Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
by John Sellers
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Book Summary Information
Author: John SellersEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-06
ISBN: 0743277082
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
Book Review: Isn't it a pity you never had anything to mix with that?
Summary: 5 Stars
A prefatory gripe is that I can't review this book under my "real name" because Amazon tells me that my real name contains inappropriate language. Lovely.
Anyway, first, I lay claim to musical nerdity on a scale comparable to that of the author: I was also born in 1970; I got cable and therefore MTV in 1982; I struggled mightily over whether to bail on REM when more than half the kids in my homeroom class had heard of them; I zealously insisted on sub-classifying heavy metal to distinguish its country of origin; in a fit of street-cred zealotry, I kept my deep and abiding man-crush on the pre-Batman-era Prince a secret from my stoner friends; and I too occupy the lonely place, previously thought to be mine alone, in which I will admit to air-drumming Rush while still clinging to hard-fought indie hipster bona fides. Oh yeah, I also had my own paternal bete noir, even less glamorous than the one on offer here: my dad was an inveterate Jimmy Buffett addict. In short, other than telling John Sellers that I would gladly swap my "Margaritaville" for his "Blowin' in the Wind," I'm on board.
Second, by way of reviewing the book: If you are anything like me, or thankfully you are nothing like me but you care deeply about music, or you could give a flip about music but you want to impress your cool friends by name-checking Kevin Shields and Steve Malkmus, then you should have read this book yesterday. Failing that, tomorrow will do. "Perfect From Now On" is warm and funny and insightful, and it might just save your life as well. What's more, you will finish the book and earnestly wish you had a drinking buddy in your town who was JUST LIKE JOHN SELLERS (except that maybe your imaginary John Sellers friend would have the brains to realize that Wowee Zowee was the best Pavement record).
Two more quick thoughts. One of which is that the earlier review saying that Sellers lacks self-awareness is off the mark. The humor, and more importantly the humanity, of the book depends entirely on Sellers' insisting on the utter importance of music while at the same time recognizing the absurdity of his passion. The other of which is that I could give Sellers a chaste and appropriately masculine arm hug for nailing the rituals of the obsessive fan. To give one example, in reading the chapter on the Ian Curtis memorial, I was humiliatingly but hilariously reminded of the years in which I observed the anniversary of Bob Marley's death by wearing a black armband. And then, crucially, expressing my disdain of those who had to ask why I was wearing it, as if they didn't know the importance of the day.
In short, if I haven't said so already, you should read this book. For real. It's magisterial and then some.
Summary of Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
John Sellers was powerless to resist the call of indie rock -- once he finally heard it. In this hilarious and revealing memoir, Sellers meticulously charts his transformation from a teenage headbanger rebelling against his Dylan-obsessed father to a thirtysomething fixated on the obscure Ohio band Guided By Voices. Along the way, he commemorates the deaths of Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain, makes a pilgrimage inspired by the Smiths, and riffs on Pavement and the other raucous bands that have ruled college radio since the 1980s. Packed with compulsively constructed lists, ridiculous formulas, and embarrassing confessions, this is a book for anybody who thinks that corporate rock still sucks.History & Criticism Books
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