Chuck Says...

So I'm working my way through the series of Chuck Klosterman books I got for mah birfday. What you need to know: Chuck is/was a writer for Spin who hates both punk and electronic music.

As described on the back cover, and by those who recommended this guy, the Chuck Klosterman experience is both extremely entertaining and somewhat aggravating. Despite a penchant for making outrageous claims and drawing Freakonomics-without-the-database-support type conclusions, it is hard to deny that this guy, Chuck, is an excellent writer; funny and easy to read, with lots of music references that I recognize so I feel smart and included in whatever inside joke he's trying to make. But the story is all about him, always, whether he's talking about some rockstar suicide or the history of breakfast cereals or the Lakers/Celtics rivalry of the 70s.

The books are entertaining enough that this doesn't really bother me - I just wasn't expecting them to read so much like memoirs. Actually, I liken the experience to reading a 300-page bound personal blog, and as such, I fear that after reading these books I will begin to write in a similar fashion, and may even believe that I can pull off a similar act. Thankfully the burdens of the real world will prevent this from ever happening; regardless, I'm sure many a male blogger has had similar thoughts when reading this guy, or David Eggers for that matter - both seem to be too much like people I would know, or could be (albeit more eloquent and with stronger opinions), to be semi-famous authors.

All in all, recommended.

EDIT: I wonder if Chuck would approve of my dangling participles and run-on sentences? If pressed, I'll claim to have done it ironically.