Aloha music lovers and readers! Do you have a favorite band? Does it surprise you what choices in music other people have? Are you convinced that the Beatles were far superior to the Rolling Stones, or vice versa? Music rivalries
Aloha music lovers and readers! Do you have a favorite band? Does it surprise you what choices in music other people have? Are you convinced that the Beatles were far superior to the Rolling Stones, or vice versa?
Music rivalries have existed for centuries, but especially in the popular culture of the last 50 or so years, choosing the type of music one likes, generally personified as “my favorite band”, has tended to be a defining moment in most everyone’s life.
“Your Favorite Band is Killing Me” by Steven Hyden, one of “Amazon’s Best Books of 2016 So Far” and a bestseller, is both a pop music criticism/history as well as a fun and entertaining personal memoir. It is a look at some of the no-resolution debates over which musical groups were better, how they may have impacted our culture over the last few decades, and what our own participation in those rivalries might say about us (especially which “side” we picked) joined with Hyden’s own personal debates and experiences.
Music opinions bring out passionate debate in people. Each chapter in “Your Favorite Band is Killing Me” focuses on a pop music rivalry, from the classic to the very recent, and draws connections to the larger forces surrounding the pairing. Very interesting contrasts! Hendrix vs. Clapton, Miley vs. Sinead, Beatles vs. Stones, Biggie vs. Tupac, Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift, and many others!
Funny and accessible, with Hyden’s combination of cultural criticism, personal anecdotes, and music history, you may just want to pick one up, take a read, and enjoy the debate! We sure hope you do! Who knows? You might just get a whole new perspective on things! (That’s why we read, right?)
Happy reading! See you soon!
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Ed and Cynthia Justus are the owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.
