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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"A band that I play in called The Locust.", May 14, 2010
This review is from: From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry (Paperback)
The Locust has been one of my favorite bands for a while, mostly because of how consistently baffling they are. This book is a personal account of Justin Pearson's life, from childhood through Locusthood. Pearson's writing is mostly a play-by-play of 'what happened that day.' Most of the chapters are 2-6 pages long, and the names of all the chapters are like leftover Locust track titles. If you're familiar with The Locust's music (and enjoy it), you have probably asked yourself how in the world they do it. More happens in a single Locust song, many of which are no longer than a minute, than happens in the entire career of most musicians. There are no hooks, barely any repeated riffs, no choruses--just relentless, calculated storms of music unlike anything. Unfortunately, this book didn't provide what I secretly wished it would: a tell-all of Pearson's thought process in constructing The Locust. In fact, he talks about it just like any average bassist would talk about being in any plain old rock band. I guess that's just what comes out of Pearson (and the other Locusts). Pearson is an odd character to become acquainted with. Some of the parts of his stories seemed completely pointless to include in a book, such as how a foe on the street spit on the sidewalk and it landed right next to Pearson's shoe. He mentions a couple times that he's witty, and that he often outwitted his critics, but the only time he actually tells us about this wit, he had told someone that they have "hepatitis A, B, and C," which seemed sophomoric to me. He mentions not being a violent person, although he never seems to have avoided physically retaliating or vandalizing when he saw fit. He mentions his veganism, and especially his "ethics" a lot without ever expounding on his beliefs or their justification. Pearson has had it tough. Nothing has ever been handed to him, and although he lets his ego slip a little ("People can think what they want, but I'd like to see them try to replicate what we do."), I think he's earned it. The book is incredibly enjoyable, especially if you're into The Locust or have any interest in the lifestyle of a man who gives everything he's got for the sake of music that almost everybody hates.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honest, Hilarious, and Shocking, July 12, 2010
This review is from: From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry (Paperback)
If you're at all a fan of biographies and non-fiction, I would highly recommend this book. I tend to gravitate towards autobiographies, as I enjoy seeing a peek into the lives of others. With this book, you're not just getting a peek into JP's life, but a front-row seat. Even knowing a lot of these stories before hand, I actually found myself laughing and gasping at many parts of this book. JP paints a vivid picture of teenage antics, life on the road, and the chaos that seems to gravitate to him. At the end of it all, you'll shake your head wondering how someone lived through this and managed to tell the tales. You'll also likely reconsider any notions you previously had about becoming a musician and hitting the road. If you're a fan of The Locust, All Leather, or any of JP's other projects, then you're bound to appreaciate this behind-the-scenes view. Even if you've never heard of any of these bands or the author, I think you'll find this an entertaining view to a world you maybe didn't even know existed.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very unique and entertaining; a must-read for fans of the genre, May 12, 2010
This review is from: From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry (Paperback)
I pre-ordered this book about a month ago and just now got the chance to sit down and read it cover to cover. It has instantly become my favorite book published in the last four or five years; enthralling, often hilarious, and just an incredibly interesting read. I kept being surprised when I'd see the names of fairly obscure bands I know and love being mentioned or talked about, although it shouldn't be surprising at all considering the author. It's just a bit of a shock to be able to go into a Barnes and Noble and pick up a mass-produced paperback that includes those kinds of references. A very welcome shock, though. The best thing about this book is that this all really happened, most of it not too terribly long ago and much of it documented. It's great to be able to see a song or album mentioned or described and then to go back and listen to it to hear for yourself what he's talking about, or to be able to read a chapter describing some show or event and then do an online search for it and find videos, articles or pictures of it. Reading about his firsthand account of the Jerry Springer incident and then watching the actual video is one of the better examples of this. What I found most entertaining, and also a bit surprising, were all the accounts of crowd violence or general dickery against his various bands at shows and how he and the other band members would retaliate. I've been to plenty of hardcore/punk/noise/whatever shows and have never seen anything like this myself even once...maybe it's more of a west coast thing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that appreciates this kind of music and would probably still even recommend it to those who don't. 5/5 stars!
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