Name: Fraser Simons's review of The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Item: The Storyteller
Rating: 1
Author: Fraser Simons

Dave Grohl

Tales of Life and Music

The Storyteller

So, I've written a book. Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities ("It's a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!") I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I've recorded and can't wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child. This certainly doesn't mean that I'm quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it's like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters...the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.

Hardy Marwaha 

Let me tell you, never ever ever in my years of touring had I seen something so badass. This wasn't a road crew. lt was a gang of hoodlums. And this wasn't a band, It was a force of fucking nature.

…but there was a certain joy that you only feel when reunited with someone from your past, like some kind of reassurance that life really happened. 

Jess🌻

Fraser Simons

Really fuckin’ cool getting to know the human being Dave Grohl, the ‘ordinary guy’, father of 3 sweet girls, and of course, frontman of one of the biggest rock bands on the planet!

Denis Crepaldi

Really fuckin’ cool getting to know the human being Dave Grohl, the ‘ordinary guy’, father of 3 sweet girls, and of course, frontman of one of the biggest rock bands on the planet!

Easy-going reading, for sure 5 starts!

Okay, flex, dass er nicht nur rocken, sondern auch noch nen Buch schreiben kann

Jack O‘Conner

Bria

Teresa Bonifácio

Nirvana and Foo Fighters are my forever favorite bands. Dave Grohl is someone I respect and admire, not only because of the musician he is but also because he genuinely seems to be the “good guy”. 

The audiobook is amazing because it really seems he’s talking to you. And his life? I wish I was his daughter 😂
I think this has made me admire him even more! His relationship with his mom is amazing. The way he speaks of her? You can feel the love in his words. And hearing this after the death of Taylor and his mom, breaks my heart 💔

Anyone who loves music will love this

Typically I don’t like to read autobiographies unless the individual is well past the age of 60 but given the rockstar lifestyle I knew this one would be full of tales of a life well lived. I chose to listen to this one through Libby because Dave narrated it himself and I knew that would only add to stories. 

As a music lover I enjoyed hearing tales of van life on the road and the struggles of getting by day to day, gig to gig and even though I wasn’t in a band I certainly related to getting by on 3 corn dogs for 99¢. 

My favorite stories Dave shared were those of fatherhood. This is a man who would continue the show with a broken leg. For the fans. For the music. But when it comes to his girls he always put them first. I admire and respect his loyalty to his family. He’d still go through great lengths for fans too but “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child” motto is a pretty solid way to go about life as a parent. 

Dave’s life has been a wild ride. He’s had up and downs but always finds the positives in any situation and I think that sets him apart from other rockstars. 

Christa Bell

Typically I don’t like to read autobiographies unless the individual is well past the age of 60 but given the rockstar lifestyle I knew this one would be full of tales of a life well lived. I chose to listen to this one through Libby because Dave narrated it himself and I knew that would only add to stories. 

As a music lover I enjoyed hearing tales of van life on the road and the struggles of getting by day to day, gig to gig and even though I wasn’t in a band I certainly related to getting by on 3 corn dogs for 99¢. 

My favorite stories Dave shared were those of fatherhood. This is a man who would continue the show with a broken leg. For the fans. For the music. But when it comes to his girls he always put them first. I admire and respect his loyalty to his family. He’d still go through great lengths for fans too but “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child” motto is a pretty solid way to go about life as a parent. 

Dave’s life has been a wild ride. He’s had up and downs but always finds the positives in any situation and I think that sets him apart from other rockstars. 

Brilliant. Adventurous. Genuine. 

Domenico Di Leo

This collection of stories tell the remarkable life of a man who devoted his life to his passion for music. The book sheds light on the challenges David faced throughout his career, including dealing with grief for friends who passed away prematurely like Kurt Cobain, balancing touring with his band and being a caring father , and dealing with the lack of attention from his own father. 

The author delves into great detail about his insecurities, fears and how he overcame them. I particularly appreciated the vivid descriptions of his interactions with famous artists such as Iggy Pop and Paul McCartney, which offer a valuable glimpse into their personalities. 

Personally, I found David Grohl's book to be a captivating read, much like his music. I highly recommend it to any fan of Rock music.

Mia Caven

Oh. This book. This book this book this book. I am so in love with this book. 

I am a memoir fanatic. I have hated so many. Kurts was hard to read. Jims was the worst. Patti’s was the only one that felt like a hug. But thank this world and universe and galaxy for bloody Dave Grohl.

This book is a beautiful, big, warm, hug. From music, spirituality, youth, fatherhood, death, magical moments, Dave Grohl knows exactly life’s meaning, his light, happy, experienced soul is the biggest blessing this earth has.

