A Screaming Life by Kim Thayil

A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown

with Soundgarden and Beyond by Kim Thayil

I love a good celebrity memoir, especially from rock stars because I’m fascinated by the art of making music. Thayil’s book is probably going to be one of my favorites. He’s so intelligent that it’s a smooth read (thanks to Tepedelen too, of course, but Thayil’s personality comes through strongly) and he’s really thoughtful about fame while being honest about what he wanted and experienced.

Most of the book focuses on Soundgarden’s rise to fame, which is understandable - that’s the most interesting part of many musician’s lives. But what makes this rank so highly for me is how Thayil addresses the band breaking up and how that came to be - based on fame, disconnect, and more. I think he really honestly dives into how bands are like marriages, complicated in different ways, and therefore those relationships aren’t meant to last over the years without any interruption, separation, growth, etc.

Soundgarden's reunion is cut short (I mean, of course it was, but it also feels a bit crammed in at the end of the book) but that said, I feel like Cornell's death is still recent enough to be painful, especially considering that Thayil found out by seeing it online despite his closeness with Cornell. I can't imagine how hard that must be to experience, and then have to relive for the book, so it's understandable.

I like that the ending is as hopeful as it can be with Soundgarden getting their music back and potentially putting one more album out. I do wish there was some insight into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction considering it brought them back with Jim Carrey (and the SNL experience is touched on previously) and seemed like an incredibly emotional night just watching it, so I would have loved to hear how it impacted Thayil personally, especially considering the book ends with several other honors he's received.

Overall, this is an incredibly honest memoir that really focuses on Soundgarden rather than getting bogged down in drama or even too much of Thayil's personal life. I think he strikes a perfect balance of sharing what most fans want to know without putting so much of himself out there that he loses privacy. Highly recommended for any music fan!

Total F*cking Godhead by Corbin Reiff

Total F*cking Godhead by Corbin Reiff

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about Chris Cornell, which I won't get into here (yet) in the spirit of keeping this a review focused on the book. Basically, that setup is to explain how eager I was to read this book. I wanted to learn more about the prolific, mysterious musician that dominated so much of my youth and continued to impact me in more ways than I realized growing up.

Overall, this book delivered what I expected. It begins with a disclaimer that interviews were hard, or impossible, to get, or perhaps fizzled out after legal issues sprang up with Cornell's widow, Soundgarden, and probably many more parties. So as much as I love a juicy tell-all, it's understandable that there was no way that would happen here.

The book had a bit of Cornell's childhood and a lot about his start in Seattle, which was interesting and definitely set the stage for all to come. However, the recording of one or two Soundgarden albums took up almost entire chapters, while ten years pass in two pages later in the book.

If the entire book was as in-depth as those Soundgarden albums, I would have a different feeling about it, because it would feel even. But the pacing was off here, and it felt like, once we reached 1997 or so, the deadline was looming next week and we had to race through the rest of Chris's life to finish a draft. With so much attention given to reviews, interviews, and performances earlier in his career, it felt lacking that the same wasn't done at the end of his career, especially as he tried so many different things.

Given that the book is (seemingly) mostly pulled from interviews other people conducted with Cornell and those who knew him, I think the writing handled that well in trying to make it feel more immersive, like the reader is along for the ride. There were detailed scenes at the beginning of each chapter that felt like stepping into the story, but then the chapter would backtrack to sometimes years earlier than that scene, and I feel like the time jumps weren't handled in a way that made the timeline clear. I typically had to flip back to the start of the chapter once I reached that event later and kind of insert the action back into the right context.

As I said, the book is largely written based on interviews conducted by others - but I do appreciate the writer's extensive notes on sources! I flagged a lot of those to look up later, so in a way, this almost felt like a textbook. It gathered the foundational information in one place for me, then gave me all the resources I needed to go down my own rabbit holes.

While there are some things I wish were different about this book, I say that "criticizing" it very loosely, because I realize it's an unauthorized biography written at a time when his death was still raw (if you're arguing it isn't always feeling like a massive loss) and there was a lot of legal mess abound. I don't blame the author and publisher for wanting to tread carefully in that landscape without giving up the project entirely. So as long as you're not expecting a juicy tell-all, this is a worthwhile read.

Just for the Record by Geri Halliwell

Just for the Record by Geri Halliwell

I was never a Ginger fan for some reason, so on my recent Spice Girls kick, I wanted to be fair and read everyone’s books (who has one, that I could find, yada yada yada).

I have to say, this book did make me like Geri a lot! It was really interesting to hear about her personal life and post-Spice career. I hadn’t followed that, so I looked up some of the songs mentioned in the book and liked them - ESPECIALLY her 2000 Brits Award performance - epic!

She’s still not my favorite Spice but I think that’s ingrained in me from the 90s by this point, so I’ll just say I do recommend this book for Spice Girl fans and think it’s a quality celebrity memoir.

Brutally Honest by Melanie Brown

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL B! Now let's talk about your book.

I recently got on a Spice Girls kick after listening to their albums, remembering how amazing they were, and realizing I’ve never read any of their memoirs! Mel B had me tearing up from the first page with her honesty about her marriage, insecurities, and struggle to overcome everything. She said it was hard to act like an empowered woman with this happening behind the scenes but I think sharing it now makes her more empowered and relatable than ever before.

It jumps around a lot and in some places is difficult to follow the thread. I kept having to google some of her relationships to grasp the timeline and files the stories from the book into the right place. However, she's open about ADHD and Paris Hilton was the same in her memoir, so I can appreciate the authenticity of feeling like you're getting inside the people's minds.

Selfishly, I wanted a lot more information about the Spice Girls days, but this is Mel B's book and it focuses more on her personal life and relationships, especially her abusive marriage. I just need to get my hands on Catch a Fire from 2003 which apparently covers her early fame.

Still, this was a compelling read and I can't wait to find her earlier book, along with others by Spice Girls.

Beginners Welcome by Cindy Baldwin

Thanks to @kidlitexchange and Harper Books for sharing Beginners Welcome by Cindy Baldwin. This book publishes on February 11, 2020, so go ahead and add it to your wishlist! You won’t want to miss out on this touching, inspiring story.

Annie Lee’s home life hasn’t been the same since her daddy died, and that’s not just because it seems like his spirit is still lingering in the apartment. Annie Lee’s mom works long hours, and since Annie Lee’s friends didn’t know how to relate after her dad’s death, Annie Lee finds herself alone, wrapped in her invisibility cloak. While she searches for things to keep her busy after school, she meets someone who might help her rekindle the love of music that faded after her dad died. Add into the mix a girl who reaches out to her at school, and Annie Lee finds herself wondering if she should let people in again, even if she’s worried about getting hurt again.

The magical realism aspects of this book are faint, so I wouldn’t push it into the fantasy genre, but I do think they added an interesting layer to this story.