What do you think?
Rate this book
Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
Traces how the author, a pop-culture journalist and reluctant fan of indie rock, grew up in the shadow of a Dylan-obsessed father, reevaluated his personal music listening habits after his favorite band broke up in 2004, and spent a night of drunken revelry at the side of one of his heroes. 30,000 first printing.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2007
23 people are currently reading
1134 people want to read
About the author
John Sellers
16 books16 followersJohn Sellers is the author of The Old Man and the Swamp (2011), Perfect From Now On (2007) and Arcade Fever (2001). He writes about television for The Wrap and interviews musicians for Spin magazine. He currently lives in Brooklyn.
Join me on Facebook!
Join me on Facebook!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
February 14, 2008
Very frustrating! I expected to really relate to this book -- indie-rock saved my life too, I grew up in a bland, Top 40 town, I love Pavement and GBV. But the guy comes off as a big windbag with a lot of opinions that he never backs up. If you're going to say that a certain song is the best Pavement song ever, you've got to explain why.
This book feels like a blog entry, padded out extensively. I can see the pitch meeting now:
"I just got invited to Robert Pollard's house! No one's ever done that before and written about it!"
"That's a book! Er, what else can you write about?"
"I dunno, some stuff about liking Van Halen and beer."
"Gold!"
Go read Love Is a Mix Tape instead.
This book feels like a blog entry, padded out extensively. I can see the pitch meeting now:
"I just got invited to Robert Pollard's house! No one's ever done that before and written about it!"
"That's a book! Er, what else can you write about?"
"I dunno, some stuff about liking Van Halen and beer."
"Gold!"
Go read Love Is a Mix Tape instead.
November 4, 2007
In his essay collection "Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs," Chuck Klosterman, America’s sharpest pop-culture writer includes a brief rant about a guy who, during a drunken conversation at a funeral for a friend who died of bone cancer, told him that in high school, punk rock had literally “saved his life.”
“Why did my friend waste all that time going to chemotherapy?” Klosterman writes. “I guess we should have just played him a bunch of shitty Black Flag records.”
Replace “punk rock” with “indie rock” and “Black Flag” with “Pavement,” and Klosterman’s drunken friend could have been John Sellers.
Sellers, author of the musical memoir "Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life," is the kind of person who seems to believe in the miraculous healing properties of pop music. He is not, as most people who write about music are accused of being, cynical, jaded and jealous. He is an unabashed fan — a super-fan, in some cases — and this is his valentine to his heroes: Joy Division, the Smiths, Sonic Youth and especially Bob Pollard, the alcoholic songwriting machine behind Guided By Voices. At 36, Sellers still listens to music with teenage adoration, deifying his favorite bands even while discussing a genre built on the idea of eliminating idolatry from rock’n’roll. He gushes so much he practically soaks the pages.
But the subtitle of his book is misleading: His life has never actually needed saving. He grew up in middle-class Grand Rapids, Mich., a town where “[t]here wasn’t much crime, other than fashion-related.” His parents are divorced but, aside from his father’s infatuation with Bob Dylan, his family is fully functional. He has never done hard drugs, and his drinking is relegated to the occasional Miller Lite binge. As he makes clear, Sellers’ existence has been utterly free of any significant tragedy, discomfort or pain. Frankly, it is remarkable a publisher agreed to devote 75,000 words to it.
Should he ever be diagnosed with bone cancer, however, Sellers would almost certainly reject radiation treatment in favor of headphones and a copy of "Slanted & Enchanted."
In that way, "Perfect From Now On" is a charming piece of rock lit refreshingly free of critical over-analysis, written with little irony and only slight traces of snark.
It is also pointless.
By setting his autobiography to a soundtrack (or giving his soundtrack an autobiography), Sellers’ goal, it seems, is to find out why he is who he is. But by the end, all the reader really knows about him is that he has a penchant for footnotes (there are tons of them, some four pages long) and that he really, really loves indie rock. We get a bunch of anecdotes displaying his level of obsessiveness — traveling to Manchester, England, to visit landmarks mentioned in Morrissey lyrics, for example. The story climaxes when he meets and hangs out with Bob Pollard, then nearly hangs himself (figuratively speaking) when he thinks he pissed Pollard off. (This, obviously, is the greatest drama of his adult life.) But after all that, Sellers’ biggest revelation is that he has become his father — a fate that eventually befalls the entire male species.
