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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
It pains me to give this book 2 stars, as I love Acaster and can only imagine how much research went into this book. But it was just kind of a slog to get through the overwhelming amount of backstories about musical artists thrown all together by thin thematic threads.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
medium-paced
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
this book about retroactively improving a terrible 2016 retroactively improved my terrible 2023 listening to all 336 of these bloody albums.
I am a big fan of James Acaster and a lesser fan of music, so this book only sort of worked for me. Half of it is spent talking about the different music Acaster likes - he goes into a lot of detail of what went into the creation of different songs and albums, and basically gives little mini memoirs for each artist. I fully admit to skimming through most of these sections, because it just didn't click for me. The other half was a detailed look at how awful 2017 was for him - specifically, how he was depressed to the point of wanting to commit suicide, and how no one really helped him with any of that. I stayed for the memoir bits. If you enjoy music, this would definitely be more for you! He does include a cool calendar at the end where he recommends a different album to listen to each day of the year, which is pretty cool.
The memoir sections of this book initially come in small glimpses, but build up a pretty comprehensive picture of a year in which workload and relationships had a detrimental effect on James' mental health. There are an incredible amount of music recommendations throughout the book, and the stories that Acaster has discovered behind the artists own state of mind during the recordings add a level of connection to the albums. The stories behind many of the albums illustrate similar themes to Acaster's own life in 2017: loneliness, guilt, and ill health. The breadth of musicians talked about is particularly impressive.
Focusing an entire book based on largely overlooked albums from the year 2016 can at first seem incredibly niche, however the passion that went into the project as well as the relation of this to his own personal struggles is hugely compelling.
Focusing an entire book based on largely overlooked albums from the year 2016 can at first seem incredibly niche, however the passion that went into the project as well as the relation of this to his own personal struggles is hugely compelling.
It's always good fun when your coping mechanism is getting hyperfixated on things and your current hyperfixation is a man called james acaster who has the exact same coping mechanism as you and this entire books essentially calls you out for getting hyperfixated on things instead of dealing with your anxieties yay. There is a very small chance this book triggered my depression ✌
I absolutely loved it. Acaster brings his classic wit and self-deprecating style, but adds in a healthy dose of self-esteem and understanding of mental health throughout performance arts. If you love music, personal journeys, or comedy, go for it. I wish we got more info about the behind-the-scenes of his specials and actual comedic material along with the great stuff that's already in there. I listened on Audible, which he performed himself and he did great.