It will make you cry, but laugh so much more. It will feel like you can hear his voice, like he is talking right to you. And, he’s a good bloody writer. With his own personal little twists. Pick this book up. RIGHT. NOW. it is beautiful. I am so happy I’ve read this. It’s top 5 honestly. Of my all time favourites. Ever. This man’s emotional intelligence will have you believing he quite possibly created the universe.

Lisa Lindquist 

         2023 has thus far been bleak when it comes to five-star reads.  I don’t know if it’s me or the books, but I’m just not connecting with my books like I am used to.  It’s making me sad.  I’ll keep plugging on and reading every book ever published (ok it’s not that many, but sometimes it feels like it).  This book has been sitting on my physical TBR shelf for months after I originally purchased it for my husband.  Hubs has been a fan of the Foo Fighters since their inception, so I thought he might enjoy the book.  He’s not a big physical-book reader, but he did eventually push through and finish this one (it was shortly thereafter that he discovered audio books and has since fallen in love with them).  I added it to my own physical TBR shelf after he finished it, but unfortunately, I don’t always get to those as quickly as I get through the library books (largely because of that whole due-date thing). 

            I’m not anywhere near as big a fan of the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl as Hubs is, but I have a deep respect for him as both a musician and a person.  It seems like at least once a week he’s in the news because of something unbelievably cool he did.  After hearing my husband go on and on about how amazing this book was, I was looking forward to reading it.  I dove in and couldn’t put it down.  Of course this guy, an incredibly talented musician and all-around neato guy, is also a fantastic writer.  The talent distribution system got a little carried away with this one. 

            It’s almost surreal to read about his life’s journey.  He came from exceptionally humble beginnings, including a father who had zero interest in him as a musician.  I’m not sure how he was able to overcome that big of a hurdle.  It’s even hard to imagine the Dave Grohl we know today as the kid he was then, trying to convince his family he was going to be a professional musician.  Every encounter he had along the way was mind-blowing for me to read.  He talks about other incredibly talented and famous people like they’re just your average joe, and I suppose, for Dave Grohl, that’s who they are.  Over the years, these people that most of us revere and idolize, have become his colleagues, his friends, and in many cases, his chosen family.  He writes his entire life with sentimentality, humor, and wit that kept me mesmerized from start to finish. 

Kristen Claiborn

         2023 has thus far been bleak when it comes to five-star reads.  I don’t know if it’s me or the books, but I’m just not connecting with my books like I am used to.  It’s making me sad.  I’ll keep plugging on and reading every book ever published (ok it’s not that many, but sometimes it feels like it).  This book has been sitting on my physical TBR shelf for months after I originally purchased it for my husband.  Hubs has been a fan of the Foo Fighters since their inception, so I thought he might enjoy the book.  He’s not a big physical-book reader, but he did eventually push through and finish this one (it was shortly thereafter that he discovered audio books and has since fallen in love with them).  I added it to my own physical TBR shelf after he finished it, but unfortunately, I don’t always get to those as quickly as I get through the library books (largely because of that whole due-date thing). 

            I’m not anywhere near as big a fan of the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl as Hubs is, but I have a deep respect for him as both a musician and a person.  It seems like at least once a week he’s in the news because of something unbelievably cool he did.  After hearing my husband go on and on about how amazing this book was, I was looking forward to reading it.  I dove in and couldn’t put it down.  Of course this guy, an incredibly talented musician and all-around neato guy, is also a fantastic writer.  The talent distribution system got a little carried away with this one. 

            It’s almost surreal to read about his life’s journey.  He came from exceptionally humble beginnings, including a father who had zero interest in him as a musician.  I’m not sure how he was able to overcome that big of a hurdle.  It’s even hard to imagine the Dave Grohl we know today as the kid he was then, trying to convince his family he was going to be a professional musician.  Every encounter he had along the way was mind-blowing for me to read.  He talks about other incredibly talented and famous people like they’re just your average joe, and I suppose, for Dave Grohl, that’s who they are.  Over the years, these people that most of us revere and idolize, have become his colleagues, his friends, and in many cases, his chosen family.  He writes his entire life with sentimentality, humor, and wit that kept me mesmerized from start to finish. 

