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Dec 17, 2009

Steven rated it:

I love Klosterman, I know others don’t, but I do.

Premises from IV that made me think:

- Brittney Spears is either brilliant or a moron in not understanding her role in perpetuating the Madonna/whore dichotomy.
- U2 might be genuine, they might be full of it, but they understand the concept that as long as they make money they can do whatever the heck it is they want.
- You can eat McNuggets for a week and it likely won’t kill you, despite what the movie “Supersiz More...

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Jun 30, 2008

Jeff rated it:

as my friend sigurdur hilmarsson always says, "one data point is only a point; two points is a line."

when i read _sex, drugs and cocoa puffs_ -- the conventionally-wise "best klosterman book" -- i couldn't discern what troubled me about his blend of hyper-citation, extreme pop-cultural literacy, and equal-opportunity satire. these are all attributes i usually admire, if not over-value.

on the second go-round, i realized that klosterman is more a pop cu More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2009

Brenton added it

Only Chuck can lend credibility and meaning to the seemingly inconsequential pillars of pop culture. And he's a nerd, like me!

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2008

Poorfish rated it:

Things that are true:
Anyone who has read Klosterman’s IV will understand the following statement: Klosterman has become a guilty pleasure of mine. I receive enjoyment from his writings, yet feel guilty for liking them. Too often he comes off as smug and formulaic. I think that is what’s so problematic about his writing. The condescending nature of his writings isn’t always enjoyable. Especially in his interview-centered pieces, he comes of sounding like a record-store-clerk-snob or any oth More...

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Dec 28, 2007

Harlan rated it:

I hated Klosterman's "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoapuffs", but couldn't resist "Chuck Klosterman IV'. I don't know why I grabbed it, but I'm glad I did.

Klosterman writes about pop culture, and occasionally tries to connect people and events and ideas to what we as Americans do with ourselves to get through life. Introducing an essay on McDonald's McNuggets, Klosterman says, "We are obsessed by the desire to accelerate every element of our existence in a futile attempt to More...

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Aug 28, 2007

jessica rated it:

I like Chuck Klosterman. A lot. He makes me laugh. Generally, I try not to laugh out loud when I'm reading in front of other people, but due to the increasingly diminished seat sizes on most airplanes, any shred of privacy (or dignity, for that matter) is lost as soon as the plane has been boarded.* I actually read the most recent edition of this book. Lots of footnotes, which on ocassion was helpful in terms of Klosterman's thought process. I skipped a couple of the sports pieces for Esquire bu More...

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Jul 05, 2007

Joseph rated it:

Ok, after reading two of his essay books, I think I've finally figured this Klosterman guy out and why he is equal parts interesting/infuriating. I think most of the controversy and/or confusion results from the fact that he's a good writer but a shallow thinker. He can bullshit with the best of 'em and keep you breezing along through a piece until you get to the end and realize he hasn't told you a goddamn thing you didn't already know. Not to say there's not gems here - I loved the pieces on More...

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Dec 17, 2008

Trin rated it:

Chuck Klosterman's essays are always interesting, even when I disagree with him, even when he makes me angry. There are even a couple of essays about musicians I really like in this volume (Bono and Morrissey) which is a fun bonus; considering that I've read Klosterman's book about heavy metal, which I am totally not interested in, it was a curious experience to hear his thoughts on something I honestly do care about. Klosterman doesn't shre my love, but he's fair to his subjects and really does More...

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Jul 24, 2009

Surrender Dorothy rated it:

A reviewer once said that this book was like "junk food for the soul." I'd have to agree. At first I enjoyed Klosterman's writings on pop culture, but when I got towards the end I wanted to stab myself. I guess I just felt drained after listening to so much about the media, but this was mostly due to the fact that Klosterman is a horrible fiction writer. His 'novella' at the end was perhaps, one of the most self indulgent pieces of crap I've ever read, or rather heard, seeing as it was More...

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Jan 31, 2008

Susie rated it:

the thing i like about chuck klosterman (and the thing i like so far about this book) is that each of his essays is like the abbreviated version of a conversation you might have with five other people if all participants were very drunk and given about 8 hours to discuss one pop culture subject at length. he condenses that whole process into a short essay, something legible and entertaining (maybe occasionally infuriating) minus the hangover.

well, minus the hangover for everyone but More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 02, 2009

Trunk rated it:

I shall start off my review by stating this one fact: I love Chuck Klosterman. I really do. I recommend him to anyone that will lend an ear. Sex, Drugs, And Cocoa Puffs is one my absolute favorite books EVAR. So forgive me if my review of Chuck Klosterman IV (who's title is a reference to the classic, untitled fourth Zeppelin album) seems a tad less than impartial. You now know why. IV is a collection of stories, essays, and a single piece of short fiction that Chuck has done for various publica More...

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Dec 06, 2008

Pat rated it:

Got a free copy of this at a book fair. It softbound edition and they guy running the booth was looking at me funny - "you sure you don't want that nice hard back copy of the new John LeCarre?". Well, actually I wanted them both, but he didn't offer. Maybe he had to lug a hard copy back to NY.

I on the other hand put Klosterman IV in my carry on and almost finished it on the plane coming home. It's that kind of book. Perfect for air travel.

Here's why Klosterman More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Steve rated it:

A collection of articles that Klosterman wrote for Spin, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, etc ... the book is a pretty decent read. It's easy to pick up and almost everything Klosterman says is entertaining. Is it deep? Thought-provoking? Hardly. Fun and easy? Worth the time? Heck yes.

This collection of articles is loosely grouped by "Things That Are True" (interviews and profiles), "Things That Might Be True" (discussions or thoughts), and "Something That Definitely Is More...

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May 31, 2011

C. rated it:

This was good, though I think I was expecting a volume of unpublished essays (like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, which I liked more). I enjoyed this book more than Fargo Rock City or Killing Yourself to Live, though some of the works in IV are starting to show their age as we move past the early 2000s.

I really like Klosterman's writing style, but sometimes I feel like he's forcing himself to take a strong position on a given topic just to fill column inches. There is no way he fee More...

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Dec 29, 2010

Richard rated it:

I thought this book was like having a dinner discussion with my extended family. That is, you sit and listen to a know-it-all parse out the trivial intricacies of pop culture and deliver long monologues and half-baked theories about THINGS THAT DON'T ACTUALLY MATTER. Like, my grown adult uncle's genuine (not ironic) love of X-Men. It's fun, at first, to speculate and be a dorkus, like, what would happen if Wolverine had grown up in America, say, instead of Canada. But then you're done with the c More...

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Jun 21, 2010

Paul rated it:

I mainly read this one to complete his body of work, and I found it to be the one I've enjoyed least. Whereas his most comparably collection to this point of his career (and also my favorite), Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, contained essays that felt well-developed and entertaining, this one contained essays that were short and, though generally intriguing, were less enjoyable because it felt he was unable to fully breath life into them. This, of course, can be attributed to the fact that it is a co More...

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Mar 29, 2010

Blog on Books rated it:

If you are familiar with Klosterman's work in such fine publications as Esquire or Spin, you know that his one article alone can sometimes make the longest lasting impression of that month's read. His fourth book, which is partially compiled from those essays, shows why many believe Klosterman is perhaps America's greatest critical/cynical observer of the modern life since guys like HST and Lester Bangs roamed the earth. (without the drugs of the former.) CK's stand-back-and-see what's-really ha More...

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Apr 04, 2011

Ashley rated it:

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

It was actually my first Klosterman experience...I've probably picked up Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs a million times and read tiny tidbits, but I never took the plunge.

Finally, I stumbled upon this at Half Price Books for $4.98 and decided that the time had finally come for me to test the waters.

I just thought this was great. I just finished a rather tedious (good, but rather...er...tedious lol) memoir, so it was nice to have something s More...

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Mar 01, 2010

Katie rated it:

I generally enjoyed this book; it was a quick read about topics that I find interesting.
The first part of the book was a compilation of Klosterman's articles written for SPIN and other publications, mostly about musical artists ranging from (personal favorites) Radiohead and the White Stripes, to U2 and Britney Spears. The articles also included prefaces and footnotes from Klosterman, a little after-the-fact nod to what he had written. I like footnotes, so I dug this. There's only so m More...

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Jan 19, 2009

Amanda rated it:

Fargo Rock City was my first intro to Klosterman. It was pretty well written and funny. For the most part, the rest of his work is the same.

This particular book is broken up into 3 sections. The first section is a series of his interviews with famous folks that he wrote for Spin, Esquire, etc. He interviewed Britney, Bono, Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, Thom Yorke from Radiohead, etc. All of the interviews were entertaining. Mostly because, as in the Billy Joel interview, even if he really More...

