len ❀ [hiatus]'s Reviews > The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

When I was seventeen years old, music had become my counselor when I needed guidance, my friend when I felt alone, my father when I needed love, my preacher when I needed hope, and my partner when I needed to belong.

Not only is this my 129th-read book this year, but it is also my first five-star of the year.

I don’t like reading memoirs and biographies because it feels weird to “rate” someone’s life. But in reality, I’m not rating their life; I’m rating how they tell their life. Even in real life, there are bad storytellers, people whose events they recall make me sleepy instead of curious about more. But there are also those storytellers who are good at recalling the good and the bad, good at keeping our attention.

Dave Grohl is a good storyteller.

I cannot in good conscience give this less than five stars. I could say I’m biased because I like rock (if we’re talking genres, metalcore is my preferred genre), or I could say it’s because it’s an author’s life I’m technically rating. I’m not gonna say it’s either because it isn’t. In my opinion, this was just really good. If I could read more non-fiction and memoirs/autobiographies (me using them interchangeably because I still can’t tell them apart) like this, my shelves would have more added.

So, when you hear that parade coming down the street, spreading joy and love with every note, don't just listen; join in the march. You never know where it may lead you.

I feel like I know Dave personally, and that takes some good writing. Dave takes the spotlight here on becoming the only author writing about his life that I’m giving five stars. There’s a lot of reminiscing here and it’s all beautiful. The writing is incredible: it never loses its spark, never becomes dwelling, and is always offering something new in his life. It’s difficult to not deny the accuracy of these types of stories, because can people remember this much, this well? Regardless, Grohl does an amazing job at capturing the different emotions of his life, from his childhood and rebellious teenage angsty years to his time with the bands Scream and Nirvana to becoming one of the most well-known artists of Foo Fighters. And I’m not even a big fan of FF (sorry Dave), but I had to listen to There Is Nothing Left To Lose while reading this after Dave considered it their best album.

There’s a lot to unpack on this story that it feels impossible for someone to write everything within less than 400 pages, but Dave captured everything well, with great detail and a clear vision of what he wanted to tell. The storytelling element is poignant, never missing details but also offering enough to give our attention to. The writing is beautiful, never making the reading experience boring. It’s elaborate and divine, full of many highlight-worthy quotes and segments. Dave’s artistic talents don’t only apply to music, that’s for sure. Dave is humble, which sadly a lot of artists aren’t, and he never fails to show us. His values, fatherhood, and being a former punk-rock kid with big dreams shape him to be a good person.

And so, without the conventional structures and rules that usually went along with such things, I considered music my religion, the record store my church, the rock stars my saints, and their songs my hymns.

For a memoir, I was thoroughly impressed. There wasn’t a single moment I found myself bored; instead, I just wanted to continue reading to learn more about Dave. More about his love for his mom, his adoration for his daughters, his rebellious teenage years and moments of embarrassment in large arenas, and his anxious and nervous moments when he’d be meeting his idols and inspirations. It’s pretty fucking surreal to think that THE Dave Grohl is a fanboy of others. I think too often people forget these artists are actually humans just like us and can also (and do) experience the same emotions, feelings, and issues many of us also face. Dave talks about his experiences meeting some of his artistic inspirations like Little Richard, AC/DC, Joan Jett, and many more, which makes this all the more real. It explains why Dave is also the way he is, as he explains: And when I finally come face-to-face with someone who has inspired me along the way, I am thankful. I am grateful. And I take none of it for granted. I am a firm believer in the shared humanity of music, something that I find more rewarding than any other aspect of what I do. When the one-dimensional image becomes a living, breathing, three-dimensional human being, it fills your soul with reassurance that even our most cherished heroes are flesh and bone. I believe that people are inspired by people. That is why I feel the need to connect with my fans when they approach me. I’m a fan too. In almost 400 pages, we learn a lot about Dave; about his time on Scream when he took a chance on life at 17 years young; about his three-year time period with Nirvana and Kurt Cobain’s impact on his life; on his formation of Foo Fighters and addition of the other members; of his strong friendship with Taylor Hawkins, before his passing. How ironic, that Dave lost his lead singer and guitarist as a drummer, and lost his drummer as a lead singer and guitarist. The world works in mysterious ways, and not always for the best.

You cannot predict a person's sudden passing, but there are certain people in life that you prepare yourself to lose, for whatever reason. You foolishly try to protect yourself by building a wall around your heart as a sort of preemptive defense mechanism so that when you get that call, you are prepared somehow. Like being emotionally vaccinated, you have already built up an immunity to their inevitable passing.

I could listen to Dave talk about his life because that’s how it felt with this. I didn’t listen to the audiobook, so I don’t know who narrated it and how the narrator did, but I would listen to Dave read his story to me. I’d be captivated entirely.

Overall, I wouldn’t have picked this up if it weren’t for the PopSugar reading challenge, but I’m glad I did. Full of a lot of courage, personal statements, vulnerability, laughter, hope and love, and of course, a lot of reminiscing about rock music, The Storyteller offers a big glimpse into the life of one of the worlds greatest and most humble male artists in the world.

Side note: This quote made me recall my first ever circle and mosh pits, which I had on May 7th this year, a couple of weeks ago, when I saw the band Attila.

People on top of people. Slam dancing, stage diving, the crowd chanting the words to each song with fists in the air like an army of loyal sonic soldiers. I was stepped on. I was shoved and punched. I was thrown about like a rag doll in the melee of the crowd, and I fucking loved it. The music and violent dancing released an energy within me that had been pent up for years, like an exorcism of all of my childhood traumas.

It’s true what Dave expresses. It’s adrenaline-inducing, an environment of nothing but violence and grit but also safety and concern; it’s fun, full of rage and nerves coming together. There’s nothing but big men and women pushing you as you circle, fighting for your life to stay up but also doing your best to have the best time of your life at that moment. Crowdsurfers pile on top of you, people cartwheeling, others swinging and punching, others pushing, others running around. You’re on your own, but you’re also within the community of people protecting you, and when you’re down, the #1 rule of metal is to stop what you’re doing and pick them up. That night was one of my favorite nights and I have no regrets for being pushed, falling twice, and getting picked back up, only to be thrown back into the pit, getting slapped on the face, and thinking my nose broke (luckily it didn’t!)

Read for 2024 PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author