In The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, Dave Grohl tells the story of his adventure filled life in his own words, using a very enjoyable and accessible writing style saturated with wonderful metaphors making for easily pictured descriptions.  Also, the engrossing book includes multiple anecdotes detailing successes and tragedies including many events in the life of this remarkable and yet humble man.  Stories include what inspired him as a young rocker and what inspires him now as well as the time spent creating what has become his career and the way family life has changed his perspective.  In addition, Grohl talks about his time in Nirvana and the impact of Kurt Cobain's death on him personally and his desire to continue in rock and roll leading to the creation of The Foo Fighters.  Overall, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music is an entertaining read with a lot of heart, providing insight into the life of a rock and roll legend.

Lynn Braden

Dave | Storyphoria

Full written review and podcast episode can be found on the site. 

Written:
https://aicpod.com/2021/12/22/the-sto...

Audio:
https://aicpod.com/2022/01/28/aic-sto...

If there is one constant theme in this book it’s that Dave Grohl wants us ALL to understand that music, no matter what music it may be that runs deep down through the innermost part of your core, is essential to life.

Music(and the arts in general) carry us through every moment we could imagine facing. Love, loss, pain, joy, you name it and there is music to help you through it.

Equally important is the infectious way he has of reminding us that not everything needs to be taken so seriously. It’s ok to be silly and have fun with our friends and kids and family. And we never need as much “stuff” as we think we do in order to truly thrive in this life.

For the most part a fairly generic rock star memoir, but elevated massively by Dave Grohl being his charming, Dave Grohliest self, allowing you to hear it all in his voice. The anecdotes are insightful, funny, and heartbreaking in equal measure. 

Wow. First off, I highly recommend listening to this book as opposed to reading it. Hearing Dave Grohl tell his story in his own voice with the inlays of rock truly adds an element to this wild and harrowing story of resilience and as Dave says "fake it til you make it." As a major Foo Fighters fan who has seen them more than once live, I have to say I have found a new sense of admiration for Dave Grohl now knowing how deep his story runs. This is a wildly interesting and inspirational story. 

CONTENT WARNINGS: Drug and alcohol abuse, death, overdose, 18+ language.

Jackelyn

Wow. First off, I highly recommend listening to this book as opposed to reading it. Hearing Dave Grohl tell his story in his own voice with the inlays of rock truly adds an element to this wild and harrowing story of resilience and as Dave says "fake it til you make it." As a major Foo Fighters fan who has seen them more than once live, I have to say I have found a new sense of admiration for Dave Grohl now knowing how deep his story runs. This is a wildly interesting and inspirational story. 

CONTENT WARNINGS: Drug and alcohol abuse, death, overdose, 18+ language.

James Eaton

If you like Foo Fighters, this is a great read. I’ve watched plenty of documentary and behind-the-scenes footage from Dave over the years, so I knew some of these stories. BUT, reading it all from his point of view over his lifetime is really incredible. 

A million opportunities to turn away. Hundreds of times where it almost fell apart, but he just kept trying. It was funny, inspiring, and heartfelt. 

Dave has been dubbed “the nicest man in rock and roll” and this book was a reminder that it is truly fitting.

Megan Lowe

So, this wasn’t exactly what I was thinking it was going to be. I thought it was an autobiography, a story of Dave’s life, not just a random collection of stories.
But the random collection we were given was incredible.
Do I wish there were more, certainly featuring other members of the foo fighters? Yeah.
But the collection we were given was amazing. It’s a veritable who’s who of the music world, told in Dave’s trademark style.
I loved hearing these stories. I loved hearing about how he is with his girls. I loved hearing about his life.
Do yourself a favour, if you’re reading this book, stop, and get the audio. It makes the experience even more insane!

Človek, ki ga že tako spoštujem, se v svoji biografiji, napisani, ker v lockdownu ni znal biti na miru, razpiše o svoji poti in predvsem ljudeh, ki jih je srečal na svoji poti. Izjemno zanimivo in navdihujoče. Vsake dve strani sem skočil na YouTube pogledat in poslušat, kar sem pravkar prebral. Zadnja poglavja sem bral s solznimi očmi in cmokom v grlu. 

Rock on, Dave!

*What you think, you become,
What you feel, you attract,
What you imagine, you create.*

David V.

georgia greenway

simply a joyful book, full of passion for music and life. i fucking love dave grohl.

Celeste Richardson

The last time I remember reading and connecting with a musical memoir like this was with Hollywood Park, but Grohl’s story is immediately a happier read. I absolutely love his joie de vivre, his unapologetic enthusiasm for life. The Storyteller is a joyful, irreverent, triumphant look at a life lived hard and fast but well.  And hearing it told in Grohl’s own voice added even more power to a rocking story. This is one of those books that demands to be heard, though I’m also thankful to have a physical copy that I was able to annotate and which provided some wonderful photos of his life to complement the stories.

Right off the bat, I love Grohl’s voice. It feels honest and somehow joyful. I love seeing life through his eyes. There’s a beautiful descriptiveness to his writing that makes everything incredibly easy to visualize without feeling too wordy or like he’s trying to hard in any way. It feels effortless.  I especially loved the prologue, and had to go back and read it in physical form so that I could make notes. His discussion of how he wanted to age and why was simply beautiful, as were his meditations on why music has so radically defined his life. Even though it’s not a lifestyle I’ve shared, it’s one that I dreamed about for years, and so I found it weirdly relatable.

He describes the drumming of jazz greats as “thunderous expression with graceful precision,” and I thought this was such an eloquent way of putting it. And it’s a description I completely agree with when it comes to the most talented drummers of past and present. “Structured chaos” is the most apt description of jazz I can think of, as well. The story of Dave teaching his daughter to play drums was absolutely lovely. His pride, his trepidation that he wouldn’t be able to figure out how to teach, his nostalgia as seeing her showed him exactly how he had looked when first learning himself, was so much fun to read. You can tell that this is a man who deeply loves his kids.

The only thing that bothered me slightly on occasion were his reactions to every musical artist he ever met. Every single one of them is the best of the best, the ultimate artist, the epitome of inspiration in Grohl’s life. I get it, I would without a doubt be completely starstruck by any and all of them, as well, but you can only have so many favorites who inspired you to pursue your passion, right? But that’s a very personal qualm. I’m not Grohl, and I don’t know how much of these recollections are colored by nostalgia, but it felt a little overly all-inclusive in terms of inspirational artists and surreal moments. However, Grohl lives life in a way where he tries his best to take nothing for granted and to always remember how lucky he is, so this fervent joy over each of these wild encounters makes sense. Obviously Grohl anticipated this being an issue with some readers, as he has an entire chapter addressing all of the name-dropping and raging enthusiasm for so many artists. And honestly, upon reflection, I have to confess that I would react the exact same way. So that thing that bothered me a bit at first didn’t bother me at all by the end of the book.

This is the kind of genre that demands to be listened to instead of ingested with your eyes, in my opinion. Listening to someone tell you their story in their own words, with their own voice, is such a powerful experience. It makes you feel as if you truly know this person that you’ll more than likely never actually meet face-to-face. Also, there’s actual music added into this particular memoir. There are drum beats and guitar riffs and so on that added tremendously to the experience.

I loved The Storyteller, deeply and profoundly. It’s one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read, and definitely the most joyful. While Grohl never shies away from the tragedy that has colored his life, but he chooses to dwell on, and share, the positive. I loved his outlook so much and, even if we don’t share an exact worldview, there’s an incredible amount of overlap. This is a new comfort read for me, and I’m going to do my best to press it into the hands of all of my bandmates. And I’ll definitely be listening to Foo Fighters far more frequently.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Cams Campbell

Ngl, it had me tearing up a bit at the end. I enjoyed it, but could've done without the glamourisation of alcohol.

Like having a conversation with Dave Grohl. Bloody loved this book

Revna

Pretty much confirms that my interest in celebrity memoirs only applies if I know who they are. Because boy do I not care at all about this book. DNF 20%. Be invested or move on, if you want my advice.

Jasmine Lawrence

This was one of the best biographies I have ever read. Dave Grohl’s life and stories were captivating and interesting from the very beginning. This was an honest pleasure to read and I enjoyed every moment of it. I cried, laughed and smiled the entire time reading this book

Laura Dobie

I really enjoyed this, and thought it particularly leant itself to the audiobook format, with Dave Grohl recounting his own anecdotes and adding comic timing to their delivery - a lot of the stories made me laugh out loud. It took me back to my teenage years listening to Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, and his descriptions of friendship, love and loss are very touching, and all the more poignant after recent events.

Maria Bono

Probably one of the best things the pandemic has given us: get Dave Grohl into lockdown so he has time to write this book. Reading it is like listening to a friend narrate his strong passion for music and deep love for his friends and family. 

A crazy and inspiring life, lived by someone who has not let opportunities pass even when they seemed terrifying.

As he admits, there’s a reason why he always is nice to fans: he’s one himself. And you can sense it when he’s explaining the first time he’s met people he admires; and what a wonderful feeling — and some healthy jealousy — to see he’s become friends with many of them afterwards.

My only wish is that it would have been great to have all the mentioned artists listed at the end of the book, because the list is quite extensive 📝

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it

Fraser Simons &
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

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Fraser Simons &The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

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Fraser Simons &
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl