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Daren's Reviews > The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
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Hard to review this one. I have had it a while, and reviews I have read are either hot or cold. The Foo Fighters played a gig in Christchurch last week, which I attended, torn Achilles in a moon boot and all.
The Foo Fighters are renowned for always delivering at a live performance, and as expected they didn't let the crowd down. Having previously seen them in a much (much) smaller venue in around 1998, this was a vastly different experience, but still great (stadium gig). More for my own benefit I have included the setlist below - so I can find it again if I feel the need!
I read it pretty quickly, and it wasn't unenjoyable. Dave Grohl is recognised as a nice guy, a grounded guy, a family man. All of this is reinforced over and over in the book.
He is also humble, and deferential to any musician he feels influenced by. There were large sections of the book where we learn the circumstances in which he meets many (many, many) of these musicians all of whom are his biggest influence. It did get a bit repetitive. I have no doubt he really does have a massive circle of friends.
For me one of the best parts of these sorts of bio's is the gritty stories of how the musician made it. Dave delivers on some of these, providing plenty of background from his time in the bands Scream and then of course Nirvana, as when he joined they still had no profile.
There were however plenty of anecdotes which were amusing and interesting. It was interesting to learn how he met his band members although it doesn't spell out all the circumstances in which they come and go. Occasionally the anecdotes are out of sequence, which jarred a little. One minute he refers to his wife, next minute he is in an anecdote about his girlfriend flying out to meet him on tour - not sinister, just jumping out of time sequence...
Did I love this book? No. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. Did it share lots of unknown things? Probably.
I can't go below three stars, or above four stars. Arbitrary I guess, at 3.5, rounded down.
If you are a fan, then find a copy and read it your self - YMMV.
The Foo Fighters are renowned for always delivering at a live performance, and as expected they didn't let the crowd down. Having previously seen them in a much (much) smaller venue in around 1998, this was a vastly different experience, but still great (stadium gig). More for my own benefit I have included the setlist below - so I can find it again if I feel the need!
So to the book.
- All My Life
- No Son of Mine
- Rescued
- The Pretender
- Walk
- Time like These
- Generator
- La dee da
- Break Out
- My Hero
- The Sky is a Neighbourhood
- Learn to Fly
- Arlandria
- These Days
- Statues
- The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
- Nothing at All
- White Limo
- Monkey Wrench
- Aurora
- This is a Call
- Best of You
encore
-Everlong
I read it pretty quickly, and it wasn't unenjoyable. Dave Grohl is recognised as a nice guy, a grounded guy, a family man. All of this is reinforced over and over in the book.
He is also humble, and deferential to any musician he feels influenced by. There were large sections of the book where we learn the circumstances in which he meets many (many, many) of these musicians all of whom are his biggest influence. It did get a bit repetitive. I have no doubt he really does have a massive circle of friends.
For me one of the best parts of these sorts of bio's is the gritty stories of how the musician made it. Dave delivers on some of these, providing plenty of background from his time in the bands Scream and then of course Nirvana, as when he joined they still had no profile.
There were however plenty of anecdotes which were amusing and interesting. It was interesting to learn how he met his band members although it doesn't spell out all the circumstances in which they come and go. Occasionally the anecdotes are out of sequence, which jarred a little. One minute he refers to his wife, next minute he is in an anecdote about his girlfriend flying out to meet him on tour - not sinister, just jumping out of time sequence...
Did I love this book? No. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. Did it share lots of unknown things? Probably.
I can't go below three stars, or above four stars. Arbitrary I guess, at 3.5, rounded down.
If you are a fan, then find a copy and read it your self - YMMV.
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Reading Progress
June 15, 2022
– Shelved
January 26, 2024
–
Started Reading
January 29, 2024
–
Finished Reading
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JD
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rated it 5 stars
Jan 29, 2024 11:05AM
Great review Daren, and well done on going to the gig in the moonboot!! Have seen them twice and they are awesome live!!
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Thanks JD, yeah they are pretty well known for never having a dud show.JD wrote: "Great review Daren, and well done on going to the gig in the moonboot!! Have seen them twice and they are awesome live!!"
