Synopses & Reviews
TOP FIVE MUSICAL THINGS I HOPE HAPPEN NOW THAT THE ORIGINAL LINEUPS OF THE PIXIES AND DINOSAUR JR. HAVE REUNITED
1. Ian Curtis is resurrected.
2. The Smiths reunite for a private party at my favorite bar.
3. There is a new My Bloody Valentine album.
4. A new Nirvana comes along to blow away all of those fey Duran Duran emulators.
5. Radiohead stops listening to Pink Floyd and starts listening to Black Sabbath.
If you've ever made, or conceived of, a list like this, then look no further for your next book purchase. You have it. In your hands. Please consider it as your next book purchase.
In Perfect From Now On, John Sellers has written a fan's memoir overflowing with humor, self-deprecation, encyclopedic knowledge of musical minutiae, and you should have been there personal anecdotes. Despite vowing never to get caught up in music due to the nuttiness of a Dylan-obsessed father and playground taunts about his preference for Top 40 trash, he found himself powerless to resist the allure of indie rock, the genre that begat the likes of Sonic Youth, Pavement, Built to Spill, and Modest Mouse. When his favorite band, Guided By Voices, called it quits in 2004, Sellers examined his own listening habits, caught a few mind-blowing shows, got drunk with his heroes, and wrote this book -- one that is sure to resonate with anybody who has ever obsessed over good music.
Review
"Seller's self-dreprecating, music-obsessed memoir echoes the style of Nick Hornby's andlt;iandgt;High Fidelity,andlt;/iandgt; but he manages to maintain a distinctive voice: likable, smart and steeped in music trivia, without being condescending."andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"I will always know John Sellers as the Donkey Kong champion of the U.S., circa 1982. Why this is not appended to his name every time it is printed is unknown to me. But reading this brilliant, hilarious recalling of how indie music hijacked his life, I realized that Sellers was doing more than playing the game. Even back then, as he navigated Mario up the impossible structure of his yearning, leaping barrel after barrel thrown to him by monstrous fate, Sellers surely was not just showing off. I suspect he was already appreciating how pop culture shapes and soundtracks not only our adolescent passions, but our grown-up lives as well. Shakespeare may have taught us how to be human, but pop culture taught Sellers how to smash every barrel and move on to the next level." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- John Hodgman, author of andlt;iandgt;The Areas of My Expertiseandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"andlt;iandgt;Perfect From Now Onandlt;/iandgt; is clever and interesting and sincere, and I completely disagree with everything the author says." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- Chuck Klosterman, author of andlt;iandgt;Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Sellers bares his soul from the start -- the refreshing opening broadside is titled "I Hate Bob Dylan" -- and thoroughly explores what he finds valuable in indie rock and, for that matter, much of life. An accomplished slinger of invective, he provides a rousing evaluation of a phenomenon as ill-defined as its predecessor, alternative rock....Spot-on observations and a willingness to name names and ascribe blame as well as credit make this one of the best resources to date on indie rock, whatever it is.... Deliciously cynical."andlt;BRandgt; -- Mike Tribby, andlt;iandgt;Booklistandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Writing in a style that fuses the parenthetical asides of Nicholson Baker (exemplified by 179 'footnotes') with pop culture and musical insights and#224; la Nick Hornby, [John Sellers] chronicles [his] musical 'origin story'and#352; andlt;iandgt;[Perfect From Now On]andlt;/iandgt; will provoke conversation, debate, and smiles among all who love music and pop culture of the past 25 years. Recommended."andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;iandgt;Library Journalandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
John Sellers was powerless to resist the call of indie rock -- once he finally heard it. In this hilarious and revealing memoir, Sellers meticulously charts his transformation from a teenage headbanger rebelling against his Dylan-obsessed father to a thirtysomething fixated on the obscure Ohio band Guided By Voices. Along the way, he commemorates the deaths of Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain, makes a pilgrimage inspired by the Smiths, and riffs on Pavement and the other raucous bands that have ruled college radio since the 1980s. Packed with compulsively constructed lists, ridiculous formulas, and embarrassing confessions, this is a book for anybody who thinks that corporate rock still sucks.
About the Author
John Sellers is the author of andlt;iandgt;Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Lifeandlt;/iandgt; and has written for andlt;iandgt;GQandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Believerandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Atlanticandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;, among many other publications. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, he currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit johnsellers.com.