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219 reviews for:
Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut
Rob Sheffield
3.54 AVERAGE
219 reviews for:
Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut
Rob Sheffield
3.54 AVERAGE
Anyone who was a teen in the 80s will love this book! It was a true walk down memory lane!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This book really disappointed me. For anyone who knows me, I'm a massive music nerd, and normally eat this sort of stuff up. The closest comparisons I could make would be to either Giles Smith's 'Lost in Music', or else Nick Hornby's 'High Fidelity', but it didn't resonate with me nearly as much as either of those two books, and I just felt like the author spent pages and pages going on about how amazing his sisters were. (Which was probably nice for his sisters ...) In the end I just kinda skipped through everything but the first five or six chapters.
I was obsessed with getting a copy of this book, and every time I couldn't find it I grew more and more obsessed with it. Sadly, it didn't need all that obsession from me.
I really related to The Smiths chapter, I also fell for them hard until the spell broke off when I did the awful deed of googling them. Even if Morrissey's voice is amazing and his songs can heal my aching teen heart, he's not the greatest person, as all musicians are. I owe it him that I don't google bands and singers anymore.
The chapter where Rob talked about his grandpa almost made me cry, I was reading it last night in a dinner at my uncle's where no one was paying me any attention, and I remembered that my father told me one of the things that bothered him most about growing up was that it was getting hard to cut his toenails. I felt a very strong connection at the moment, and tried to tell my father about what I felt but only managed a "How are you?" with no apparent emotion. I hope he knew what I meant.
I read a quote once: "While live happens, there is a song playing in the background, and while a song is playing, live is happening in its background." I think it sums up the point of the book. It's not about the music, not about the life, but about how they are each other's companions.
I really related to The Smiths chapter, I also fell for them hard until the spell broke off when I did the awful deed of googling them. Even if Morrissey's voice is amazing and his songs can heal my aching teen heart, he's not the greatest person, as all musicians are. I owe it him that I don't google bands and singers anymore.
The chapter where Rob talked about his grandpa almost made me cry, I was reading it last night in a dinner at my uncle's where no one was paying me any attention, and I remembered that my father told me one of the things that bothered him most about growing up was that it was getting hard to cut his toenails. I felt a very strong connection at the moment, and tried to tell my father about what I felt but only managed a "How are you?" with no apparent emotion. I hope he knew what I meant.
I read a quote once: "While live happens, there is a song playing in the background, and while a song is playing, live is happening in its background." I think it sums up the point of the book. It's not about the music, not about the life, but about how they are each other's companions.
If you are a child of the 80's like me this book will make you smile, and sometimes cringe.
I've been meaning to buy this book for quite some time and, as such, was absolutely ecstatic when I stumbled across a discounted version at the mall.
Let me just say that, chances are, if you didn't grow up in the 80's or if you aren't an 80's buff (and by buff I don't mean you've seen a couple John Hughes films and like The Cure), you won't get 90% of this book.
While that may seem like a cool, era-elite concept, I found that it actually works against the author and causes his work to be pretty inaccessible to the modern YA audience (which is particularly ironic, since his book was on sale at teen-hub Urban Outfitters).
If I was a bit older, I might be able to reminisce with this guy as he spouts off 50 examples to explain one statement about a sub-genre that he and his friends were SO into (snooze...), but despite the fact that I appreciate the 80's and can hold my own in a conversation about 80's music/film/etc., I felt (or, rather, since I'm only halfway through the book, I feel) pretty lost.
Rob Sheffield's target audience seems to be, well, Rob Sheffield. It's kind of an ode to his musical geekery and obsession (granted, he does admit this in the book, so I can't really blame the guy). Unfortunately, his enthusiasm didn't translate into reader enthusiasm, at least not for me. (I kept thinking that if I was talking to him in person, I would enjoy his stories and musical references more...er, well, maybe).