None of the things Sellers has done in the name of music make us question his sanity (well, his annual day of mourning for Ian Curtis is a bit nutty), but you do wonder what void he is filling by living through his idols. He never figures it out — or he never tells us. And because of that, "Perfect From Now On," like the mainstream pop Sellers hates, ends up being an entertaining but empty experience.
“Why did my friend waste all that time going to chemotherapy?” Klosterman writes. “I guess we should have just played him a bunch of shitty Black Flag records.”
Replace “punk rock” with “indie rock” and “Black Flag” with “Pavement,” and Klosterman’s drunken friend could have been John Sellers.
Sellers, author of the musical memoir "Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life," is the kind of person who seems to believe in the miraculous healing properties of pop music. He is not, as most people who write about music are accused of being, cynical, jaded and jealous. He is an unabashed fan — a super-fan, in some cases — and this is his valentine to his heroes: Joy Division, the Smiths, Sonic Youth and especially Bob Pollard, the alcoholic songwriting machine behind Guided By Voices. At 36, Sellers still listens to music with teenage adoration, deifying his favorite bands even while discussing a genre built on the idea of eliminating idolatry from rock’n’roll. He gushes so much he practically soaks the pages.
But the subtitle of his book is misleading: His life has never actually needed saving. He grew up in middle-class Grand Rapids, Mich., a town where “[t]here wasn’t much crime, other than fashion-related.” His parents are divorced but, aside from his father’s infatuation with Bob Dylan, his family is fully functional. He has never done hard drugs, and his drinking is relegated to the occasional Miller Lite binge. As he makes clear, Sellers’ existence has been utterly free of any significant tragedy, discomfort or pain. Frankly, it is remarkable a publisher agreed to devote 75,000 words to it.
Should he ever be diagnosed with bone cancer, however, Sellers would almost certainly reject radiation treatment in favor of headphones and a copy of "Slanted & Enchanted."
In that way, "Perfect From Now On" is a charming piece of rock lit refreshingly free of critical over-analysis, written with little irony and only slight traces of snark.
It is also pointless.
By setting his autobiography to a soundtrack (or giving his soundtrack an autobiography), Sellers’ goal, it seems, is to find out why he is who he is. But by the end, all the reader really knows about him is that he has a penchant for footnotes (there are tons of them, some four pages long) and that he really, really loves indie rock. We get a bunch of anecdotes displaying his level of obsessiveness — traveling to Manchester, England, to visit landmarks mentioned in Morrissey lyrics, for example. The story climaxes when he meets and hangs out with Bob Pollard, then nearly hangs himself (figuratively speaking) when he thinks he pissed Pollard off. (This, obviously, is the greatest drama of his adult life.) But after all that, Sellers’ biggest revelation is that he has become his father — a fate that eventually befalls the entire male species.
None of the things Sellers has done in the name of music make us question his sanity (well, his annual day of mourning for Ian Curtis is a bit nutty), but you do wonder what void he is filling by living through his idols. He never figures it out — or he never tells us. And because of that, "Perfect From Now On," like the mainstream pop Sellers hates, ends up being an entertaining but empty experience.
March 29, 2009
john sellers is a nerd and doesn't really know that much about music. instead of exploring music when he was in high school he was too concerned with looking cool and what his friends were listening to. by the time he got to college, he would get hooked on one band and devote himself fully to them.
i feel for the guy-i am also from the suburbs of michigan. i guess i got the better deal-growing up in the burbs of detroit in the 90s vs. the burbs of grand rapids in the 80s. i think he disses a lot of bands that have merit. like the beatles!!!!!! and is wayyyyyy too obsessed with guided by voices. he is like me at a blur concert in high school when he is in his late 30s!!!!! grow up. yr annoying. keep making yr lists and stop writing books!
i feel for the guy-i am also from the suburbs of michigan. i guess i got the better deal-growing up in the burbs of detroit in the 90s vs. the burbs of grand rapids in the 80s. i think he disses a lot of bands that have merit. like the beatles!!!!!! and is wayyyyyy too obsessed with guided by voices. he is like me at a blur concert in high school when he is in his late 30s!!!!! grow up. yr annoying. keep making yr lists and stop writing books!
