For 6,557 miles, Chuck Klosterman thought about dying. He drove a rental car from New York to Rhode Island to Georgia to Mississippi to Iowa to Minneapolis to Fargo to Seattle, and he chased death and rock 'n' roll all the way. Within the span
of twenty-one days, Chuck had three relationships end-one by choice, one by
chance, and one by exhaustion. He snorted cocaine in a graveyard. He walked a halfmile through a bean field. A man in Dickinson, North Dakota, explained to him why we have fewer windmills than we used to. He listened to the KISS solo albums and the Rod Stewart box set.
At one point, poisonous snakes became involved. The road is hard. From the Chelsea Hotel to the swampland where Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane went down to the site where Kurt Cobain blew his head off, Chuck explored every brand of rock star demise. He wanted to know why the greatest career move any musician can make is to stop breathing. . . and what this means for the rest of us.
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"A page-turner. Klosterman effortlessly weaves pop culture philosophy, rock criticism, and personal confessionals together and packages it in a "road trip" narrative. Klosterman has become famous for his pop culture criticism (his two most-cited essays revolved around "Star Wars" and "Saved by the Bell"), but this is by far his most personal work and gives his previous effort, "Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" a new layer of depth and meaning. If you are a member of my generation and you haven't read Klosterman yet, you are missing out."
— Noah (5 out of 5 stars)
“Klosterman is nothing if not articulate about music, and his light, humorous touch often reveals meatier themes and revelatory insights about not only music but also life and death, particularly his own life. Reading Klosterman is like sitting in a bar with a good friend. It’s fun, but when it’s time to leave, it’s time to leave.”
— Bookmarks“In a voice and style that are appropriately hip, Patrick Lawlor flawlessly captures the sarcastic tone and dry humor found in this wild adventure.”
— AudioFileIn a voice and style that are appropriately hip, Patrick Lawlor flawlessly captures the sarcastic tone and dry humor found in this wild adventure.
— AudioFile" Funny at times and always well written, but what I like most is that it will forever remind me about HOW NOT TO BE. Klosterman's narcisistic point-of-view strikes a chord with me, and I plan on going back to this book often when I feel my self slipping back into the world of self-importance. It is the perfect antidote. "
— Matthew, 2/19/2014" Killing Yourself to Live is not a fantastic book (Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is a better choice) overall but his obsessive nature and overly honest attitude to just about everything is pretty amusing, particularly the chapter where he compares every girl he's ever loved to the members of KISS. "
— Katie, 2/15/2014" This was the first book I have read by Klosterman. It has the set-up to be quite a good book, it is centered around a road trip to places where famous musicians have died. Generally I really like road trip books, generally they meander between situation observations pertaining to the trip and maybe some tangential musings. This book does deliver on that, there were things that made me laugh and things that made me think. But overall it really comes up short. Klosterman gets far off topic at times and makes way too many broad arguments that he backs up with absurd logic and presents as a sort of real life truth. I did agree with some of his points and enjoyed some of the narrative but overall it would have been a lot better without the pretentious "truth telling" obscure music related analogies and the inability to stay on topic. "
— David, 2/1/2014" A good read for music fans but less about music than the life of a music critic on a roadtrip. "
— Jordan, 1/30/2014" I was so excited when a friend gave me this book and was so disappointed after I read it. It was a great idea, but instead of sharing it with the reader or even rock fans he turned it into being all about him and his personal life which I have no interest in. The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because it was a great idea. Sadly he totally missed the mark on this one. "
— Npaw, 1/21/2014" A lot of pop culture information in it and funny situations "
— Lyzi, 1/20/2014" enjoyed this... very self-indulgent but if you accept that from the start it's a pretty good and easy read. made some interesting connections to music and his life and some poignant segments on life and love. "
— Erika, 1/17/2014" This is the 1st Klosterman book I have read. I really like his writing style and topics. He writes about random stuff that I never think about, but when I read it, I am enthralled. "
— Jeff, 1/16/2014" another witty and wonderful book by klosterman. while like always you may get lost in the sea of pop culture that he spouts out, it is a great cross country saga both funny and insightful all at once. "
