Customer Reviews

Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I cannot put in words how disappointed I was with this book. The book is nothing but hearsay and speculation, mixed in with a few quotes from Issac Brock. Which is another thing, the book itself should hardly be called a biography on Modest Mouse considering the only person that is even gone over in depth (and I use the term "depth" reluctantly) is Issac Brock himself, the other band members are only mentioned a few times.

I would describe this book as a time line of their album releases interrupted by very opinionated reviews on almost EVERY SINGLE track on their albums. The author picks apart each song and explains (poorly) in words exactly what you hear... If I wanted to know what it sounded like I would ...listen to it. Also, most of the information gathered is from reviews of their albums, so what you find yourself reading is actually just a review of the reviews. LITERALLY all the information in the book can be found online, nothing new is presented. I really regret how much I anticipated this books release.

I am a huge fan of band biographies, but as the other review said, it's amazing anything this asanine was put out. Modest Mouse is an amazing band, but Goldsher rehashes all the information you could find on their Wikipedia page along with terrible song interpretations, sometimes skipping tracks because they didn't fit with where he thought the album was going. Nevermind the fact that he didn't have any cooperation from Isaac, the rest of the band, the label, etc. Go read Staring at Sound and Learning How to Die if you want good biographies on "indie" bands that have reached a more mainstream audience

Unauthorized yes; a good read, no way. While some information was somewhat insightful, Goldsher's personal ramblings and constant reminders that he is also a musician (who cares, probably the majority of fans/readers are too) was enough to force periods of speed reading, page skipping or take a periodic break from reading it altogether. This was essentially a book about Issacc Brock, although the information comes via printed quotes, with minimal mention of Eric Judy or Jeremiah Green. All this information and more is available online for free. Read Rolling Stone's March issue for Issacc's feelings towards the book. He summed it up pretty well.

I'm blown away that something this terrible got published. And I'm even more blown away that the guy who wrote it is not about seventeen years old, because it reads like an incredibly boring eleventh-grade research paper. This is obviously just a cash-in on the "Float On" single (which was what, three years ago, by the way), but it doesn't have to be THIS bad.
If I had actually wasted money on this thing (I read the first few chapters in a bookstore), I'd probably find this guy personally and make him give me my money back.

Necessary for anyone obsessed with Modest Mouse. Otherwise, skip it. We super-fans crave information about Isaac Brock, and anything we can get our hands on is worth the time. Unfortunately, the book didn't touch very much on the things I really wanted to know, but hey, at least I know more. I wanted to know more about his drug use, especially, and the book pretty much skirted the topic.

I was also bothered by his reviews of a lot of the songs and albums. I didn't buy the book for reviews. He dissed some of the songs that I hold nearest and dearest as a Modest Mouse fan. This is not what I anticipated when I bought a friggn' biography about Modest Mouse.

I am a huge Modest Mouse fan and this book was simply a disgrace!!! The only reason that I can feel somewhat content with giving this book even one star is the photos...which were not even the authors! I was wanting to read info on my favorite band, not two pages of history about his home town! Really, who cares who founded this city that "Isaac spent so much time not caring about"!!!! I agree with other reviews, this was work that my 13 year old sister would have done for a school project! No wonder it cost almost nothing. The money didnt bother me so much. I just want the time I spent reading this back! Complete waste of my time. Maybe I will write a "biography" on Goldsher explaining why he is so horrible at writing. BTW, his views of Isaac.....he obviously understands nothing about who this amazing artist really is. DONT BUY THIS!!! Dont even waste your time reading the free copy that I threw in the trash!!!

These overwhelmingly negative reviews surprise me. I read this book in a matter of a few days. And I wasn't speed reading, no I was interested, thoroughly, in fact. I really liked Goldsher's humor(actually made me laugh etc.) along with his insights on "lo-fi" music and rock star mysticism. His telling of the Modest Mouse story is easy to follow, his examination of Isaac Brock's personality is intriguing (and quite amusing...Brock's eccentricity really shines through), his analysis of the albums/songs is decent.... There is absolutly NOTHING to hate about this book! Give this guy a break! I don't know where you people went wrong in reading this! Life is full of mysteries, huh?

One man's analysis of a bands back catalogue is a valid/relevant as anyone else's but Goldsher has sought to get his published. This book is a combination of the previously known and doesn't make for great reading. His bass playing background regularly interrupts his writing and is a little too nerdy and tedious.
Hopefully an authorised biography will be published soon and that would offer something this doesn't - fresh material.

At least it didn't break the bank.

If you are going to bash a book, at least buy it and read the whole thing, while i do agree that it should be called a "semi ok yet quite confusing read" fans of modest mouse (i am myself) will find the book quite interesting. I payed a total of 4 bucks for the book and was well worth it.

This book is written in a way which is B-B-Boring. I can read a 400 page book in 2 days. I couldn't bring myself to read this, and I love reading about bands. I love Modest Mouse, but whoever edited/wrote this needs to gracefully resign.