Also, I felt as if the book was poorly organized; despite the fact that each chapter was named after a song, Sheffield would go off on some tangent about a band that (again, this may just be a product of my somewhat novice nature in comparison to his seemingly endless knowledge of all things 80's and music related) didn't have anything to do with the chapter's title or the story he started with. It was as if he was talking to a friend and telling them miscellaneous stories, getting distracted and saying, "OH! By the way, this band...," rather than following any type of coherent pattern. This also added to the inaccessibility of the story.
So, all in all, I didn't love it, but I wouldn't condemn him to writer's hell either; I'll likely still check out Love is a Mix Tape, since I've heard that it's a better read.
-----
Finally finished the book.
I've pretty much said what I've wanted to say in my previous review and update, but here are a few minor additions:
1) Sheffield's use of "always," "never," "everyone," "nobody," and other such absolute terms drove me insane - primarily because they weren't accurate or substantiated by any support...at all. He makes these massive generalizations about groups of people he is or is not a part of - women and the younger generation, most annoyingly - that really have no basis in reality outside of his own head. So, yes, I'm being a tad bitchy - but honestly the absolutes in this book were painfully redundant.
2) When Sheffield did focus in on a more poignant moment in his life - spoiler alert: his Irish grandfather or ex girlfriend who passed away - you hope for a moment that you're going to really be drawn in/touched by/whatever, but that hope quickly passes. I understand people not wanting to be sentimental in their books - I don't understand bringing up such sentimental topics and then not following through, thus awkwardly leaving your readers to push away questions of what happened to the girlfriend or grandfather and jump into some rant about "Hungry Like the Wolf."
3) Redeeming/quotable passages:
p. 186, last paragraph, to 187, first paragraph (of this edition; This may very well be the only generalization that the general populace can relate to - it's also a pretty funny example of teen life and wanting the unattainable).
p. 199 (Primarily because it lists a bunch of fun, teen-trash 80's movies that should be passed along to the next generation; He also has some interesting bits about John Hughes in the following pages -- see: p. 201, Duckie and the alternate ending).
p. 262, last paragraph (A decent, concise - which is an adjective that can rarely be applied to any part of this book - glimpse of show business' constant push for the "new").
I believe I'd mentioned earlier that the stories about his sisters are all pretty funny, but I didn't mark any of those specific pages.
I'm probably being a bit harsh right now because I've wanted to be done with this book about fifteen chapters ago, so let me just say that, again, this book has massive potential - I just wish someone would have helped the author execute it so it would have been more accessible for the reader - on an intellectual, emotional, and contextual level. Some more consistency, decisive editing, and focused explanations could have easily cleaned up the narrative and saved this book. All in all, considering I only paid $4.99 on it, it's not such a loss. I've certainly spent more on worse.
C'est la vie.
Let me just say that, chances are, if you didn't grow up in the 80's or if you aren't an 80's buff (and by buff I don't mean you've seen a couple John Hughes films and like The Cure), you won't get 90% of this book.
While that may seem like a cool, era-elite concept, I found that it actually works against the author and causes his work to be pretty inaccessible to the modern YA audience (which is particularly ironic, since his book was on sale at teen-hub Urban Outfitters).
If I was a bit older, I might be able to reminisce with this guy as he spouts off 50 examples to explain one statement about a sub-genre that he and his friends were SO into (snooze...), but despite the fact that I appreciate the 80's and can hold my own in a conversation about 80's music/film/etc., I felt (or, rather, since I'm only halfway through the book, I feel) pretty lost.
Rob Sheffield's target audience seems to be, well, Rob Sheffield. It's kind of an ode to his musical geekery and obsession (granted, he does admit this in the book, so I can't really blame the guy). Unfortunately, his enthusiasm didn't translate into reader enthusiasm, at least not for me. (I kept thinking that if I was talking to him in person, I would enjoy his stories and musical references more...er, well, maybe).
Also, I felt as if the book was poorly organized; despite the fact that each chapter was named after a song, Sheffield would go off on some tangent about a band that (again, this may just be a product of my somewhat novice nature in comparison to his seemingly endless knowledge of all things 80's and music related) didn't have anything to do with the chapter's title or the story he started with. It was as if he was talking to a friend and telling them miscellaneous stories, getting distracted and saying, "OH! By the way, this band...," rather than following any type of coherent pattern. This also added to the inaccessibility of the story.
