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rachaelvickerman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, Addiction, Blood, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Alcohol
river_robin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
I don't like to rate autobiographies or journals. This was a fantastic read. Goes without saying for a lot of people but Nirvana very much changed my life, and I've really admired Dave and loved the Foo Fighters and all other things he's done ever since I first listened to them. The first song I heard was Walk, when it won best rock music video on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. It was only a video compilation of the winners, but when I heard the tiny snippet they showed I immediately looked up the full song, and all the rest of Foo Fighter videos (all iconic, they're fantastic).
This book was inspiring and filled with Dave's goofy humour. I thought there'd be more about Nirvana, but it's easy to forget what a short period of time it all took place in. I think that part of his life was handled brilliantly, not dwelling in it too much. I knew a lot of the stories from interviews (Cubby Bear, Tracy, Ouija boards, coffee overdose, etc.). A lot of the newest ones for me where those of his later years (which took me longer to get through in the book, it felt a little bit repetitive you know, meeting famous person after famous person, or having some tour or scheduling troubles that are honestly pretty easily solved with his new found privilege). I get it when he says he's a fan and a watcher amongst all these idols he calls friends now, but to a lot of us he's also immediately part of that line up. He never comes across as posing as humble or overly self-diminishing though. This man is great, one of the few men I feel very comfortable to say I admire, respect and am a fan of as a person within the music industry. I'm not sure why it was called The Storyteller though. I mean, he tells stories, but it's never presented as a big important part of his personality and goals as a musician. By the end of the book I thought Hero might have been a better title. A nod to a Foo's song, and reference to all the people in this book that have been literal heroes to him, his mum in particular (who's had a really important role and he literally says is his hero). Also, the very very few stories and mentioned of Taylor were still so heartbreaking.
This book was inspiring and filled with Dave's goofy humour. I thought there'd be more about Nirvana, but it's easy to forget what a short period of time it all took place in. I think that part of his life was handled brilliantly, not dwelling in it too much. I knew a lot of the stories from interviews (Cubby Bear, Tracy, Ouija boards, coffee overdose, etc.). A lot of the newest ones for me where those of his later years (which took me longer to get through in the book, it felt a little bit repetitive you know, meeting famous person after famous person, or having some tour or scheduling troubles that are honestly pretty easily solved with his new found privilege). I get it when he says he's a fan and a watcher amongst all these idols he calls friends now, but to a lot of us he's also immediately part of that line up. He never comes across as posing as humble or overly self-diminishing though. This man is great, one of the few men I feel very comfortable to say I admire, respect and am a fan of as a person within the music industry. I'm not sure why it was called The Storyteller though. I mean, he tells stories, but it's never presented as a big important part of his personality and goals as a musician. By the end of the book I thought Hero might have been a better title. A nod to a Foo's song, and reference to all the people in this book that have been literal heroes to him, his mum in particular (who's had a really important role and he literally says is his hero). Also, the very very few stories and mentioned of Taylor were still so heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug abuse
Minor: Suicide
miayukino's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.25
I think to any non Foo Fighter fan, this book may not be your cup of tea. But speaking as someone who was raised on rewatching the “Walk” video regularly and head banging to “DOA” on the way to school, this is largely a comfort to me. It’s amazing to me that Dave sees himself as an spectator to the greats because I view him as one of them. Had a lovely time with it and I think any Foo fan would too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
keishac13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
sayjay08's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Loved Dave reading it. It felt like listening to a friend tell me about some of his most impactful stories. I enjoyed the relaxing listen.
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse
Accidental overdose mentionmartachbc's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Excrement and Suicide
itsheyfay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent
njenni's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Death, and Alcohol
juzabatiero's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Drug abuse, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Drug use
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I figured this was going to be fascinating what with it being Dave Grohl and all. But I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I'm sure that partly came from listening to the audiobook; Grohl is a great narrator and hearing his story in his voice definitely adds depth.
What I loved was that, amid this punk lifestyle and all the craziness that went with it, Grohl is so down-to-earth and (dare I say it) normal. Some of his experiences are absolutely wild but almost always relatable in some way, especially when he talks about his family, who are clearly everything to him.
It's also very sensitively written, with emotional maturity that resonates. Hearing how Grohl dealt with Kurt Cobain's death was heartbreaking, but the joy in his life is just as powerful. The chapter where he recalls keeping a promise to never miss the daddy-daughter dance at his daughters' school is absolutely brilliant!
What I loved was that, amid this punk lifestyle and all the craziness that went with it, Grohl is so down-to-earth and (dare I say it) normal. Some of his experiences are absolutely wild but almost always relatable in some way, especially when he talks about his family, who are clearly everything to him.
It's also very sensitively written, with emotional maturity that resonates. Hearing how Grohl dealt with Kurt Cobain's death was heartbreaking, but the joy in his life is just as powerful. The chapter where he recalls keeping a promise to never miss the daddy-daughter dance at his daughters' school is absolutely brilliant!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death