July 5, 2022
5 star music references (except for one glaring weakness) written by a 2 star personality. The music references ramp up from New Order, Joy Division, Smiths to a whole lot of Guided By Voices and a bit of Pavement. Excellent! I love GBV but he outright dismisses the equally fantastic Afghan Whigs. Only a lunatic would do that. There are also more cringey jokes than funny ones that help drive down this score. Your time is probably better spent listening to the thousands of Robert Pollard songs out there whether written for GBV or one of his myriad side projects than reading about it.
August 26, 2008
"Perfect From Now On" was remarkably interesting after a slow start. Let's use lists, of which the author is fond, to make the points:
1. Sellers' writing is derivative of the chatty stylings of Klosterman, the lists of, uh, that guy who wrote High Fidelity (Hornby?), and the footnotes of David Foster Wallace (or Baker, according to Sellers himself). Still, after a clunky memoir-ish start, back in Grand Rapids, the book improves considerably if...
2) ...You know a lot about Joy Division, The Smiths, and 80s/90s alternative music in general. I followed along like a fellow nerdy fanboy. Sellers knows his musical terrain and analyzes the material at least as well as the smartest guy at the party but with better articulation and fewer drunken pauses.
3) I know "2" is true because I'm not a Pavement fan and the chapter on Sellers' Pavement obsession bored the crap out of me.
4) The Guided By Voices chapters near the end of the book are fascinating not only because GBV were a good, obsession-worthy band (reading the section caused me to download "Bee Thousand", which I haven't heard in forever) but because the trainwreck the author faces when he tries to meet his heroes is neither funny or unbelievable, esp. for those of you associated with message board posting (hint hint).
In other words, if you like Klosterman, understand musical obsession, and have some knowledge and interest in what Sellers calls "Indie Rock", you'll dig this book.
Something tells me it won't be a bestseller. But those in the know will recognize a fellow fanboy and pass a couple hours recognizing themselves in "Perfect From Now On". If you're one of us it's worth the read.
1. Sellers' writing is derivative of the chatty stylings of Klosterman, the lists of, uh, that guy who wrote High Fidelity (Hornby?), and the footnotes of David Foster Wallace (or Baker, according to Sellers himself). Still, after a clunky memoir-ish start, back in Grand Rapids, the book improves considerably if...
2) ...You know a lot about Joy Division, The Smiths, and 80s/90s alternative music in general. I followed along like a fellow nerdy fanboy. Sellers knows his musical terrain and analyzes the material at least as well as the smartest guy at the party but with better articulation and fewer drunken pauses.
3) I know "2" is true because I'm not a Pavement fan and the chapter on Sellers' Pavement obsession bored the crap out of me.
4) The Guided By Voices chapters near the end of the book are fascinating not only because GBV were a good, obsession-worthy band (reading the section caused me to download "Bee Thousand", which I haven't heard in forever) but because the trainwreck the author faces when he tries to meet his heroes is neither funny or unbelievable, esp. for those of you associated with message board posting (hint hint).
In other words, if you like Klosterman, understand musical obsession, and have some knowledge and interest in what Sellers calls "Indie Rock", you'll dig this book.
Something tells me it won't be a bestseller. But those in the know will recognize a fellow fanboy and pass a couple hours recognizing themselves in "Perfect From Now On". If you're one of us it's worth the read.
June 13, 2010
My thoughts on this book in list format:
1. Dear Lord, the footnotes! Yeah, some of the asides were great, but they could have been proper chapters instead of increasingly annoying 8+ page rants.
