I Never Met A Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Very authentic and quite funny. A must read for Todd Snider fans. If you like good storytelling you should read this. Through the mist of smoke and questionable decisions there is also some philosophical thoughts on art, being true to yourself, and "selling-out". If you are in rehab you probably shouldn't read this. Probably not going to be a NYTimes best seller, but definitely worth reading if you're interested in the music business. I read this based solely on the title (and the decent reviews it got.) I had never heard of Todd Snider before, and my goal was to read the whole thing before listening to his music. (I almost made it through but caved...no comment on his music, because that's not what this is about.) This is about, as the preface suggests, "smoking grass and dropping names." And there is a lot of both- from Hunter S. Thompson to Kris Kristofferson, and if you don't recognize those names maybe this book isn't for you.The book reads like some guy telling a story - I mean, some guy you met at a bar orating a story to you. That's my only criticism - that he could have better adapted his storytelling to written format - but it actually makes for a quicker read once you know the cues and understand his storytelling structure.Todd Snider has a lot of self-awareness and worldly experience and it comes out through stories of debauchery and rubbing elbows. He learned at an early age to be himself and not give a damn. He has no qualms about opening up - in comical ways - about his battles with drug addiction. He has so many stories of being in the right place at the right time that it does seem incredulous at times - being in treatment with a celebrity's wife right before she killed him, for example. That said, he also puts himself out there - walking to the 'bad part of town' in Alaska and befriending the ne'er-do-good crowd there and bringing them to his show, for example. Nevermind that he could take a story about the most boring person you've ever met and make that person sound like the mayor of his town. Todd Snider can see the positive, crazy, uniqueness of people - or maybe his personality is such that he brings out those qualities from other people, or maybe it's all in his drug-induced state of mind.I may never go to any of his concerts (and he won't ever care), but I would definitely read another book if he wrote one. Recommended if you like good storytelling, if you're an aspiring musician, or if you like reading about the glorification of drugs and alcohol. I think I fit two of those categories.
What do You think about I Never Met A Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales (2014)?
What did I think? Awesome is what I thought. If you think you're overSnidered, you're not.
—armanelt
A "must read" for Todd Snider fans. And a "should read" for most anyone else.
—hammm70
I just finished and think I'll start it right over again.
—swaggerdaddy
