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A review by river_robin
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
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: Drug abuse and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide