★ 09/06/2021

Sixteen-time Grammy-winner Grohl cranks the story of his life to full volume in this exciting debut chronicling his rock ’n’ roll career. Growing up in the 1970s in the suburbs of Springfield, Va.—a “Wonder Bread existence”—Grohl followed the sound of drumming all the way to the stage, from jamming with friends in high school to playing in the D.C. hardcore punk band Scream, joining Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana in 1990, and eventually fronting his band, the Foo Fighters. Grohl’s uninterested in regaling readers with tales of backstage debauchery; instead, he candidly shares his reverence for the enduring power of music. As a teenager, he writes, it became his religion, “the rock stars my saints, and their songs my hymns.” By the time he turned 22, he was traveling the world with Nirvana. After the shock of Cobain’s 1994 suicide subsided, Grohl focused on the Foo Fighters and began touring internationally again, while raising three girls with his wife (“music and family intertwined”). Reflecting on his fame, Grohl writes, “I have never taken a single moment of it for granted.” Paired with his sparkling wit, this humility is what makes Grohl’s soulful story a cut above typical rock memoirs. There isn’t a dull moment here. Agent: Eve Atterman, WME. (Oct.)

Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, demonstrates the good-naturedness he's known for in this heartfelt standout that explores everything from the loss of Kurt Cobain to the road to fatherhood.” 

He may be a slight musical genius, but Grohl’s journey from modest, punk-obsessed troublemaker, to drumming in the most popular band of the decade, to launching an enduring solo career that puts his rock and roll ethos at its center, is a truly inspiring tale.” 

The title “The Storyteller” fits perfectly. The book is filled with plainspoken, conversational prose that ably pulls readers into each tale, no matter how linear or digressive. The pages fly by, the memoir having the feel of a series of chats over drinks with a friend who just happens to have worked with nearly every notable mainstream and indie-rock musician of the last few decades.” 

Kinetic… Grohl writes with equal fervor about his path from “that guy from Nirvana” to the leader of the uberfamous Foo Fighters and his parenting experiences. An exciting read for fans and a remarkable perspective on the last 30 years of rock music.

As Grohl himself sees it, he’s a McCartney, not a Lennon, and if he’s filling the world with silly love songs, the object of his affection tends to be existence itself.

Both a timestamp of the past and a living example of what can be accomplished through creation. Lovers of chronicled melodic adventures and those seeking artistic inspiration will want to check it out.” 

Kinetic… Grohl writes with equal fervor about his path from “that guy from Nirvana” to the leader of the uberfamous Foo Fighters and his parenting experiences. An exciting read for fans and a remarkable perspective on the last 30 years of rock music.

"Candid, humble and full of stories about big-time stars…music lovers will want to put this one in heavy rotation."

… the world benefits just as much from hearing his inspiring stories told as only one of rock's great stadium rockers turned storyteller can tell them.” 

The message that burns through “The Storyteller” is to those who watch him onstage now: Deep down, I’m just like you. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, but I obsessed over the same music you do. I’m a fan.” 

"Candid, humble and full of stories about big-time stars…music lovers will want to put this one in heavy rotation." — CNN

“As Grohl himself sees it, he’s a McCartney, not a Lennon, and if he’s filling the world with silly love songs, the object of his affection tends to be existence itself.” — Rolling Stone

“The message that burns through The Storyteller is to those who watch him onstage now: Deep down, I’m just like you. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, but I obsessed over the same music you do. I’m a fan.”  — Billboard

“Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, demonstrates the good-naturedness he's known for in this heartfelt standout that explores everything from the loss of Kurt Cobain to the road to fatherhood.”  — Audible (Best of the Year list)

“Both a timestamp of the past and a living example of what can be accomplished through creation. Lovers of chronicled melodic adventures and those seeking artistic inspiration will want to check it out.”  — Parade

“… the world benefits just as much from hearing his inspiring stories told as only one of rock's great stadium rockers turned storyteller can tell them.”  — Forbes

“He may be a slight musical genius, but Grohl’s journey from modest, punk-obsessed troublemaker, to drumming in the most popular band of the decade, to launching an enduring solo career that puts his rock and roll ethos at its center, is a truly inspiring tale.”  — Consequence of Sound

“The title The Storyteller fits perfectly. The book is filled with plainspoken, conversational prose that ably pulls readers into each tale, no matter how linear or digressive. The pages fly by, the memoir having the feel of a series of chats over drinks with a friend who just happens to have worked with nearly every notable mainstream and indie-rock musician of the last few decades.”  — Pittsburg Post-Gazette

"Grohl candidly shares his reverence for the enduring power of music. . . Reflecting on his fame, Grohl writes, ' have never taken a single moment of it for granted.' Paired with his sparkling wit, this humility is what makes Grohl’s soulful story a cut above typical rock memoirs. There isn’t a dull moment here." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Grohl bares his soul and shares his passion in this must-read memoir, which will resonate with music lovers and his fans.”  — Library Journal (starred review)