2. The book felt incomplete. Partially because so much of the book dealt with Sellers's youth and his early musical influences and then all of the sudden he's obsessed with Pavement and GBV and boom! The end.
3. The band that penned lyrics that would become the title of the book only got a brief shout-out--what's up with that?
4. I failed to see how indie rock saved his life. The subtitle of the book should have been: "How I, a somewhat pretentious fanboy, fucked up by lying to his hero and was later forgiven. Oh yeah, and Game of Pricks is sweet!" It would have been a much more accurate subtitle.
5. I liked "Appendix A" and thought that the book could have used more lists, even if I disagreed with some of them.
6. How can Sellers mock Ben Gibbard's voice when the lead singer of Built to Spill (the aforementioned band that got the half-assed mention in the book) sounds so similar?
7. (and final)"Her Psychology Today" is NOT the worst track on Bee Thousand. I know Sellers would probably flip, but it is definitely "Kicker of Elves". Sorry.
1. Dear Lord, the footnotes! Yeah, some of the asides were great, but they could have been proper chapters instead of increasingly annoying 8+ page rants.
2. The book felt incomplete. Partially because so much of the book dealt with Sellers's youth and his early musical influences and then all of the sudden he's obsessed with Pavement and GBV and boom! The end.
3. The band that penned lyrics that would become the title of the book only got a brief shout-out--what's up with that?
4. I failed to see how indie rock saved his life. The subtitle of the book should have been: "How I, a somewhat pretentious fanboy, fucked up by lying to his hero and was later forgiven. Oh yeah, and Game of Pricks is sweet!" It would have been a much more accurate subtitle.
5. I liked "Appendix A" and thought that the book could have used more lists, even if I disagreed with some of them.
6. How can Sellers mock Ben Gibbard's voice when the lead singer of Built to Spill (the aforementioned band that got the half-assed mention in the book) sounds so similar?
7. (and final)"Her Psychology Today" is NOT the worst track on Bee Thousand. I know Sellers would probably flip, but it is definitely "Kicker of Elves". Sorry.
May 30, 2008
Granted, I am merely on page 168 of the 183 legitimate (well, consecutively strung together words- the remaining 30 or so pages are 'apendix'...um....what is the plural for appendix's? apendi? And lists) pages but right now, I have enough hate and vitriol and gin coursing through my blood to write my first ever review for Goodreads....
I won't even go into the fact that there are enough effing footnotes in the book that it would even bring David Foster Wallace to his knees with cries of 'enough!!!!' to say this:
Mr. Sellers? You wrote a book based on your love of a band you found out about in 2002? A book published in 2007? Of a band that had been around for almost a decade before hearing Bee Thousand for the first time?
Then look for my memoirs next month- I write all about this kicky band I just found out about- they're called The Beatles.
Look, I'm glad you like music. Evidently a lot. A lot a lot a lotta lot lot. Maybe next time? Don't share, ok?
I won't even go into the fact that there are enough effing footnotes in the book that it would even bring David Foster Wallace to his knees with cries of 'enough!!!!' to say this:
Mr. Sellers? You wrote a book based on your love of a band you found out about in 2002? A book published in 2007? Of a band that had been around for almost a decade before hearing Bee Thousand for the first time?
Then look for my memoirs next month- I write all about this kicky band I just found out about- they're called The Beatles.
Look, I'm glad you like music. Evidently a lot. A lot a lot a lotta lot lot. Maybe next time? Don't share, ok?
April 4, 2010
If John Sellers wanted to pick a completely random book title that had very little to do with what he actually wrote about, he should have just said "screw it" and gone with the name of the latest Nickelback album to get more sales.
As others have apparently done before me, I picked this book up based on the title, figuring Built to Spill would at least be an influence on it. Instead, I got a book that reads like a bad blog, 942 chapters on Guided By Voices, and a footnote that more-or-less said, "hey, I guess I should mention Built to Spill at some point considering I named this book after one of their album titles." Fantastic.
