Short Takes: Everybody Loves Our Town
Today is the release day of Everybody Loves Our Town, an incredibly detailed oral history of the Seattle music scene in the late 80s and early 90s.
It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who’s visited Band Chat over the last few months that I personally know the author of the book, Mark Yarm. Thus, I can say with authority that he has spent a flabbergasting amount of time researching, writing, editing, and fine tuning every aspect of this work. Over the last two years I have had the privilege of reading many of the raw interview excepts, plus early drafts of the book, and I assure you that the final product is not some slapped together hodge-podge of quotes that can be found elsewhere.
There are many reviews singing the praises of the book, so I’m not going to do my own in depth analysis/review at this time. I will, however, address the proverbial elephant in the room for the fanboys of grunge: “Why should I care about this book when it’s already been done?” I’m referring to the existence of Grunge Is Dead by Greg Prato, an oral history of grunge music that was published in April of 2009. I’ve read Greg’s book as well, so I feel I can comment at least somewhat intelligently on this.
First, reading multiple books on the same subject is a good thing. Why would any fan of the genre deny themselves from digesting a different take on what happened? As long as it’s done well, a new point of view on any subject is worthwhile.
Mark has his own unique interview style (just ask Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil) and perspective on the material, and organizes the information differently from Greg. I personally feel that Mark’s flow, both introductions of new subjects, plus places where there are obvious transitions from one thought and/or idea to another, is easier on the reader.
Additionally, Mark speaks to people that Prato did not interview, thus, he serves up current, “Never been told until now!” information. For example, Mark was in contact with former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr right up to his recent, untimely death. The comments from Courtney Love and Buzz Osbourne (the Melvins) are fantastic, and these alone make the book essential reading.
Ultimately, however, it’s the author himself that makes this book shine brighter than others. Mark has skillfully extracted tales from hundreds of people that he personally interviewed, pored over all this material, and then adeptly presented it in a manner that is captivating to the reader. Thus, It is the exceptional writing that makes this book stand out not only from the grunge book pack, but from many other non-fiction books. It absolutely deserves your time.
Available today online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Google’s ebookstore, Apple’s iBooks (for iPhone and iPad) or iTunes (for computers), and at your local bookseller.
