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CHUCK KLOSTERMAN IV

CONSISTS OF THREE PARTS:

THINGS THAT ARE TRUE

Profiles and trend stories: Britney Spears, Radiohead, Billy Joel, Metallica, Val Kilmer, Bono, Wilco, the White Stripes, Steve Nash, Morrissey, Robert Plant -- all with new introductions and footnotes.

THINGS THAT MIGHT BE TRUE

Opinions and theories on everything from monogamy to pirates to robots to super people to guilt, and (of course) Advancement -- all with new hypothetical questions and footnotes.

SOMETHING THAT ISN'T TRUE AT ALL

This is old fiction. There's a new introduction, but no footnotes. Well, there's a footnote in the introduction, but none in the story.

Average Customer Rating:

Try Audio Chuk

Customer Rating:

It felt a little like my birthday when I found Klosterman's latest book on CD, read by him, in the Border's bargain bin. I picked it up with two lesser known Hemmingway's to justify my consumption of what has come to be known as intellectual guilty pleasure ( a topic he incidentally takes up with his usual skill and misdirection in one of the essays). It is better than Killing Yourself to Live and not as good as Cocoa Puffs. Audio is the medium for Klosterman for several reasons including: his irony voice, it is not exactly the kind of literature that requires you to take notes, and the strangely melodical way he pronounces the word f*!#ing. After listening to IV I acquired Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs on CD despite having read it, based solely on the notion that it would be more poignant and entertaining when performed by the author. It was a good bet. CK IV opens with a very good reflection on dread and high school basket ball. It includes several fascinating interviews with popular figures. Note: You could not intice me to read a story on Brittney Spears by another author, but CK had me transfixed. Finlly he ends with a bit of fiction that is not without merit, but is not his best work. On the whole, however, If you liked CDaCP, CK IV is worth the time...especially in the audio version.

This man is funny - no, I mean it. Really funny.

Customer Rating:

I picked up a copy of Mr. Klosterman's latest book on CD to listen to in my car as a commuter pick-me-up. I hadn't heard of him before and bought the CDs blindly. I needed some driving company and his work seemed as good as any in the store. Let me say that this is probably the single best uninformed consumer purchase I have made. Maybe not ever, but at least this year. I laughed out loud - multiple times - and even found myself "rewinding" parts to hear them again. The sometimes caustic and always insightful tidbits about our culture and the icons in it were fascinating, hillarious, and at moments, surreal. I thoroughly enjoyed the CDs and found myself recommending them to friends. In a 500-mile trip, I essentially became a Chuck Klosterman groupie. I even bought the printed version of this to read the essays that were not included on the CD version (it is abridged). If you like a dry, witty, intelligent (at times biting) sense of humor, you will likely love this book. If you are conservative,nice, and decidedly uninterested in pop culture, you will likely find it offensive. Either way, you'll laugh out loud at something. I guarantee it.

He hates the Olympics, but that's okay, because he's hilarious

Customer Rating:

The most entertaining interviews I've read, Klosterman's short pieces on everyone from Britney Spears to Val Kilmer to Steve Nash work on so many levels. Some of them make me actually wonder if I haven't met and become best friends with these people, as Klosterman's questions and descriptions seem to delve that deeply into his subject's psyche. Other times, Klosterman comes off as though my iTunes learned to write at a "New Yorker" level. Still, my favorite essays were his opinion-styled columns on the Olympics, determining your archnemesis, and even a 24-hour VH1 binge. He says things that strike so close to home and are so simple in their brilliance that you hate yourself for not thinking them first, but his wit and humor make it impossible to hate him. His short "fictional" story at the end, like his longer semi-autobiographical "Killing Yourself to Live," was underwhelming, but considering that it accounted for at most 10% of the total book, he can be forgiven for that. My third time around with Klosterman, and I can say definitively that he's a winner. I'll read anything he writes.

Klosterman at his best

Customer Rating:

Though I find most essay compilations disjointed and wildly varying in quality between the pieces, Chuck Klosterman's consistent excellence has always impressed me. The selection of his best articles is what makes this so good. Klosterman has a unique way of looking into seemingly vapid pop culture celebrities and occurrences with an intellectual bent that's funny and intriguing. If you're a person who's ever found yourself thinking WAY too deeply about the implications of our musicians and tabloid darlings, this is for you. Klosterman's cynical yet self-deprecating sense of humor gets me laughing all the time. His writing style, though a little cerebral considering his topics of choice, is truly unique.

Creative insights	Customer Rating:
Klosterman's work reflects creativity and interesting insights into American culture. His major frame of reference is modern-pop music. Interesting read with fascinating "what if" scenarios. Good basis for discussion with friends. Worth the quick read.