I could have lived with this had Sellers been knowledgeable, funny, or interesting at all. Any music fan can write about bands they like. But that doesn't mean that these books should get published or that anyone should read them.
As others have apparently done before me, I picked this book up based on the title, figuring Built to Spill would at least be an influence on it. Instead, I got a book that reads like a bad blog, 942 chapters on Guided By Voices, and a footnote that more-or-less said, "hey, I guess I should mention Built to Spill at some point considering I named this book after one of their album titles." Fantastic.
I could have lived with this had Sellers been knowledgeable, funny, or interesting at all. Any music fan can write about bands they like. But that doesn't mean that these books should get published or that anyone should read them.
January 19, 2008
Wow, this book stank! You would think that an 'aging hipster' would actually come across as hip. Not this guy. The footnote thing was really annoying; was he trying to make the book flow like a drunken conversation, with many asides and digressions? Didn't work. I couldn't finish it.
Wow, I could go on forever, but then I would probably begin to sound a little like John Sellers, and I would never want that.....
The one star is for name checking Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Wow, I could go on forever, but then I would probably begin to sound a little like John Sellers, and I would never want that.....
The one star is for name checking Ned's Atomic Dustbin
November 17, 2008
Sellers is trying to be Chuck Klosterman, and even if you (like me) are not a Klosterman fan, he fails miserably. Personally, I wouldn't have had such a problem with the book if a) he didn't argue both that women don't have good taste in music AND that women are a great way for men to learn about good music, and b) he didn't list Panic(!) At The Disco as a band he would have loved to write about if only he had the space. Someone who likes Panic(!) At The Disco is not someone I care to read.
November 24, 2019
I didn't enjoy this. It reads like a C- version of Fargo Rock City, and suffers from odd structural and editing choices. When you have multiple instances of pages where the footnote (in TINY font) takes up 90% of the page, maybe it's time for the editor to suggest some major structural changes to how that's presented? The real probelm is that I wanted to hear about the music, but I felt like all I got was the author and his experiences.
April 8, 2008
A highly readable book that's part memoir, part music history. If you're in your mid-to-late 30s, Sellers book hits on all the musical touchstones from late childhood to post-adolescence, which is what these days--35? The writing is enthusiastic, revealing, and very engaging. A great gift for the aging hipster in your life who thinks he knows everything.
January 9, 2008
A perfectly horrible book, in every way. Would give it zero stars if that was possible. I would write out why i hated it but don't feel like it's worth the effort- if you really want to know why, ask. GOD THIS BOOK SUCKED.
March 2, 2019
John Sellers is a geek with all of the wrong opinions.
Nonetheless, this is a fun book about obsessing over music. Who hasn't been there? Did Indie Rock actually save his life? No, but who cares? We can all enjoy music and all realize that lyrics and random facts have taken up too much space in our brains to be of any use, and yet we all like it that way.
Nonetheless, this is a fun book about obsessing over music. Who hasn't been there? Did Indie Rock actually save his life? No, but who cares? We can all enjoy music and all realize that lyrics and random facts have taken up too much space in our brains to be of any use, and yet we all like it that way.
August 8, 2025
Worth a read for Appendix C.
October 12, 2010
I like a lot of different types of music but if I had to pick just ONE genre that I feel I listen to more than others, it's indie. This is why I thought, hey! I'll try this book, it's about indie music and even though often many indie fans can be annoyingly pretentious when talking about their favorite music, this book looks pretty neat.
Lo and behold, I couldn't stand this book. Took me about 7 chapters in to get to the arrrrg point. The author is judgmental, pretentious, and seems to dislike everything at least once (although he also contradicts himself too throughout the book). He also doesn't back his judgments up with anything that resembles reason or logic or an advanced knowledge of music. For example, he doesn't like the Flaming Lips because he doesn't like the band name or when they wear animal costumes.
Even if you can tolerate his contradictory taste in music, you are then struck by a severe lack of plot or substance because when he isn't ranting about music he is discussing his very dull and run-of-the-mill childhood (felt like an outcast, had trouble getting girls, and drove around going to concerts... yawn). His footnotes that never end simply adds to the mind numbing boring nature of the text.
