The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
Ratings130
Average rating4.3
As a story, it's a solid 4.5/5. Dave is a captivating author, with a vividity and excitement that is missing in a lot of autobiographies.
Unfortunately, at times, Dave gets too enraptured in his own words and gets a bit repetitive; this is one of the reasons for dropping the score a bit.
There's also a lot of jumping about through the past, which was amazing, but at times there is no "landmark" as to where in time we are.
But, what drags it down a bit, is Dave's lack of accountability with his infidelity. He cries out his absolute devotion to his daughters, his wife, and his mum, but never acknowledges his own contradictions. That missing accountability is what brought my rating down.
All in all, thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who's even only heard one of the many songs Grohl has been a party to.
He's certainly a Storyteller!
Such a great book for any fan of Dave Ghrol/Foo fighters. I found myself having to put the book down at multiple points and search out the musicians or the song's he wrote about to accompany the book. Perfect .
Classic autobiography mistake (in my opinion) - assuming that readers are already familiar with your history. Picked it up to learn more about his life not knowing anything about his life and found it a little hard to follow. Cool story, entertainingly told. Plus, a beautiful take on fatherhood.
Age range: 15+
The rock band lifestyle (and the fact that this is non-fiction) may be a non-starter for younger readers.
[audiobook EN] Świetna historia (bo nie wiem czy na pewno biografia), bo skupia się w pierwszej kolejności nie na faktach, ale na emocjach. Książka to około 20 wyjątkowo pamiętnych momentów, ciekawych ludzi, pełnych empatii. Zero skandali, dość pobieżna faktografia, ale mocny ładunek emocjonalny.
I am a huge Dave Grohl fan, loved Nirvana and the Foos. But while I enjoyed parts of this book, much of it felt shallow, repetitive, and confusing. (Sorry Dave) There was a lot that could have been cropped out and much that could have been expanded on (or at least explained).
As a child of the late '80s and early '90s, I was heavily influenced in my own life by classic rock, hair metal, and eventually the Seattle scene (although I would argue the Minneapolis scene was as good, if not better than Seattle in some aspects in the early and mid-90s).
I was never a Nirvana “fan,” although I liked their stuff. I owned Nevermind, of course. (Who didn't?) And I always admired Dave's drumming ability. I also knew he was a little different. I remember the SNL promo commercial Nirvana did when they played SNL the first time. Dave, with his mousy hair and slight frame, stood stock-still and psycho-stared at the camera during the whole promo. I knew it was being done because they told him to just stand there and say nothing, and this was his way of complying, yet performing. I knew at that moment there was something more to Dave Grohl than met the eye.
When Nirvana ended, I saw the emergence of the Foo Fighters, and I hoped for the best for Dave. It seemed like he was doing the right things. Their videos on MTV were always great. The songs were catchy. I still wasn't a fan, though.
That came about over a course of time when Dave's undeniable charm and work ethic eventually wore more me down. Slowly, I started amazing Foo records now have the whole collection. I'm a booster. I'm a supporter. They're doing things the right way. When Dave came out with this book, I always knew I'd read it eventually, but like so many things of this nature, it just got put off for a while.
This book is written with the same high-energy charm that Dave exudes in interviews and on stage. There is no pretense with this guy. What you see is what you get, and that extends to writing. For a high school dropout with a manic sense of energy, this book comes across without any sort of writer bullshit. There's no fancy prose. There are no deep metaphors or similies. Dave delivers the goods with a straightforward approach. And, like the man himself, the prose is likable. It's easygoing. It's a good read.
It makes you wish you could be one of the guys in the band, and that's about the highest level of praise I can give it.
It's an enjoyable read, although it feels like it only scratches the surface of some things. It leaves you wanting more. When I hit the end, I realized I'd gladly read Volume 2 of this if Dave ever decided to write it, and if he does, I hope he goes into more detail and delivers some insight into some events. If there's a single knock against the book, it was written like he didn't want to offend anyone, and that makes for a superficial feeling tome.
Still, I enjoyed every word. I hope Dave writes more. More songs. More books. Just keep delivering, Dave. You've earned your accolades the old-fashioned way.
A raw, genuine memoir from a remarkable musician. His humility and deep appreciation for the humans that have made his life such an incredible journey transcend every chapter. Amazing.
The Foos were a massive part of my musical awakening, sans-90s bands and 80s stuff I listened to in Mums car growing up. Dave's wild tales of musical madness, coping with stardom, forming bands, and raising daughters (lowkey love his relationship with his girls) were truly wonderful to listen to.
