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Sign up todayTalking to Girls About Duran Duran
One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut
Narrator
Scott Sheppard
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Length
6 hours 46 minutes
Language
English
The author of the national bestseller Love is a Mix Tape returns, with a different-but equally personal and equally universal- pin on music as memory."No rock critic-living or dead, American or otherwise-has ever written about pop music with the evocative, hyperpoetic perfectitude of Rob Sheffield."So said Chuck Klosterman about Love is a Mix Tape, Sheffield's paean to a lost love via its soundtrack. Now, in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, Sheffield shares the soundtrack to his eighties adolescence.When he turned 13 in 1980, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music and himself, and in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran we get a glimpse into his transformation from pasty, geeky "hermit boy" into a young man with his first girlfriend, his first apartment, and a sense of the world. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies; the era of big dreams and bigger shoulder pads; and, like any all-American boy, this one was searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut. It all here: Inept flirtations. Dumb crushes. Deplorable fashion choices. Members Only jackets. Girls, every last one of whom seems to be madly in love with the bassist of Duran Duran.Sheffield's coming-of-age story is one that we all know, with a playlist that any child of the eighties or anyone who just loves music will sing along with. These songs-and Sheffield's writing-will remind readers of that first kiss, that first car, and the moments that shaped their lives.
Rob Sheffield has been a music journalist for more than twenty years. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he writes about music, TV, and pop culture, and regularly appears on MTV and VH1. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Love Is a Mix Tape, which has been translated into French, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and other languages he cannot read. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Reviews
A handful of rock writers can explain what they think about music, and lots of rock writers can explain what they feel about music. What makes Rob Sheffield different is that he understands how those feelings are generated. He can turn those abstract emotions into concrete thoughts. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes the smartest guy in the room is also the funniest guy in the room...and the nicest guy...and the tallest guy...and the most vocal Chaka Khan fan. Read Talking to Girls About Duran Duran and enter that room."—Chuck Klosterman, New York Times bestselling author of But What If We're Wrong? and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs"Sheffield goes deep into the '80s, into his own adolescent heart. Sheffield uses music the way some people use scripture-to elucidate and sanctify the mysteries of life. He raises teen angst into high art that is funny, charming, and profoundly pleasurable."—Darcey Steinke, author of Easter Everywhere
"A funny and insightful critic... After happily wallowing in this nostalgic journey, haul out your Go-Gos tunes, and you'll soon feel the same."—Miami Herald
"A lighthearted coming of age story about a music-addicted teen growing up in '80s Boston, driving an ice cream truck and gobbling up all things new wave. We all have songs that serve as emotional and biographical touchstones, but Sheffield has a gift for writing about such songs and bands in a way that brings his past to vivid life."—Dallas Morning News
"Readers who were teens during the Eighties will love Sheffield's anecdotes, insights, and odd pop-culture trivia and will find themselves humming the tunes as they read. Those who don't remember this time period will be looking up the bands to find out more. An endearing coming-of-age story, perfect for music lovers and all who feel nostalgic for the music and moments that shaped their lives."—Library Journal
"Sheffield is back with the same encyclopedic knowledge of pop music and touching, resonant prose in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran...incredible, almost stream-of-consciousness commentary on 1980s music."—Bookpage
"Much like the '80s, this book is chock-full of pure, guilty-pleasure cheese ... [but] Sheffield's writing is deeply introspective and thoughtful, not just entertaining."—Philadelphia City Paper Expand reviews
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