I'm not sure why this book got published. It speaks to such an amazingly small population, that sliver of indie music loves who: 1. Love the Smiths, the Pixies, and Radiohead (also acceptable: The Replacements, Guided by Voices, and Pavement), 2. Love other people criticizing music at great lengths, and 3. Don't get upset or defensive when music they like its judged negatively (because out of all the bands he talks about he is bound to have something scathing to say about one of your favorites). I can't imagine too many people passing all three criteria.
Lo and behold, I couldn't stand this book. Took me about 7 chapters in to get to the arrrrg point. The author is judgmental, pretentious, and seems to dislike everything at least once (although he also contradicts himself too throughout the book). He also doesn't back his judgments up with anything that resembles reason or logic or an advanced knowledge of music. For example, he doesn't like the Flaming Lips because he doesn't like the band name or when they wear animal costumes.
Even if you can tolerate his contradictory taste in music, you are then struck by a severe lack of plot or substance because when he isn't ranting about music he is discussing his very dull and run-of-the-mill childhood (felt like an outcast, had trouble getting girls, and drove around going to concerts... yawn). His footnotes that never end simply adds to the mind numbing boring nature of the text.
I'm not sure why this book got published. It speaks to such an amazingly small population, that sliver of indie music loves who: 1. Love the Smiths, the Pixies, and Radiohead (also acceptable: The Replacements, Guided by Voices, and Pavement), 2. Love other people criticizing music at great lengths, and 3. Don't get upset or defensive when music they like its judged negatively (because out of all the bands he talks about he is bound to have something scathing to say about one of your favorites). I can't imagine too many people passing all three criteria.
December 28, 2013
I enjoyed this book for the mere fact that it made me nostalgic regarding my own "indie rock" transformation. I, too, had my life turned upside down by MTV's 120 Minutes and would tape it religiously so I could pour over the videos the next day (I was only 13 at the time, staying up until 2am on a school night was out of the question). As a result, I seriously considered naming my first born Mazzy Star...but settled for "Elise" as a middle name because it was mentioned in two of my favorite songs - one by The Cure and the other PJ Harvey. I never paid much attention to Guided By Voices, but always upheld the opinion if I had my own list of favorite band names, that GBV would be number one. So being a music geek myself, this book was fun and funny at times.
I will say that the footnotes are super annoying. I actually had to abandon a couple of the ones that droned on for pages because they interrupted, not enhanced, the story. And of course I had to take serious issue with some of his musical assertions - Depeche Mode is NOT overrated, Riot Grrl is NOT "embarrassing" and Morrissey IS a whiny windbag. But I did LOVE that Belly and Concrete Blonde made the shout out list and yes Harriet Wheeler is totally worthy of an indie girl crush - she is absolutely adorable.
I will say that the footnotes are super annoying. I actually had to abandon a couple of the ones that droned on for pages because they interrupted, not enhanced, the story. And of course I had to take serious issue with some of his musical assertions - Depeche Mode is NOT overrated, Riot Grrl is NOT "embarrassing" and Morrissey IS a whiny windbag. But I did LOVE that Belly and Concrete Blonde made the shout out list and yes Harriet Wheeler is totally worthy of an indie girl crush - she is absolutely adorable.
January 9, 2018
you guys, this writer thinks that talking shit about Tears for Fears and Wham! and Stacey Q will show me that he is a discerning audiophile. you guys, he makes sure we know that he knows that kim deal is the Hottest Female Alternative Rocker or something. you guys, help me.
why do david lee roth-loyal boys get so much airtime? this uppity bro thinks he can make me laugh? (like making jokes about ibiza and mardi gras and hookers that bill maher would reject as being stale will somehow hide rather than reveal the writer's essential mundane dorkdom?) thinks he can tell me about moz&marr? (unintentional comedy doesnt count.) thinks he has evidence that riot grrl was embarrassing because it was led by "unappealing harpies"? (i cant get into the shit with saying michiganders believe new yorkers to be "lox eating money grabbers" because i cant unpack that many layers of ignorance right now if i am to enjoy any part of my day off.)
