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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
2.75
When I was in Junior High and High School my dream was to write for Rolling Stone magazine. Reading this was a nostalgia trip that made me recall my youth, and where those dreams were born. I enjoyed the trip down 80's lane that Sheffield provided, but I wish he would have driven us a bit farther. The book only scratches the surface of a memoir and is often disjointed on delivery. Its, at times, more of a photo blurb than a full article. Still, it was enjoyable enough to almost garner a full 3 stars.
When I was in Junior High and High School my dream was to write for Rolling Stone magazine. Reading this was a nostalgia trip that made me recall my youth, and where those dreams were born. I enjoyed the trip down 80's lane that Sheffield provided, but I wish he would have driven us a bit farther. The book only scratches the surface of a memoir and is often disjointed on delivery. Its, at times, more of a photo blurb than a full article. Still, it was enjoyable enough to almost garner a full 3 stars.
The cheesy musical interludes between chapters didn't exactly help Rob's credit or his words about these iconic bands. As for the book, he lost me when he started talking genres, and his self-deprecation leeched over into his love for some bands, or maybe it's the way the narrator read his words that made them sound like slams more than praise. I'm not the expert, just the amateur though.
I laughed out loud MULTIPLE times reading this on my porch, which as close as I get to reading in public these days. Sweet and weird and quippy! If you've ever read and enjoyed Rob's music writing, he writes memoir in the exact same tone and with just as many inside jokes.
Being a child of the '90s, not the '80s, I still related to the discussions of music and growing up. I could relate to the things he talked about and more often than not his anecdotes and the points he was trying to make were more important than the music. I still recognized a lot of what he was talking about, more than other kids of my age if I had to take a guess, and that helped with some of the understanding. I found it witty and smart and would recommend it to others, though probably not anyone younger than myself.
I liked _Love Is a Mix Tape_ so much that I was very excited to read this book. I didn't love this one nearly as much, but my expectations had already been lowered before I started it by a Goodread friend's negative review and by my husband's so-so review. While I agree with her that Sheffield seems condescending toward the "girls" he talks to about music, he's also self-deprecating throughout the book, so I can forgive him. For me, it was great fun to relive all that fluffy 80's music while reading the book. I'm only 4-5 years younger than Sheffield, so all of the cultural references, not just to music, but to movies, TV, and 80's styles, hit home with me.
I'm not sure what to say about this book. Random thoughts it is!
1. I read this book after Bob Hallett's Writing Out The Notes, which gave Rob Sheffield an immediate disadvantage (and I can't help but compare them which, again, is not fair to Rob Sheffield). Both books have a similar structure - A chapter that focuses on one song. The difference was Hallett wrote about how each song influenced his songwriting. Sheffield wrote about how each song influenced Rob Sheffield.
1a. Rob Sheffield is an interesting and funny guy! I like him a lot. (But not as much as Bob Hallett.)
2. I loved Duran Duran, so did Rob Sheffield. We loved them in completely different ways, and (in an interesting, not condescending way) Rob Sheffield impressed upon me why I never really understood Duran Duran. A revisit is in order!! Thank GAWDS I still own Decade.
3. I totally share Rob Sheffield's opinions many things, but the most gratifying part of this read was
-That 1984 really was the BEST YEAR FOR POP MUSIC EVER, and somebody else shares that opinion with me!! YAY ROB SHEFFIELD!
-There is no shame in holding onto my collection of Cassingles. I still have almost every single one Rob Sheffield refers to in the chapter called "Tone Loc - Wild Thing". LONDONBEAT FOR THE WIN ROB SHEFFIELD!!
-That someone ELSE remembers Kan Kon. Awesome!!
3a. The Tone Loc chapter about Cassingles should serve as a catalyst for a new exhibit and the Rock and Roll hall of fame.
So, liked the book but not as much as I think I'd like to have coffee with Rob Sheffield.
1. I read this book after Bob Hallett's Writing Out The Notes, which gave Rob Sheffield an immediate disadvantage (and I can't help but compare them which, again, is not fair to Rob Sheffield). Both books have a similar structure - A chapter that focuses on one song. The difference was Hallett wrote about how each song influenced his songwriting. Sheffield wrote about how each song influenced Rob Sheffield.
1a. Rob Sheffield is an interesting and funny guy! I like him a lot. (But not as much as Bob Hallett.)
2. I loved Duran Duran, so did Rob Sheffield. We loved them in completely different ways, and (in an interesting, not condescending way) Rob Sheffield impressed upon me why I never really understood Duran Duran. A revisit is in order!! Thank GAWDS I still own Decade.
3. I totally share Rob Sheffield's opinions many things, but the most gratifying part of this read was
-That 1984 really was the BEST YEAR FOR POP MUSIC EVER, and somebody else shares that opinion with me!! YAY ROB SHEFFIELD!
-There is no shame in holding onto my collection of Cassingles. I still have almost every single one Rob Sheffield refers to in the chapter called "Tone Loc - Wild Thing". LONDONBEAT FOR THE WIN ROB SHEFFIELD!!
-That someone ELSE remembers Kan Kon. Awesome!!
3a. The Tone Loc chapter about Cassingles should serve as a catalyst for a new exhibit and the Rock and Roll hall of fame.
So, liked the book but not as much as I think I'd like to have coffee with Rob Sheffield.
If I were not married and could marry this book, I so would.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Being a child of the 80s, I figured this would be a nice, light read but I just couldn't do it. It seemed like a guy rambling about various familiar songs and references to leg warmers. I finally started skipping around to other parts of the book, only to find more of the same. It wasn't even very clever or anything. A big disappointment.
funny
reflective
slow-paced