 |
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Memoirs
Title: What Do You Say to the DJ? Expanded Edition Author: Andrew Marx and Dara Shifrer Rating:  Excellent!
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing Web Page: www.createspace.com/1000251253 Reviewed by: Eric Jones |
 
|
|
||
|
Before we get into this review, I have to say that there are a number of things that you’re going to get out of Andrew Marx and Dara Shifrer’s book, “What Do You Say to the DJ?”, and you need to know about them going in. You’re going to get a lot of information about indy rock bands, you’re going to become intimately familiar with people on an borderline uncomfortable level, and you’re going to get e-mails. Lots and lots of e-mails. This is part of its quirky charm, that it’s all taken from actual on-line correspondence from its two authors. Much of it is hysterically funny, but on a much broader spectrum it becomes a lot to take in. In order to illustrate my point and to give you an idea of what “DJ” is all about, I’ve taken the liberty of constructing the remainder of this review in the form of an electronic mail reply to its authors. From: Eric Jones To: dshifrer, amarx Subject: Re/ What Do You Say to the DJ? Date: 5/5/2010 Guys, I so, so, so enjoyed the book! I am not a music person at all, in fact I’ve spent the last week listening to rapper Big Lurch’s album on repeat in order to get into the mindset of cannibalism for a horror movie I’m writing, so it was nice to learn about pleasant music like Bright Eyes. (Comparatively pleasant music, anyways) BTW, Love the band, James. Although James is a weird name for a band. I prefer surnames like Winston or even James. So, anyway, this e-mail has a point. It’s that the book is awesome in almost too many ways. It’s funny, to be sure, but portions of the book are devoted to merely being funny. For instance, the blog about flight complaints is spectacular, but doesn’t have a lot of bearing on Andrew’s relationships or his sister’s engagement or any number of the subplots. Other parts are devoted only to analysis of music without direct correlation to the many subplots orbiting the world. It becomes hard to connect the dots. This is where the “lead you along” part of the book gets difficult. If you were cut everything around the music bits, you’d have a clever dissection of the art of song writing and what makes good rock music. That would be a wonderful book. If you were to cut everything around the funny essays, you’d have a wonderful collection of Dave Berry type essays. Then if you were to only take the relationship parts you’d have a book about relationships. With “DJ” you’re given all of these things at once, and at times when the three intersect it’s blissful. At others, you’re not sure which is informing which. Of course, this is how real life is, it’s a jumble of content. “What Do You Say to the DJ?” is great because it has great content. It’s fun to learn about you guys, and to understand that the same types of correspondences I have with my college pals are not a singular occurrence. We are all together on this dusty orb, and in the virtual world, we’re even closer together than we think. Sometimes, it’s even a little crowded.
I loved reading “What Do You Say to the DJ?” but I would recommend that prospective readers begin with the author interviews at the back of the book first in order to get an idea of the author’s stylized approach. Once you’re on board for the ride, like any good rock song, it’s easy to get lost in.
Go Back read another review, or choose a different category. | ||||