this book was written by a homely pile of crap van halen dude who thinks we are all as gross as he is inside. as a person who has brothers and a father, i am offended.
why do david lee roth-loyal boys get so much airtime? this uppity bro thinks he can make me laugh? (like making jokes about ibiza and mardi gras and hookers that bill maher would reject as being stale will somehow hide rather than reveal the writer's essential mundane dorkdom?) thinks he can tell me about moz&marr? (unintentional comedy doesnt count.) thinks he has evidence that riot grrl was embarrassing because it was led by "unappealing harpies"? (i cant get into the shit with saying michiganders believe new yorkers to be "lox eating money grabbers" because i cant unpack that many layers of ignorance right now if i am to enjoy any part of my day off.)
this book was written by a homely pile of crap van halen dude who thinks we are all as gross as he is inside. as a person who has brothers and a father, i am offended.
August 20, 2007
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book. Sellers writes the book any music geek wishes he or she could. He details his history of musical obsession. I love the chapter on his first encounter with U2's _War_; I could very much relate. From there he goes on to how this lead to his discovery of indie music; again, I can relate--although his definition of indie is quite broad. I share many of his tastes in music but it is his final, freakish devotion to Guided by Voices that left me cold. First, I haven't really listened to GBV in ten years, never having been too impressed with them. Second, his slavish devotion to Bob Pollard is a bit unsettling for someone in his mid-thirties, which I guess is the whole point of the book. Quick review: Think Chuck Klosterman with good taste.
August 17, 2020
I came across this in a used bookstore recently and was pretty excited. It sounded like exactly my thing and I figured I was destined to love a book named after a Built to Spill album.
Well, I loved the music discussed but was not a fan of the author. He's very much in the vein of authors I love like Chuck Klosterman and Rob Sheffield, but not nearly as effective. He's just kind of a jerk and very pretentious. I mean, it's a book about indie rock so some pretentiousness is to be expected but even so it was over the top. Between that and the fairly abrupt ending I did not enjoy this one that much. Read Love is a Mix Tape instead.
Well, I loved the music discussed but was not a fan of the author. He's very much in the vein of authors I love like Chuck Klosterman and Rob Sheffield, but not nearly as effective. He's just kind of a jerk and very pretentious. I mean, it's a book about indie rock so some pretentiousness is to be expected but even so it was over the top. Between that and the fairly abrupt ending I did not enjoy this one that much. Read Love is a Mix Tape instead.
January 29, 2016
I was looking for some cool anecdotes about some sweet late-80's/early-90's bands, but it's mainly just this dipshit talking about growing up and how he accidentally pissed off Bob Pollard from Guided by Voices.
Feels like a Guided by Voices propaganda but more than this, is a book about pop culture, specially pop music, great references, a bit shallow here and there, a great nostalgic read.. Read it if Built to Spill and Guided By Voices changed your life.
Feels like a Guided by Voices propaganda but more than this, is a book about pop culture, specially pop music, great references, a bit shallow here and there, a great nostalgic read.. Read it if Built to Spill and Guided By Voices changed your life.
September 5, 2015
Why would you name your book after a Built to Spill album and then mention Built to Spill exactly once? Sub-par Chuck Klosterman, amused by his own foibles, Sellers left me confounded as to why he thought this collection of his opinions on 80s and 90s alternarock would be of interest to others. It angries up the blood.
March 8, 2011
Hilarious account of a personal, musical journey through the strange wilderness of suburbia in the 80s and into the more refined indie-alternative culture of cool known as 90s college radio. *blissful sigh* Mirrors a lot of my personal experiences, and those of my friends. If you like good music and were born in the early 70s, this comes highly recommended.
January 16, 2018
Breaking: White boys love indie rock. Like, REALLY love indie roc. Like LOVE love indie rock.