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Jan 28, 2009

Ellen rated it:

There are three sections to this book. The first reprints essays that Klosterman wrote mostly about bands in the early 2000's. The second section contains more philosophical essays about pop culture and what it says about American society. The third section is a short story about an absolutely intolerable, self-centered, drug-addled movie critic in Ohio. I enjoyed the first section, particularly essays about my favorite bands, like Radiohead, the White Stripes, and Wilco. The second section More...

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Nov 18, 2010

Sara rated it:

Let me preface: I am HUGE Chuck Klosterman fan. I love his writing and his take on popular culture.

If you aren't familiar with Chuck, he is, generally, an essayist. Most of his books are compilations of essays that he has written about various topics. He has contributed several articles to Spin magazine and has spoken at colleges across the country. His writing is interesting and enlightening.

That being said, this wasn't my favorite Klosterman experience. I think I was More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Yasmeen rated it:

This book was fantastic! At first I wasn't sure that I would like it because it seemed like a collection of interviews that might spark an intrest here or there. However, as I continued reading, I liked that he put his thoughts and ideas out in the open, he let people see his opinions without discretion.Before every interview, he sets up his ideas and thoughts in a page or so to tell you what he thinks before hand. Then, in between and after the interview, he adds his own thoughts and comments a More...

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Nov 27, 2011

Zach rated it:

Through a series of essays, Klosterman provides his own unique view of the world, a world filled with British rappers, middle school basketball games and reality TV programs. Just like his other essay collections, Klosterman consistently offer san intriguing and novel approach to looking at pop culture, often suggesting the possibility of something significant exists right behind what is often described as "low-culture." However, other than several fascinating celebrity interviews an More...

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Nov 16, 2010

Chris rated it:

Excellent stuff. Klosterman collects a decade of interviews, articles on culture, articles on music, and articles on sports that he has written for various media (newspapers, Spin, Esquire, ESPN, etc) into a single book that mostly spans 1995-2005.

Klosterman has this excellent way of both telling a story and making a point, all the while taking the briefest of vignette interludes or side-tracks that are both very poignant and not at all relevant simultaneously. His insight into cultur More...

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Nov 21, 2011

Michael rated it:

Klosterman is an engaging, funny guy who writes well about things I'm interested in. At his best, he'll make you laugh out loud, and I have no doubt he would make an enjoyable drinking buddy who would bring a fresh and interesting perspective to music and movies you care about.

However, this book is a random collection of reprinted short articles from magazines that don't show him at his best. I feel like I'd rather read him go on for 15 or twenty pages about a particular topic, instead of the More...

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Dec 02, 2011

Josh rated it:

Continuing on until I have nothing left to read, I just finished Chuck Klosterman IV. Largely consisting of articles written elsewhere, the breadth of subject matter covered is far broader than in Fargo Rock City or Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (I've not yet read Killing Yourself to Live), but the depths plumbed in each of the others was greater. Essentially IV is Klosterman abridged. There's no problem with that, but as a collection of pop criticism it doesn't quite reach the level that the othe More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Tom rated it:

This was my second book I've read by Chuck Klosterman and I really liked this one as well.

Basically this is just a collection of articles Klosterman wrote for various magazines from the mid 90's to around 2006. Klosterman's writing on pop culture is pretty hilarious, and will make you laugh out loud no matter where you are. I found his pieces on McDonald's nuggets, Bono, Radiohead, the White Stripes, Val Kilmer, Wilco, Billy Joel and what defines a nemesis verses what defines an arch More...

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Dec 02, 2009

RandomAnthony rated it:

So Gus says Klosterman’s IV reads like a B-side collection, and I see the analogy, but I’d say Gaiman’s Fragile Things seems more like a B-side collection than IV. If I had to stretch the musical analogy I’d say IV reads more like a singles assortment until the last section (at which point I’d have to drop the musical recording analogy or stretch said analogy to ridiculous lengths).

Does IV function as a stand-alone text? I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve read all of Klosterm More...

10 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2008

Susan rated it:

When Chuck Klosterman interviews people they seem both more and less human than ever before...the closest to normal mortals than you would think they were ever capable of being, and yet even more alien than you had ever suspected. Take his completely surreal interview experience with the perpetually misunderstood actor Val Kilmer, or the (pre-rehab) interview with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. I like that for all the pretentious snarkiness he genuinely enjoys Billy Joel and cover bands. If he's a music s More...

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