The Storyteller: Expanded: ...Because There's More to the Story
4.8 | 35,813 ratings
Price: 22.83
Last update: 03-30-2026
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- Will K. TworkWho'd a thunk?I'll start this review with this statement. I have never owned a Foo Fighters record. After reading this book, and after many trips to both iTunes and YouTube as I read this bio, I realized I'd heard one song by the FF's since their first record in the mid 1990s. And I Myself was in the business for well over 35 years, and with a love of music second to none.
And to be honest, after many searches of my Kindle store looking for something of interest to read, I gave this books "Free Sample" a shot, and never turned back. Sure, I've got the second and third Nirvana albums (I loved that band even though they and the other Seattle bands killed the "hair bands" that employed me at the time!) But after Kurt died I never followed the other acts of both Dave and Krist. By the time those two moved on, I myself was entering a much more mellow stage in my career. Working for the likes of CSN and Dan Fogelberg, and away from Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen, Faster Pussycat, and the band Lynch Mob (I was actually touring with them when Grunge crushed any chance of them becoming huge lol.)
Ok, now to the review..
Dave Grohl is a force of nature. All that he's done in his life is totally amazing. This book should be a "Must Read" for any kid growing up in 2023. Whether beginner musician, or just kids trying to find themselves. Hey kids! Put the freakin' phone down and read this book. All that's come to Dave Grohl in his lifetime was because of his perseverance, and will. I myself was lucky in life for many of the EXACT SAME REASONS, and that too started with my mothers unconditional love and support. Oddly, I to met and worked for many of my musical heroes as well, because also I never gave up! Luck played a big role in Dave's life as well as mine. And with that, ill stop comparing my life with his. But as I said, bottom line, you can achieve anything you want, but you've got to put in the time. This story proves that. Great read. Educational. And (for once) its not a story of DRUGS. Yeah, he smokes weed and drinks. Who cares? He was never a cocaine addict, or crackhead, or junkie. I myself dabbled in some of the above, but it didn't define me. It was for after work, and the hard stuff never tooK over my life.
Excellent book. Superior human being. Will I now go out and buy a Foo Fighters album. Nah, I'll stick to the 6500 songs on my ipod, I was born in 1953 and my musical tastes are set in stone. No pun intended. Buy this book for your teenager now. Once they start, they'll not put it down. And who knows, maybe they'll learn something. Fingers crossed. PS mom and dad might like it too lol. - HemedudeVery entertaining story of this musician’s lifeI’ve read many drummer’s biographies and auto-biographies and Dave Grohl has to be the most entertaining of all of them. His drive and passion for music is impressive and his honesty in relating a lot of his adventures with Nirvana and with the Foo Fighters are most entertaining. Highly recommend this book if you are a fan!
- Beguiled By BooksGreat memoir of an iconI love reading because I love stories. That may seem like an obvious statement, but so many non-fiction books are recaps of isolated events or summaries of studies. I enjoy non-fiction (probably more than the average person), but my issue with memoirs is that, too often, they highlight the glamorous bits of the subject’s life, which doesn’t make for a great story. It’s the book version of social media. You want the ups and downs. You want to root for your main character, even if your main character is real and you know the ending already.
Books, whether fiction or non-fiction, are meant to be stories.
Enter Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music.
For the aforementioned reasons, I don’t actively seek out memoirs. But Dave Grohl has always seemed like a genuinely awesome guy, and his music makes its way onto every playlist I’ve ever made. A good bit of Dave Grohl’s music makes up the soundtrack to my life – so naturally, I wanted to learn about his.
Grohl takes his memoir and lays it out in five parts. He covers everything from:
his childhood and foray into music
the singular event that directed the course of his whole life
his time in a little-known band called Nirvana (sarcasm!)
the winding path of the Foo Fighters
and what it means to be a dad – and one of the biggest names in the world
As expected, Grohl is incredibly relatable. His sunny attitude radiates throughout his words, even when talking about (spoiler alert!) the death of Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain. Grohl truly tells stories. He doesn’t take you from point to point in a straight line – he takes you on a journey through his life. He may begin a chapter about his daughter, and suddenly you’re in a French psychic’s apartment discussing other dimensions and auras. You’re not left hanging or wondering, “what’s the point of this anecdote?” It all makes sense.
Unquestionably, Dave Grohl, whether as the drummer for Nirvana or the frontman of the Foo Fighters, has had some genuinely astounding experiences. However, Grohl tells these stories like a lucky dude who happened to be in the right place at the right time. He nerds out over his heroes just like the rest of us and continually cannot believe his fortune as he marvels at his life. That said, Grohl pulls no punches as he shares the choices he made to get to where he is: living on one dollar per day, sleeping on floors, and running down alleys from drug dealers in Europe. Despite what I consider hardships, his wisdom at a young age allowed him to see the big picture and what was possible. He didn’t need a guarantee – he needed a chance.
The Storyteller is a beautiful story of achieving success on your terms and because of your choices. I hope you find it as inspiring and uplifting as I did.