— John, 1/3/2014" it is what it is, but it is really good. i enjoy reading about pop culture. i would suggest the book to almost anyone. "
— Lucas, 12/19/2013" this book came to me while on tour and i immediately felt like chuck was reading my mind. i couldn't put it down even when i was getting motion sickness in the back of the van. made me laugh REALLY HARD. "
— cc, 12/10/2013" Chuck has had a rough go at it with the ladies. Apparently, rock stars have died tragically, but that is not the point of this book. "
— Michael, 12/7/2013" usually i read when i cant sleep..with chuck, i can't sleep when i begin reading. "
— Toma, 11/30/2013" Really, really, really well done. Can't imagine any writer, save for Klosterman of course, could pull something like this off. Sincerely. Every words reads just like him, and I don't know how to explain that away, exactly, but there you go. "
— Ayana, 11/29/2013" Touching, insightful, romantic. I love, I love, I love. Chuck Klosterman, I love you. "
— Reyna, 7/21/2013" A great, quick read. Chuck's writing seems effortless. It's funny, moving, entertaining, action-packed... err.. no just the first three. More please! "
— Ben, 7/19/2013" Not his best, but still entertaining and worth the read. Read it before a long car ride while listening to The Eagles' 'Hotel California'...on second thought, skip The Eagles. "
— Gwendolyn, 5/28/2013" Decent popcorn read. Some interesting thoughts but very disjointed. Ending came out of nowhere and didn't really have much closure. "
— Tom, 4/26/2013" I really enjoyed his style of writing. I look forward to reading more. "
— Julianne, 1/16/2013" I don't know anything about rock--hard, grunge or otherwise but I really enjoyed this book. I like the way this guy thinks and writes. I may have to listen to Kid A and Led Zepplin--I have already been to Clear Lake, Iowa. "
— Marilyn, 9/9/2012" This book was very informational. I learned alot about rock history and the way different rockstars died and how it affected people. After reading this book I hope that you have a new look on death and why people think its such a big deal. "
— Stephanie, 6/29/2012" I love Chuck Klosterman's style, laugh out loud funny. Great perspective on pop culture and rock music, can't wait to read his other works. "
— Cassie, 5/4/2012" YES! this road trip memoir has to be one of the funniest i've ever read. thanks chuck! "
— Carynane, 8/20/2011" The story has an interesting plot base and the style in which Klosterman tells it is pretty awesome for a while. But towards the end the story sort ofbreaks down into introspective philosophical preachiness. For me the first 200 pages were a breeze and the last 35 were a battle. "
— Danielle, 6/29/2011" Great idea to write about-- becoming more famous (or infamous) after you die. Good for anyone who likes music with a little bit of backstory. Favorite Klosterman book. "
— Grace, 6/19/2011" This book can be split into three parts: quite funny, totally random, and absurdly profound. They are not equal parts, but I can't put a quantity on any of them. They meld into one awesomely original manuscript. I wish Chuck was my friend. "
— Ashley, 6/7/2011" this book was recommended to me by the librarian when he noticed I picked up consider the lobster. It was a hilarious recollection of a guy's road trip across the country to visit the sites where various rock stars died. highly recommend for any rock-music lover! "
— Fa-RAWR, 6/5/2011" It started out good, and I was about to order more of his books, but eventually was just way too self indulgent. "
— Tim, 5/31/2011" Interesting mostly for his rants and non-traditional takes on society and individuals. Most of the music stuff right over my head. "
— Kevin, 5/31/2011" How did Klosterman bag so many women?<br/> "
— Coureyerin, 5/14/2011" Probably my all time favorite book. The only book in the last few years that I've re-read, it changed my perspective on life, love, and what it all means. Klosterman is one of the most insightful authors working today, his ability to find meaning in the mundane will change your view of the world. "
— Ben, 5/9/2011" I read this between dinner and breakfast last weekend, and I really enjoyed it. Much different than I expected it to be. (I'm not sure what I expected it to be.) It was funny, introspective, and thought-provoking. I will definitely read more by Klosterman! "
— Chris, 5/3/2011" a poor man's high fidelity- but worthwhile nonetheless. "
— Sarah, 4/27/2011" My favorite Klosterman tome thus far. An intriguing story that starts out as a simply a journey to learn more about dead rock stars, and turned into more of an introspection on life itself. "
— Mark, 4/18/2011Chuck Klosterman is the bestselling author of eight nonfiction books, two novels, and a short story collection. He has written for the New York Times, The Washington Post, London Guardian, Billboard, GQ, and more. He served as the ethicist for the New York Times Magazine for three years, appeared as himself in the LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits, and was an original founder of the website Grantland with Bill Simmons.
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.