oral history – Page 2 – Cannonball Read 17

More Than Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

February 3, 2021 by Leslie Leave a Comment

A fictional oral history-style story about a seventies rock group risks being gimmicky, on a number of levels. And indeed, aspects of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six conform to conventions and tropes rather than challenging them, from the self-centered lead singer battling his demons to the manic-pixie dream girl who never wears shoes and never shows up on time. That said, this novel defies expectations and ultimately makes some surprisingly profound observations about love, art, and gender. (And it does not, thank […]

cbr12bingo – Nostalgia! sweet, silly, stupid nostalgia

Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz, with Colson Whitehead, Jonathan Lethem, Ada Calhoun, Luc Sante, Roy Choi, Amy Poehler, Junit Tondora, Spike Jonze, Ian Rogers, Andre Leon Talley

September 4, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

“Now here’s a little story I’ve got to tell About three bad brothers you know so well It started way back in history With Ad-Rock, MCA, (and me) Mike D” Beastie Boys Book, while a delightful name, is a bit of a misnomer. This isn’t a book- it’s an EXPERIENCE. Adam “Ad-Rock” (Ad-Rock) and Michael “Mike D” Diamond got together with friends, collaborators, fans, contemporaries, rivals, pop-culture icons, and countless others to tell the story of the Beastie Boys: who they are, where they came from, […]

cbr12bingo – Music!

Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 by Lizzy Goodman

July 9, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

The House of Jealous Lovers! Yes, it’s an excellent track by The Rapture. It could also be the title of this oral history (the actual title, Meet Me in the Bathroom, is a song by another prominently featured band, but we’ll get to that). This collection covers the movers, shakers, and hangers-on of NYC’s rock “revival” in the early hours of the 21st century- and man oh man are they a petty, catty, and jealous bunch! The “speakers” of this history are a collection of musicians, […]

Many of you read this years ago and I am only now catching up.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

April 17, 2020 by narfna 1 Comment

Just a feel good read, talking all about one of my favorite movies. I did the audio version, and it was great fun not only having Cary Elwes read it himself, but for the parts that were “oral histories” from his fellow cast and crew members, many of them read as well (Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Rob Reiner, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest). I already knew quite a bit of behind the scenes information because I went through a period about 10-15 years ago where I […]

Daisy Jones screams “Not Like Other Girls” from the bottom of Cliche Canyon

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

March 12, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos 8 Comments

I have read this before. I have seen it. I have heard it. This book is like a transcription of a Behind the Music episode. Everyone waxing rhapsodic over the Sunset Strip in the 70s. Ugh. There is nothing unique or remarkable about this tale. No grand revelations, nothing that overcomes tropes, just archetypes smashing into archetypes while being saved-by-or-slaves-to tHe MuSic. I truly do not understand the rapturous reviews around Daisy Jones and The Six. There is nothing special about this story, nor is there anything special […]

An oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band. Do the audio if you can.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

December 30, 2019 by narfna Leave a Comment

This made for an enjoyable week of audiobook listening. It was highly entertaining, even if I often found the characters frustrating. I think this is one of the few times where, if you have the capability (library, Audible or other audiobook subscriptions) and like audiobooks, then do the audiobook. The audio format really enhances the experience. If you’re not aware, Daisy Jones & The Six is an oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band, and the story is done entirely in interviews from the former band […]

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