Imagine if a book was written by Rob or Barry from “High Fidelity”, but not near as charming as either. That’s this book.
Note to the author; unless you’re writing a chemistry text, it’s unacceptable to REPEATEDLY create footnotes that take up 90% of the page.
Imagine if a book was written by Rob or Barry from “High Fidelity”, but not near as charming as either. That’s this book.
Note to the author; unless you’re writing a chemistry text, it’s unacceptable to REPEATEDLY create footnotes that take up 90% of the page.
March 27, 2012
I'd love to unread this book.
Want to read
December 1, 2013I am ten pages in and I do not want to continue.
April 19, 2016
Without a doubt the most unpleasant book I've ever read
September 12, 2018
Here’s a list for you, John Sellers:
1. Yes, I could have done without 5 chapters on GBV.
2. Why do you hate the Afghan Whigs?
3. Where was the full chapter on Joy Division?
4. Sgt. Peppers is not an embarrassing album!
5. Elton John is a f***ing legend, glasses fetish and all!
6. Your most redeeming quality is that you might love Sebadoh as much as I do.
7. I 100% agree with your Power Trio list. I wish Husker Du would have reunited prior to Grant Hart’s death.
8. I wish I would have read this when it came out. The Rock Hall lists are outdated, but it’s good to see that Metallica and the Beastie Boys made it in since this was released. Many of the bands mentioned have since reunited. It’s good to see the progress though.
9. What you did to Robert Pollard was sh***y and he shouldn’t have accepted your apology.
10. This book was karmic repayment for anyone that I’ve ever annoyed with my fan girl ramblings. The first 8 chapters had me like “OMG I’ve totally been this person” and it was a good feeling. But some of it was cringe worthy, like “OMG I have been this person...”
1. Yes, I could have done without 5 chapters on GBV.
2. Why do you hate the Afghan Whigs?
3. Where was the full chapter on Joy Division?
4. Sgt. Peppers is not an embarrassing album!
5. Elton John is a f***ing legend, glasses fetish and all!
6. Your most redeeming quality is that you might love Sebadoh as much as I do.
7. I 100% agree with your Power Trio list. I wish Husker Du would have reunited prior to Grant Hart’s death.
8. I wish I would have read this when it came out. The Rock Hall lists are outdated, but it’s good to see that Metallica and the Beastie Boys made it in since this was released. Many of the bands mentioned have since reunited. It’s good to see the progress though.
9. What you did to Robert Pollard was sh***y and he shouldn’t have accepted your apology.
10. This book was karmic repayment for anyone that I’ve ever annoyed with my fan girl ramblings. The first 8 chapters had me like “OMG I’ve totally been this person” and it was a good feeling. But some of it was cringe worthy, like “OMG I have been this person...”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2024
The introduction had me hooked, if only because his relationship with music (and iTunes statistics, specifically) reminded me of myself. I liked reading about his memories with music, for not liking his dad's taste in Bob Dylan, to finding his first favorite artists, then recoiling away from them for 'cooler' acts. Unfortunately, the stories themselves were a little so-so. I liked reading about him going for his first degree in college in Business and then going back to school for an English degree, and changing his taste in music for round 2, but the footnotes for Ian Curtis day went on for too long.
September 27, 2022
This is the book equivalent of a guy you avoid at record stores.
Seriously, I don’t think I ever cringed as hard as I did whenever he even mentioned women, or how he described them, “indie rock babes.” Something I noticed throughout this book was the obnoxious obsessiveness. No one person needs to know this much about Pavement! Maybe him listening to indie music as an early teen permanently stunted him that young, then again, I started listening to The Smiths at 12 and the only thing that stuck was black hair and vegetarianism.
Seriously, I don’t think I ever cringed as hard as I did whenever he even mentioned women, or how he described them, “indie rock babes.” Something I noticed throughout this book was the obnoxious obsessiveness. No one person needs to know this much about Pavement! Maybe him listening to indie music as an early teen permanently stunted him that young, then again, I started listening to The Smiths at 12 and the only thing that stuck was black hair and vegetarianism.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews