Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas (Paperback)

Fans of Klosterman's Ritalin-paced pop culture criticism (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) will eagerly devour this collection of previously published essays. Whether investigating Latino fans of British pop icon Morrissey, interviewing female tribute bands like Lez Zeppelin and AC/DShe or eating nothing but Chicken McNuggets for a week, Klosterman is always entertaining and often insightful. But other than a sympathetic profile of Billy Joel, Klosterman rarely strays from his favorite topics: heavy metal music, television, sports and sex. Perhaps this career overview is his way of recycling old themes into some kind of new "defining endeavor," as he describes the title inspired by Led Zeppelin IV (as it is unofficially called). This would make perfect sense given his work so far: Fargo Rock City was an original and confident debut (like Led Zeppelin I); his newest book definitely has kick, but overall it's a mixed bag of collected essays—strong and not-so-strong performances—its parts are greater than the whole. (Sept.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.From AudioFileThe author reads various articles he's written for "smart" publications that amusingly record his observations of cultural ephemera. A specialist in inconsequence, he writes glibly about the passing scene in clever phrases. This volume includes profiles of celebrities, opinion pieces, and a smattering of short fiction. His vocal skill is less felicitous than his writing. On the positive side, he adopts a light, chatty tone and a brisk pace that nicely complement his text. He does have some flair as a raconteur. But his scratchy voice grates on this reviewer's nerves, as does his sloppy diction and air of in-crowd smugness. Perhaps a younger trend-conscious listener will have more appreciation for Klosterman's virtues and less impatience with his faults. Y.R.