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This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl [Hardcover]

Paul Brannigan
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
RRP: £20.00
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Book Description

29 Sep 2011

‘Someone called and said Kurt died. I just f*****g lost it.’

He has sold over 40 million albums. He’s been in bands that have changed popular music forever. He saw his best friend commit suicide. He starts supergroups. He’s the nicest guy in rock.

From Nirvana to Foo Fighters, from brotherhood to bitter rivalry, from breathless highs to lifeless lows, Paul Brannigan gives an unparalleled, intimate and extraordinary account of the life and times of Dave Grohl.

In 1990, little-known punk-metal upstarts Nirvana added a new drummer to the band. They were soon to become a global phenomenon – but as we all know, things went wrong. Dave's friend Kurt, frontman of Nirvana, took his own life, plunging the band and their future into chaos. His friends’ grief was mirrored by worldwide sorrow to an unprecedented degree.

Defying expectations, a knack that was soon to become his trademark, Grohl refused to see it as the end. In 1995 his new band, the Foo Fighters, rose to join the pantheon of rock deities.

The 'wonder years' were by no means calm. The spotlit existence imposed by his celebrity status, the bellowed vilification by his critics and his high-speed lifestyle proved a dangerous cocktail.

With an account of Grohl’s life that is more personal than anything written before, more startling, more thrilling, more heart-rending and more inspiring, Paul Brannigan reveals Dave fully for the first time.

This is the story of the man who changed music forever.


Frequently Bought Together

This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl + Foo Fighters: Back And Forth [DVD] [2011] [NTSC] + Foo Fighters: Live At Wembley Stadium [DVD] [2008]
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (29 Sep 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007391218
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007391219
  • Product Dimensions: 16.5 x 24.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 38,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

‘Grohl and his groups dissected with gumption.’ **** Mojo

‘Brannigan draws on his own interviews with Grohl, among others, to plot a compelling journey… ending with Foo Fighters headlining stadia. A big-hearted, fascinating read.’ Q

‘A rich history of recent pop music as it moves from punk and hard-core to grunge to indie bands’ New York Times

‘Impeccably-researched, thoroughly entertaining, and packed with rich new insights, This is a Call will enjoy a place among the absolute best music biographies of the past twenty years.’ LitReactor.com

‘A fascinating read… doesn’t skimp on entertaining anecdotes, juicy gossip or evidence of Grohl’s immense songwriting talent.’ Alternative Press

‘Brannigan not only offers a penetrating portrait of Grohl the man but also presents an indelible portrait of the American underground-rock scene.’ Booklist

‘Brannigan salutes a musician who’s surfaced, prosperous and sane, from the perils of an extended punk-rock adolescence that not all of his friends survived. Reverent and informative.’ Kirkus Reviews

‘Dave Grohl’s tale covers so many bases after 30 or so years in the business that it takes a biographer of consummate skill to get it all down on paper without missing anything out. Fortunately, ex-Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan has what it takes…What lingers most is the expert way in which so many disparate slices of history are interlaced. After reading This Is a Call, you’ll know much more than you did before about the way that US hardcore merged into Seattle grunge, and how rock shed its skin in the 90s…It’s info such as that which makes this book essential.’ Record Collector

About the Author

Paul Brannigan has a professional relationship with Dave Grohl stretching back almost 15 years: "I would consider the two of us to be friends," Grohl told Brannigan when the pair last spent time together in Los Angeles. Brannigan is the former Editor of Kerrang! – the world's biggest weekly music magazine – and his writing on punk rock, grunge and hard rock have also appeared in the world renowned Q and Mojo magazines.


Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and engaging snapshot 12 Oct 2011
By MCDee
Format:Hardcover
Written from the perspective of a former Editor, this work is well written and covers in great detail the various makings and breakings of Dave Grohl the individual, the front man and the genius.

Paul Brannigan has provided an entertaining and engaging snapshot into the life of the man that has featured prominently at various stages of the past twenty years in the music business.

The background given on the many players in the kaleidoscopic music scene of Grohl's youth and beyond enriches the text so that is is more than merely a reflection on one person alone. Thankfully, the story of Nirvana and Grohl's place in it is told proportionately to his many other exploits and avoids turning the book into a eulogy of what once was.

I highly recommend this work.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Opened my eyes 17 Feb 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've followed the Foos for years, and obviously knew very well of Nirvana, but this book goes right back to dot with Dave Grohl, and really helps you understand how he got there. I found it a fascinating read, and I lose count of how many bands and albums I have noted to listen to, whether because they were an influence, a competing band, or a former band of Foos members. Made me realise how much I don't know about music, and opened my eyes to more non-mainstream music.

If I have one criticism, it's that the Foos element is much briefer than the pre-Nirvana and Nirvana days, but nonetheless I would recommend this, and will look out for other interesting musical biographies to broaden my knowledge.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 16 Feb 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A real heart felt in-depth look into the life of one of Rocks greastest icons! It really shows why he is such a nice guy after the life he lived, through Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, and the tragedies along the way! A great read
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars just another fantastic book about Dave G
When you start reading this book, it just takes you there to Dave's world , so fascinating, cant put it down. Being a drummer myself- it is essential reading
Published 12 days ago by Rich
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read..
From the nicest man in rock, I found this really interesting, enjoyable book, and it's great to read all about my favourite man in rock.
Published 19 days ago by Mrs. Angela Milne
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read!
An excellent well written biography looking at Dave Growls life, starting with the punk rock scene in the 80's and 90's that has been a continuing influence on his music throughout... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight
Very good product, very prompt dispatch and delivery and all in all a very satisfied customer as a result. Thanks
Published 1 month ago by Ashton
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad.
Once past the first 30% about the history of US punk rock it was an okay read. Nothing new learnt as a lot of it was in the Back and Forth documentary.
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. N. A. Ellis
4.0 out of 5 stars Masses of detail
All you would ever want to know about the hardest workingman in rock. Loads of background and insight into his formative years, right through Nirvana and the relationships between... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jamesy
4.0 out of 5 stars fab
Dave Grohl is one of my favourite people ever, he's a big inspiration to me. I really enjoyed reading this book. There were some parts I didn't like, but that's just my opinion. Read more
Published 2 months ago by emma
4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but ...
... a lot of history of the Seattle / Olympia / Aberdeen / Washington punk rock music scene - which went a little above this non-muso's head. Enjoyable none the less, awesome guy!
Published 2 months ago by C. REAPER
5.0 out of 5 stars the man is a God
Honestly, i'm struggling to get 5 minutes to get into this, but have managed to start, and so far so good. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J Whitehead
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a call: the life and times if Dave grohl
The 4 stars review is because this book is full of highs and lows that keep you reading.
You will find out y he is the nicest man in rock. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lee Russell
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