The fact Taylor Hawkins died as I was reading this (I was made aware of his passing mere moments after finishing the chapter on when he and Dave first met) will forever add a poignant veneer over the experience of listening to this book. I remember him being a particularly impressionable drummer on my younger brother and I as we were just starting to drum in bands as sweaty young teenagers. Truly sad.
3.5 stars, really. Entertaining stories but kind of repetitive. Overall enjoyable but nothing earth-shattering.
This book was much better than I tough and filled a lot of gaps. I was 18 in 1992 and went crazy about Nirvana, like other millions of people. Since then I have not changed my mind, they were one of the greatest bands ever existed.
While I like some of the songs from Foo Fighters and I owned their first few CDs, I never really became a fan and so I never delved too much in Dave Grohl's life.
This book was a much needed, for me, education on how an artist can grow up, with perseverance, to achieve their goals.
On the minus side, I don't personally agree with some of the nature vs nurture opinions that the author has and also, I think that he used a little too many times the "how did a guy like me get here" structure.
These are minor things, the book is good.
Človek, ki ga že tako spoštujem, se v svoji biografiji, napisani, ker v lockdownu ni znal biti na miru, razpiše o svoji poti in predvsem ljudeh, ki jih je srečal na svoji poti. Izjemno zanimivo in navdihujoče. Vsake dve strani sem skočil na YouTube pogledat in poslušat, kar sem pravkar prebral. Zadnja poglavja sem bral s solznimi očmi in cmokom v grlu.
Rock on, Dave!
What you think, you become,What you feel, you attract,What you imagine, you create.
This is an audiobook must as it's read by Dave Grohl himself. Listening to him tell the story just adds another layer of entertainment to some already hilarious stories, and for when life takes its inevitable downturns, his voice adds another layer of heart.
Dave Grohl is an awesome storyteller. As he tells of his encounters, jam sessions, and chance meetings with his musical heroes, you can feel his love of music and of the bands that inspired him. They are all in the book Iggy Pop, AC/DC, Pantera, Joan Jett, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and many more. Dave is a fan, just like the rest of us. He cannot believe that he is living out his rock n roll dream and I'm glad he shared the ride with us.
Hard to find someone who lives with their values on their sleeve more than Dave Grohl. 2nd half was fantastic as there were lots of stories about balancing his family life with his work. FRESH POTS!!
Ngl, it had me tearing up a bit at the end. I enjoyed it, but could've done without the glamourisation of alcohol.
“To me, that is beauty. Not the gleam of prefabricated perfection, but the road-worn beauty of individuality, time, and wisdom.”
I came into this doubtful, expectant and afraid of being let down by my idol. Let me tell you that it couldn't be farther from the truth. Dave is a storyteller, and one who has the innate ability to bring you behind the curtain. It's the careful selection of which stories and how they're woven,interconnected and dependent on each other. It feels to me, like hanging out with a friend having a cold one while talking of old times and the endless wisdom that comes from aging - and appreciating the good in life. This is a feel-good, and it came at a perfect time where this light was needed. Thanks Dave.
I will try to maintain some degree of objectivity, but really, it's Dave Grohl, man.
Dave Grohl is one of the best of the humans. I don't really believe there are people who actually dislike Dave Grohl. Those are people who wake up every day and actively choose hate. Beyond the man himself, the Foos are one of my favorite bands; I have a Foo Fighters tattoo, took a two day road trip to see them in Denver, and I walked out to Everlong at my wedding. There was no way I wasn't going to like this.
But I was still surprised at how good it was. Naming your book The Storyteller is bold; but it's apt in this case. I listened to this audiobook in less than 24 hours. There are a variety of stories and reflections that range from inspiring, thoughtful, hilarious, or heart-warming. Dave's ability to speak on the power of music is infectious; after hearing him pontificate about music, I'd want to pause the book to go rock out.
Added to that, he was surprisingly candid about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, and his thoughts on Kurt's death are pretty intense. The reflections on being a parent were poignant and touching; you can really tell being a father is the most important thing to him. Even the stories where he just talked about meeting famous people, a trap that memoirs fall into often, were awesome because Dave's enthusiasm just gushed off the page.
There is nothing to critique about this book, besides that I wanted it to be longer. Write another, Dave? Please? Also, I love how much of his actual career he skips over in this short book, but still has a whole chapter about coffee