This is a book about being a music fan. It's a book where I felt I learned about a lot of new music that I would like to hear. He reaffirmed some of my favorites. He made me laugh. He mentioned that some people compared Somerville, Massachusetts, mutual stomping grounds, to Paris, France, which left me seriously baffled in a good way. We also both worked at the same radio station, WMFO, in Medford, Massachusetts. That will bond you to a writer big time.
Almond talks about the joy and struggles of loving music so much. There are the practical issues of storage. There is the angst that comes when you actually meet your hero, and they are not so excited to bond with a stranger. There is the professional difficulty of actually delivering on an interview (in Almond's estimation, for a cover story in Rolling Stone, the writer is typically able to get twelve minutes of time with his subject.) There is the idea of maturity, that eventually maybe you can't follow the band any more. Eventually you might have to love music and also grow up.
It was, all in all, a great read. I think it could have been better organized. There's lists that fly out at the end of chapters a propos to nothing before. Some of the language could be sharper. I love music, but I don't think I want to be known as a "drooling fanatic." But these are mere blips on the screen. It really is fun to read.
