Discovering the Man Behind the Music: A Deep Dive into Dave Grohl Memoir
By now, if you haven't heard of Dave Grohl, you've been living under a rock or you just haven't been paying attention.
When it comes to raw, unfiltered insights into the world of rock 'n' roll, few works can compare to the Dave Grohl Memoir, 'The Storyteller'.
Let's face it, Dave Grohl is indeed the world's last remaining Rock star of his kind. A unique dichotomy of self described nerd, punk, rocker, and the "guy you would least expect to be performing at The Whitehouse". He has managed to see things, experience things, and achieve things that most would never experience in 10 lifetimes.
And we are fortunate to hear his words in his newly released book, "Dave Grohl, The Storyteller".
Grohl was raised in Springfield, Va., by a single mother who taught public school in Fairfax County and remains his best friend to this day. By his own account, he is awkward looking (“Barney Fife with a skateboard”) and oddly prone to accidents and unfortunate mishaps.
The first thing you will notice is that it's narrated (the audio version) by none other than, Dave Grohl, himself. You get the delivery in exactly the way it was intended- And, Grohl, with his signature wit, and humble, unassuming attitude will have you rolling in stitches, making it feel like he's talking directly to you..... and only you.
Kind of like you're long lost pals, who are casually chatting over a couple cups of VERY strong coffee.
The second thing you may notice, (as if we didn't already know this), Dave Grohl is no bumbling idiot. He is an extremely well read, deeply introspective person, without any pretension. Colleagues in the business call him one of the most humble, down-to-earth human beings, one could ever know. In the world of Rock and Roll, these archetypes are few and far between.
"The Storyteller" takes you from his roots in Virginia (his early band Scream), to *present, with many stops along the way. He briefly touches on Nirvana history, and sums up the aftermath by saying, " “I was too young to fade away but too old to start again.”. Enter The Foo Fighters.
Don't expect this to be a "tell all" story, or a book full of revenge or typical Rocker cliche's like "hookers and blow". Rather, it is more of a "sample platter", although an insightful one. You can almost see Dave's wink as if he's telling you, "Ya, there's more to the story, but you get the picture". And as a reader, you get the impression that, more stories remain and could easily be told.
If you weren't convinced before, by the end, rest assured you will know, this is a human being comfortable in his own skin, in every way. And we are the recipients of his experience and wisdom.
And, if you are indeed, one of the few who aren't familiar with Grohl's ongoing and continued legacy, guaranteed, this will inspire you to be a better human.
Authors Note & Update:
*This post was written prior to the untimely death of Foo Fighter's drummer, Taylor Hawkins, who will be forever be missed. Our condolences to the Hawkins family, and to those who knew Taylor personally. We can only assume, eventually there will be a part 2 to this story. Time will tell. Godspeed Taylor.
The audio version of this book is HIGHLY recommended-click to get a no obligation trial to Audible and listen for free!
