The Storyteller
Tales of Life and Music
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4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times Bestseller * Named one of Variety's Best Music Books of 2021 * Included in Audible's Best of The Year list * A Business Insider Best Memoirs of 2021 * One of NME's Best Music Books of 2021
So, I've written a book.
Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities ("It's a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!") I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I've recorded and can't wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child.
This certainly doesn't mean that I'm quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it's like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this utterly charming memoir, Dave Grohl shows us that, yes, he’s a stadium-level megastar, but he’s a fan first and foremost. From the moment of his adolescent introduction to punk, Grohl became a passionate do-it-yourself rocker, sleeping in a broken-down van for weeks during endless cross-country strings of club gigs. Joining an only slightly higher-profile band called Nirvana didn’t sound like much of a leap, but we know how that turned out. He doesn’t dwell on that era, jumping immediately from the trio’s fractious 1991 breakout tour to Kurt Cobain’s suicide three years later. From there, his tone becomes reflective and even more heartfelt, whether he’s talking about a memorable New Orleans night with Aussie hard rockers AC/DC or gushing over his daughters’ love of Joan Jett. Throughout all of his stories—especially when he’s recounting the time he broke his ankle onstage and then finished the gig—it’s easy to see that Grohl is a true believer in the power of rock.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sixteen-time Grammy-winner Grohl cranks the story of his life to full volume in this exciting debut chronicling his rock 'n' roll career. Growing up in the 1970s in the suburbs of Springfield, Va.—a "Wonder Bread existence"—Grohl followed the sound of drumming all the way to the stage, from jamming with friends in high school to playing in the D.C. hardcore punk band Scream, joining Kurt Cobain's Nirvana in 1990, and eventually fronting his band, the Foo Fighters. Grohl's uninterested in regaling readers with tales of backstage debauchery; instead, he candidly shares his reverence for the enduring power of music. As a teenager, he writes, it became his religion, "the rock stars my saints, and their songs my hymns." By the time he turned 22, he was traveling the world with Nirvana. After the shock of Cobain's 1994 suicide subsided, Grohl focused on the Foo Fighters and began touring internationally again, while raising three girls with his wife ("music and family intertwined"). Reflecting on his fame, Grohl writes, "I have never taken a single moment of it for granted." Paired with his sparkling wit, this humility is what makes Grohl's soulful story a cut above typical rock memoirs. There isn't a dull moment here.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic
A great read
Learning to fly
I am writing this review after finding out about his recent scandal but read the book prior to any cheating accusations.
As a fellow drummer, I have looked up to Dave Grohl almost my entire life. When I heard about his book release I knew I was going to have to read it, and it did not disappoint.
Exposing the birth of his musical abilities and progression through the underground scene highlights the rock star’s intuition and natural born talent. His ability to be vulnerable and insightful about his humble beginning and rocky home life resonates a sense of self and connection between you and Dave before diving deep into personal anecdotes with some of the world’s most famous musicians. One of the best parts about his perspective is he truly does not see himself as a peer to these musicians, but just a regular guy who got lucky, even with all of his success.
I think it was smart not to focus on Nirvana, although initially that is what I was hoping for. Instead, he offers a brief but impactful reflection on the bands success and ultimate tragedy that bleeds empowerment and empathy.
It was unfortunate to hear about his affair, especially as an idol of mine. It also undermines the part where he is thanking his wife and connecting with his children, but that’s between him and them and ultimately does not reflect this beautifully told story.
DaveGruhl, Storyteller
Made me a fan of all of the great music. I “ignored when I was that age.
Felt that gruel did an outstanding job conveying the excitement in leadership to shepherdess through this his career and the grand stage of his music!