Kinetic… Grohl writes with equal fervor about his path from “that guy from Nirvana” to the leader of the uberfamous Foo Fighters and his parenting experiences. An exciting read for fans and a remarkable perspective on the last 30 years of rock music.” — Booklist

03/01/2022

Grohl here writes about his childhood, his time as a struggling musician, his success with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, and his adult life as a family man. Not a fan of Grohl's music? That certainly isn't required to enjoy this memoir, which gives listeners a glimpse of a music lover always ready for an adventure. Grohl comes across as a modest guy who has experienced great success and appreciates every minute of it; as a struggling musician who started touring and living in a van with bandmates hoping to earn enough for gas money to get to the next gig; as a man who worked hard and became a world-famous rock star. With support from his best friend (spoiler: it's his mom), Grohl manages his fame admirably, with warmth and humor. Written by a natural storyteller, this self-narrated journey, with themes of family, music, and fun, is best experienced in audio format. VERDICT This is an essential purchase for public libraries with patrons who are interested in popular culture, music, or awesome dudes.—Christa Van Herreweghe

★ 10/01/2021

Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Grohl joyfully recounts his life in this memoir. Growing up in Virginia, Grohl taught himself to play drums by ear. He left school to tour with the group Scream, then joined Nirvana and struggled with its monumental success. The lifelong nonconformist found himself adored by Nirvana's mainstream audiences while dealing the band's "awkward dysfunction." After Nirvana's breakup, Grohl started the Foo Fighters, then formed the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. In nostalgic, often humorous anecdotes, he recalls meeting the musicians who inspired him: jamming with Iggy Pop, drumming for Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live, sharing bedtime story duties with Joan Jett. Grohl seems most proud of his role as father, and his loving stories of parenthood are sprinkled throughout the book. VERDICT Grohl bares his soul and shares his passion in this must-read memoir, which will resonate with music lovers and his fans.—Lisa Henry, Kirkwood P.L., MO

It’s hard to imagine anyone else narrating musician Dave Grohl’s memoir. Not only is his voice familiar to Foo Fighters fans, his high-energy personality comes through in both his writing and his narration. The most engaging stories come early on, starting with Grohl’s quitting school to join a punk band at age 16. His post-fame recollections are entertaining and funny, as long as listeners aren’t looking for scenes of debauchery. It turns out Grohl is a genuinely decent family man. Yet while he is introspective about his career, he reveals only glimpses of his family life (fair enough), and even less about his friendship with Kurt Cobain. Still, there’s no shortage of memorable vignettes here, and Grohl’s likability and verve come through in every word. A storyteller indeed. D.B. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

It’s hard to imagine anyone else narrating musician Dave Grohl’s memoir. Not only is his voice familiar to Foo Fighters fans, his high-energy personality comes through in both his writing and his narration. The most engaging stories come early on, starting with Grohl’s quitting school to join a punk band at age 16. His post-fame recollections are entertaining and funny, as long as listeners aren’t looking for scenes of debauchery. It turns out Grohl is a genuinely decent family man. Yet while he is introspective about his career, he reveals only glimpses of his family life (fair enough), and even less about his friendship with Kurt Cobain. Still, there’s no shortage of memorable vignettes here, and Grohl’s likability and verve come through in every word. A storyteller indeed. D.B. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

2021-08-17
The Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman shares anecdotes from his (mostly) charmed life in rock ’n’ roll.

Grohl’s memoir is thick with name-drops, but not for the sake of gossip or even revelatory detail. (Fans likely won’t learn anything about Kurt Cobain they didn’t already know, except perhaps his choice for cheap sustenance in the band’s pre-fame days, a canned-tuna-on-toast concoction dubbed “shit on a shingle.”) Rather, Grohl’s name-drops are of the “can you believe I get to do this for a living” variety: backing Tom Petty and Iggy Pop, meeting musical heroes from Little Richard to Joan Jett, singing “Blackbird” at the Oscars, performing at the White House, and filling arenas all over the world. As the book’s entertaining early pages reveal, Grohl was an unlikely candidate for global stardom. An accident-prone kid and unschooled drummer raised in a middle-class suburb of Washington, D.C., he caught the punk bug at a Naked Raygun show in Chicago, later dropping out of high school to join Scream. Though Scream was only moderately popular, Grohl thought he'd reached the mountaintop, so Nirvana’s massive fame, followed by Cobain’s suicide, was seriously disorienting. Still, the author is upbeat even when talking about lean or tense moments, like when his body finally pushed back against his five-pot-a-day coffee habit. Grohl is good company, but the gee-whiz tone as well as the clichés (hanging out with the members of metal band Pantera is “not for the faint of heart”) make the book feel like a missed opportunity. Grohl survived a massive band’s collapse and leads another hugely successful act in a genre that’s no longer dominant. Rather than exploring that, he’s largely content to celebrate his good fortune. Perhaps when he finally hangs it up, he will dig more deeply into his unique career.

A high-spirited yet surface-level glimpse into the life of one of the planet’s last rock stars.