#24: Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman

It is my guess that none of the great libraries have this book prominently displayed in the classic literature section. But for those of us who grew up listening to the oldies station, watched MTV in secret, and actually tried out for the World Series of Pop Culture, these kinds of books matter. As opposed to my own summary, here is how Klosterman describes Killing Yourself to Live:

This is a story about love, death, driving, narcissism, America, the ill-advised glamorization of recreational drug use, not having sex, eating breadsticks at Olive Garden, talking to strangers, feeling nostalgic for the extremely recent past, movies you’ve never seen, KISS, Radiohead, Rod Stewart, and - to a lesser extent - prehistoric elephants of the Midwestern plains. If these things are not things that interest you, do not read this book.

Klosterman goes on an epic road trip across the country to see most of the places where rock legends died. Because obviously in rock you get more famous after you die. I enjoyed Klosterman’s writing and overwhelming honesty. I might also have to re-listen to a bunch of old albums that I haven’t thought about in a while. It’s a good read for anyone looking to learn more about music, road trips, and the never ending perils of love.