by Dave Grohl
First published 2021
Dave Grohl chronicles his journey from a young musician in Springfield, Virginia to the stages of the world's biggest venues. He rejected the typical celebrity memoir approach of recorded interviews and ghostwriters, choosing instead to write these stories by hand. Grohl takes readers from his early days hitting the road with Scream at eighteen through his time with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. The book captures moments jamming with Iggy Pop, performing at the Academy Awards, dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty, and meeting Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall. Grohl shares bedtime stories with Joan Jett, a chance encounter with Little Richard, and flying across the globe for one memorable night with his daughters. He compares the satisfaction of writing these tales to listening back to a song he recorded or reading old journal entries from stained notebooks. The memoir offers a lens into the experiences of someone living out childhood dreams in the music world.
Genres: autobiography, biography-memoir, music, musicians
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, rags-to-riches
Setting: Springfield, Virginia, Royal Albert Hall
Period: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s
384 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books