Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Killing Yourself to Live

This book was an impulse buy. Every now and again, I'm at the B&N and I see a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" table. So, I try to find 3 books to get and sometimes I reach. This was a reach. But it sounds intriguing. Chuck Klosterman travels across the country visiting sites where people died. And music is involved.

This was a fast read. There's not a whole lot of meat to this book. The reason Klosterman was traveling cross country was to write a magazine article. The book reads kind of like a long magazine article. Except he's sort of funny and weird shit happens to him. Most of it fueled by alcohol and drugs.

I guess I would have loved this book if I was super into music, but I'm just not. Don't get me wrong, I love music, I'm just not into it like some people can be into it.

Klosterman does have one moment where he gives me one of my favorite literary quotes: "I will pay anyone $1 if they can explain to me why absinthe is illegal in this country and motorcycles are not." It's true, because motorcycles are hella dangerous and bafoons consistently tramp around on the highways at breakneck speeds weaving in and out of traffic on a fucking motorcycle wearing a wifebeater, shorts and nothing else. I took a shot of the good stuff (absinthe, not diet coke) whilst on a trip in Prague and I can tell you, it's definitely safer than riding on a motorcycle.

So, I liked this book, I just didn't really get it. But, I think other people would get it and just love it and obsess about it.

So, 3/5 or 7/10 stars.

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