
2.0
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with [a: Chuck Klosterman|375|Chuck Klosterman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336060202p2/375.jpg]. I’ve read all his books (I left this one till last, because it’s about heavy metal and that’s not a subject I’m desperately interested in) and I think he’s frequently incredibly funny and often very insightful. But man, does he piss me off sometimes. In [b: Fargo Rock City|24476|Fargo Rock City A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota|Chuck Klosterman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440854466s/24476.jpg|1596506], that occurred when he decided to share his views on female music fans. Apparently, male music fans are more loyal and less likely to get distracted by every shiny new thing because men are more analytical and women are more emotional. Yeah. There are so many things wrong with that statement that I risk turning this into a huge rant, which I do not want to do. Leaving aside the issue of “loyalty” (well, after I point to exhibit A: the giant collection of U2 stuff that I’ve bought over the years even when a) I had no money, and b) what I was buying was redundant to stuff I already had save for an extra B-side or remix or miniposter or WHATEVER), for Klosterman to use the old “men are analytical, women are emotional” argument is so absurd in the context of this book that it’s almost hilarious. Because the ENTIRE BOOK is about Klosterman’s emotions. How much he loved heavy metal, and how much it changed and shaped his life, and how much he still loves it. How much it bugs him when people dismiss it without thought, and how he thinks it should be considered important because it was important to him. This is a raw outpouring of emotion! Only he’s a guy, so we’re not allowed to call it that. We have to call it analysis. Right. Do people—Klosterman and anyone else—really think that when women have emotions—which, y’know, we’re actually willing to admit are emotions—we don’t analyze them at all? That we’re just like, “I feel so HAPPY today! La la la!” or “I’m SAD today. I’m heading straight for the Ben & Jerry’s, no thought involved!” Or even, “I really like this band! I’m just going to listen to them and go to concerts and scream and try to sleep with the drummer AND NEVER CONSIDER MY MOTIVATIONS AT ALL.” Women are clearly brainless puppy-dog creatures!
Okay, so this may have tapped into some other issues I’m having right now? But the point remains. Klosterman’s “analysis” of what makes heavy metal important is actually very minimal: it was important to him. It was important to a lot of other people. Therefore it is important in general. And I completely agree with this. I think pop culture should be talked about, because it does say a lot about people and what matters to them—and what could be more important than that? This is why I like reading Klosterman in the first place: because he recognizes that, and talks about it in an amusing manner. It’s just when he decides that he’s an expert on women that he pisses me off. (Well, and some other times. But never mind.)
ANYWAY…all of that said, I actually enjoyed the rest of the book a lot. And I don’t care one iota about heavy metal. But Klosterman does make me care about other people caring.
Okay, so this may have tapped into some other issues I’m having right now? But the point remains. Klosterman’s “analysis” of what makes heavy metal important is actually very minimal: it was important to him. It was important to a lot of other people. Therefore it is important in general. And I completely agree with this. I think pop culture should be talked about, because it does say a lot about people and what matters to them—and what could be more important than that? This is why I like reading Klosterman in the first place: because he recognizes that, and talks about it in an amusing manner. It’s just when he decides that he’s an expert on women that he pisses me off. (Well, and some other times. But never mind.)
ANYWAY…all of that said, I actually enjoyed the rest of the book a lot. And I don’t care one iota about heavy metal. But Klosterman does make me care about other people caring.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I was never really a heavy metal fan (unlike a majority of the rest of the kids I went to middle & high school with) but this book was still quite entertaining. I knew most of the music he talked about from being exposed to it in 8th grade Creative Writing class (where we listened to tapes kids brought in as we wrote creatively)...You haven't lived until you've written poetry while listening to Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me". ;)
ryrymovieguy's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
stacydelgaudio's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
naleagdeco's review against another edition
3.0
Confirms that I very very much enjoy Klosterman's writing style and dialectic technique.
The subject matter was less difficult for me to grasp than the other work of his that I've read, but I'm now more interested in checkout the Crue and Warrant than I've ever before been.
Doubt I'd ever buy the artists in question, but I have a new arsenal for thinking about the songs that were near and dear to my teenage heart.
The subject matter was less difficult for me to grasp than the other work of his that I've read, but I'm now more interested in checkout the Crue and Warrant than I've ever before been.
Doubt I'd ever buy the artists in question, but I have a new arsenal for thinking about the songs that were near and dear to my teenage heart.
leebeard's review against another edition
4.0
If you like hyper-analytical and highly-intellectual discussions of pop culture (or anything, really), Chuck is your man. The fundamental premise of many of Klosterman's books is that it doesn't matter how good something is, it's importance is defined differently--through popularity, through social impact, etc. Spliced with his personal story, this book makes for an entertaining, thought provoking (especially if you have any softness for 80's metal), and at times hilarious read.