So, all in all, I didn't love it, but I wouldn't condemn him to writer's hell either; I'll likely still check out Love is a Mix Tape, since I've heard that it's a better read.
-----
Finally finished the book.
I've pretty much said what I've wanted to say in my previous review and update, but here are a few minor additions:
1) Sheffield's use of "always," "never," "everyone," "nobody," and other such absolute terms drove me insane - primarily because they weren't accurate or substantiated by any support...at all. He makes these massive generalizations about groups of people he is or is not a part of - women and the younger generation, most annoyingly - that really have no basis in reality outside of his own head. So, yes, I'm being a tad bitchy - but honestly the absolutes in this book were painfully redundant.
2) When Sheffield did focus in on a more poignant moment in his life - spoiler alert: his Irish grandfather or ex girlfriend who passed away - you hope for a moment that you're going to really be drawn in/touched by/whatever, but that hope quickly passes. I understand people not wanting to be sentimental in their books - I don't understand bringing up such sentimental topics and then not following through, thus awkwardly leaving your readers to push away questions of what happened to the girlfriend or grandfather and jump into some rant about "Hungry Like the Wolf."
3) Redeeming/quotable passages:
p. 186, last paragraph, to 187, first paragraph (of this edition; This may very well be the only generalization that the general populace can relate to - it's also a pretty funny example of teen life and wanting the unattainable).
p. 199 (Primarily because it lists a bunch of fun, teen-trash 80's movies that should be passed along to the next generation; He also has some interesting bits about John Hughes in the following pages -- see: p. 201, Duckie and the alternate ending).
p. 262, last paragraph (A decent, concise - which is an adjective that can rarely be applied to any part of this book - glimpse of show business' constant push for the "new").
I believe I'd mentioned earlier that the stories about his sisters are all pretty funny, but I didn't mark any of those specific pages.
I'm probably being a bit harsh right now because I've wanted to be done with this book about fifteen chapters ago, so let me just say that, again, this book has massive potential - I just wish someone would have helped the author execute it so it would have been more accessible for the reader - on an intellectual, emotional, and contextual level. Some more consistency, decisive editing, and focused explanations could have easily cleaned up the narrative and saved this book. All in all, considering I only paid $4.99 on it, it's not such a loss. I've certainly spent more on worse.
C'est la vie.
For the past 4 days,Ive been 13 again,sitting in front of MTV with my brother,sitting in front of the stereo with an album sleeve in my hands,memorizing every song,and listening to the radio,getting ready to hit record the second a good song comes on.
I think I Googled every band Rob Sheffield wrote about after finishing this book. I just had to watch the videos again. This book brought back so many good memories,and reminded me so much of my brother and I, and all the hours we spent together listening,singing,watching...good times...
I think I Googled every band Rob Sheffield wrote about after finishing this book. I just had to watch the videos again. This book brought back so many good memories,and reminded me so much of my brother and I, and all the hours we spent together listening,singing,watching...good times...
Basically, this is the printed equivalent of a passing '80s pop phenomenon. It's fun, it's catchy, and it's half forgotten as soon as it ends. Each chapter, which recalls a little vignette from the author's blissfully geeky youth, has the title of a song from the era, and some of them have almost zero to do with the subject matter, which is annoying - you imagine him getting to the end and thinking "Oh, right, I better stick a Bonnie Tyler reference in." It's wildly uneven at best. Still, some chapters are unexpectedly sweet and others are worth it for the musical memories alone. Also, props to anyone brave enough to declare his love in public for the misunderstood genius that was Haysi Fantayzee.
This was a fun book. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator had a voice like a DJ and it was definitely appropriate in a book about music. I'm about to go see Duran Duran for the first time in 31 years, so this book was a nice trip down memory lane of the music of the 80's.