April's book review: THIS IS A CALL

Because I swore I would post at least one book review per month this year, I'm using my spare Sunday during the A-Z to keep my promise to myself! The book I'm going to review was a present from my brother and his wife for Christmas (which Christmas? Yes, it was the most recent Chrismas...). I'm not much of a non-fiction reader, though I do believe in that saying, "Truth can be stranger than fiction", and I paraphrase. Anyway, I still start out by stating that, in my opinion, this book is not the kind you should read if you're not interested in music. Maybe you're interested in Dave Grohl, maybe you've got a little crush on the purported "nicest man in rock" (though the man himself disputes he's this ALL of the time)...but if you're wanting to read 400 pages all about Dave, this isn't the book for you. If, however, you love rock music and are interested in the history of certain genres in America (and elsewhere, for that matter), then you'll enjoy it.

The book has a great focus on the punk/hardcore scene of Washington D.C., since that's what Dave Grohl "grew" up on. It also touches on other areas like, naturally, grunge, and also the underground (or overground in the case of Metallica) metal scene. It does tell Dave's story, from humble beginnings to the monumental heights he's reached today. It also tells the Foo Fighters' story, and it was news to me that they've had such dramatic moments in that history. Back in the day, I would have known it all - as a teenager utterly obsessed with music, I knew every detail of my favourite rock stars' lives. Basically because I wanted to be part of their lives! Nowadays, I know a lot more about their music than their personal lives. I suppose that's healthier, right? Anyway...from this read I have gathered that, in spite of all he's gone through with his various bands, there's one thing Dave Grohl hasn't lost: his utter enthusiasm for life, for music, etc. This guy's gotta be just a little bit ADD, surely? ;)

I loved how the book ended, with that scene with Dave, Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic revisiting some "mouldy oldies". Oh, what I would have given to be in or near that room while that particular jam session was going on! Anyway, in conclusion this is a great read for anyone who's enthusiastic about music in general. Not just Dave Grohl. But it does help if you're interested in his story! And yes, Kurt is mentioned a lot. For other people, apparently this was a problem, but for me, who hasn't read any Nirvana or Kurt biographies (or hardly any biographies at all, really), it wasn't a bother at all. Even if it did remind me how sad the whole damn thing was.

R.I.P. Kurt, and long live Dave Grohl!