A review by samusiamus
Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett

5.0

"I'd been through a lot but--I'm OK. And if I want to be, I'm better than OK. I'm certainly not the most well-adjusted person on Earth, but considering everything . . . I mean--I survived. And I survived just by being me. How lucky and amazing is that?" (p. 233)

I can't put into words how happy I feel to have read this book finally. When I was in high school in the late 90s I had somehow discovered E's "Last Stop: This Town" song (and the strange video) and fell in love with the band. It was a band I didn't listen to often but really enjoyed, I guess it's the things you admire most that you want to keep at arm's length just so it stays special.

In 2018, Eels were coming through my city and I HAD to see them. I invited my brand-new boyfriend to go with me to my first concert of a band I had an ethereal love for. It was an amazing show, and I couldn't quite explain to my boyfriend the feeling I was feeling seeing E in person for the first time after only knowing his voice, and with a faint image of what he looked like in the Last Stop video. I was so excited to be there, I bought a poster. I rarely buy posters, but I bought one and paid more for a frame to put it in than I paid for it. It's worth it.

Equally as awe inspiring is his memoir. I read it in about a day in two different sittings. It's a short read, but I enjoyed every second of it. I knew of some of the hardships he experienced in life from an article or two, maybe his wikipedia page, but I felt better knowing what he went through as told by his own words. We're all so lucky that he was able to always see a sliver of silver on every dark cloud that passed above him.