( 5 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 15 2008
After reading only a few pages of this book I was really turned off by the author's narcissism and completely out-of-touch kitschy jokes. As a service to others I began keeping a log of the pages you could tare out to make the book more readable. When I was done, I realized there wouldn't be much left to the book. For example, the entire second chapter is trash. Life is short: skip it. Then I got to thinking that publishing companies couldn't afford to print things this poorly written, unless there is a reason for it being so bad. At first I thought this was somehow a leaked first draft that was not intended for the public. Or maybe this was a classroom tool for literature students somewhere to practice editing a book. But, after much thought I came to the conclusion that this book is itself a thoroughly well planned symbol to demonstrate how unbearable an unfinished product can be. What I mean is that yes, this book is terribly written and is rather painful to read at times. It cries out for an editor, or at least a rewrite. But, when you read the book and learn of the story about the band's transition from being a joke parody of itself to being a polished and professional musical group worthy of the respect its core fans brought, you see that the book itself is demonstrating that right there in front of you. The book is a parody of a book about a band once a parody of a band. No real book could be written that poorly, full of dull references and even worse grammar, and get published. That just doesn't happen in modern society where publishers have quality standards and they respect their customer's intelligence. No, I think that this has to be a much deeper ploy to show how the band was in its early pre-Kevin days where it was itself rough and unpolished and disliked by consumers. When you read any other book you don't get the appreciation for the hard work that goes into making it a finished product and this book shows you how raw and rank an unedited first draft can be. Everyone who reviewed this book and complained about how terribly written it was may have just missed a very well pulled off and subtle demonstration of the metamorphosis that the band Barenaked Ladies went through themselves. If I'm right, then this parody is absolutely brilliant: showing how unrefined the band was by making you read an unprocessed and obnoxious essay. The book even quotes the band's manager saying that if you look like clowns no one will take you seriously. How can a self-respecting editor print that while at the same time cramming each page with terrible puns and clumsy references? Answer: the whole book must be intentionally bad for a reason. That is, I hope it was a well-intended and subtle allegory of BNL's own rise from yes-men who couldn't save them from themselves. I would hate to think that this was actually intended to be a high-quality enjoyable book. That would be the scariest ending to a book I have ever read. Okay, I'll be kind to those of you who really should get a second cup of coffee and wake up: I'm joking! This book is horrible to read and there is no excuse for it. But, I do think there might be some merit to my idea that schools could use this as a teaching tool on how to edit a young author's first draft. And now we wait for the author to reply to this review with some self-promoting plug for his latest creation all while dropping names left and right...
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 26 2006
We bought the "Gordon" CD for our daughter when it was first out, but I am embarrassed to admit, I did not listen to it. But friends told us the music was appropriate for an 8 yo. I did not have a CD player in my car or at work and that was part of the problem. At any rate,we just recently saw BNL in concert in Rochester, and I was blown away by the music! I never realized how complex and different the music was. This got me wondering about the history of the band, and how they have stayed together so many years and still seem to have fun making music and entertaining. That led me to this book...and I took it out of my local library. I have to say, for a new fan, it is a great way to learn about the evolution of the band, their early years and the troubles they went through staying together. It almost reminded me of the work involved in a marriage. I would agree with the other reviewer that, at times, the author tries to be coy and it falls somewhat flat,and that is why I gave it 4 stars(I would have given it 4.5, but that's not available, but for a new fan, it's a great read. The book is on my Christmas wish list; it is something I can see reading over and over! If you are new to the band, make sure you read it!
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( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 10 2005
Favorite line: "The Stunt tour was great, but so was Kevin." ?! It's well worth the cost and read for any Barenaked Ladies fan, but prepare yourself for backseat reading as the story is mainly of Paul's experience with the band rather than the band's story. The first half (up to Stunt) is great, but the second half is a bit thin. Perfect back-of-the-toilet book.
