Klosterman IV
This is actually the 4th Klosterman book I have read so the title is oddly appropriate. It is a collection of essays grouped into three sections – the last of which is actually a fiction story. It is funny at times and interesting too – at least when he talks about bands I like such as Radiohead and Wilco. I found it challenging at one point because his tone can be a bit droning at times. I found this book less enthralling than Eating the Dinosaur or Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (SDCP), each of which was a perhaps a bit fresher. The fiction at the end of the book was particularly bland for me. I think that if you have never read Klosterman, you’d be better off with SDCP to start. Also, his fiction in Downtown Owl was better written. So, don’t go running off to Amazon for this particular one – start with some of his other stuff first. I am not sure if I have the desire to finish out his writing (I think there are two other books).
As highlights of the book, the chapter on Metallica was interesting and send me off to watch Some Kind of Monster which I have previously reviewed here. Also, his interview of Robert Plant was enlightening if unsurprising. So, there are tidbits here but overall the book comes across as uneven. It was an impulse purchase for me in Miami actually.