Loved the first album and enjoyed the second one - cheers for the review Daren
Yep the first two albums are my favourites and the only ones I owned when CDs were a thing. I like there modern stuff, as anthem rock songs, or hits I guess, but not such that I would play an album.There's a freeze up coming wrote: "Loved the first album and enjoyed the second one - cheers for the review Daren"
Ahh Foo Fighters - :) I suppose the book does include Kurt Cobain era content as well! - curious to know his transition from drummer to lead guitarist . Nice review - Cheers,
Yes it covered his life from childhood to when it was published 2021. Surprisingly he didn't make a big deal of that change from drums to guitar, but like many musicians he is multitalented. Foo Fighters was always his, and frontman doesn't work so well from behind the drumset I think.Sandeep wrote: "Ahh Foo Fighters - :) I suppose the book does include Kurt Cobain era content as well! - curious to know his transition from drummer to lead guitarist . Nice review - Cheers,"
Daren wrote: "Yes it covered his life from childhood to when it was published 2021. Surprisingly he didn't make a big deal of that change from drums to guitar, but like many musicians he is multitalented. Foo Fi..."For some people it just works :) I guess - that is talent!
I read the beginning but i think it was a bit gooey. Where is the drugs, sex and rock and roll? Joking. I should have stayed on probably to read about them.
Definitely more about his kids and having a lot of talented musician friends than it was about S & D, but plenty of Rock! The nice guy of rock, Dave Grohl.
Adina (Back from the slopes and trying to catch up wrote: "I read the beginning but i think it was a bit gooey. Where is the drugs, sex and rock and roll? Joking. I should have stayed on probably to read about them."
Daren wrote: "Definitely more about his kids and having a lot of talented musician friends than it was about S & D, but plenty of Rock! The nice guy of rock, Dave Grohl.
Adina (Back from the slopes and trying t..." i know, I;ve seen a couple of interviews with him. Also, saw him in person just walking around at a Queen of The Stone Age concert. They are mates, had a band together with Josh Homme. Is it anything about that in the book?
Yeah he talks about Queens and Them Crooked Vultures (another side project), but again more about the relationships with those musicians and how the collaborations came about.Adina (Back from the slopes and trying to catch up wrote: "i know, I;ve seen a couple of interviews with him. Also, saw him in person just walking around at a Queen of The Stone Age concert. They are mates, had a band together with Josh Homme. Is it anything about that in the book? .."
With Music bio, I tend to be “not a fan� as to me, as with sports books I read too many back in the past they all now seem to be the same for some reason. As to music itself, I am a big music listener but in my mid-sixties find I am in that very small minority of my age group I hardly go back and listen to the past, so the pursuit of new music for me. I read a book on music by Oliver Sacks once, and I am in a very small minority like this. As to Foo Fighters, they passed me by. They were a rock band that was not the style of music I was attracted to. Be that as it may a mate took me to see them after his boss had gifted him a couple of tix at Brisbane’s Lang Park in 2015 and there was a crowd of 50,000 plus. Easily one of the biggest I have been in. They put on a great show, it has to be said. It was not a young audience where I sat so I presumed they had got older with their fans. I recall only knowing a couple of their songs, but strangely they did a cover set in the middle with the drummer Taylor Hawkins singing them. They covered an early Queen song that I recognised and also Stay With Me by the Faces. I asked my mate, 10 years younger than me, if he recognised them, and he thought they must be obscure Foo Fighter tracks he didn’t know. Music moves on. I watched a quiz show the other day and all four contests had no idea who put out Exile on Main Street.
Hi Zed. I don't read many music bio's as they tend to be sensationalist or dull. I like Dave Grohl as a human, and was interested to see what he was sharing. As noted, it was very focussed on his musical friends and influences.Foo Fighters for me were in my zone for album 1 & 2, then just became good radio fodder. They do love a cover when playing live!
fourtriplezed wrote: "With Music bio, I tend to be “not a fan� as to me, as with sports books I read too many back in the past they all now seem to be the same for some reason. As to music itself, I am a big music liste..."
I totally agree with your review and said something similar in mine. I gave it the same 3 1/2 stars and went looking through reviews to see if anyone else had the same sentiment. Glad I wasn’t the only one.
You mentioned in your review that higher ratings will likely be given from big fans irrespective of the book quality. I agree with that. Dave Grohl is a genuinely good guy, so I can understand it too.
Deb wrote: "I totally agree with your review and said something similar in mine. I gave it the same 3 1/2 stars and went looking through reviews to see if anyone else had the same sentiment. Glad I wasn’t the ..."
