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(Shine Your) Light Love Hope

When I heard Bob Mould was releasing an autobiography/memoir called See a Little Light, I wanted to read it the second it came out. Adding to urgency was that Michael Azerrad helped Mould with it. This would be an excellent book, yes?

Reading the 400-page book in only five days, the answer is absolutely yes. (Considering how it took me three months to finish the fourth Dark Tower book -- thanks, High Speech? -- this means I couldn't put the book down.)

Sure, if you've read Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life, you know Mould was interviewed for the Husker Du chapter. And if you read Andrew Earles' book on Husker Du, you know Mould declined to be interviewed, but there were plenty of quotes from old interviews Mould gave.

But would Mould's book be one long story of redundant information? Thankfully, it's not. Not even close.

As someone who's read a lot of interviews with Mould and seen him interviewed multiple times on TV over the years, there is way more information in Mould's book that I've never known. (I don't claim to be an expert on Mould, but I know a lot of things about him than say, my mother does.) Plus, with all the things I already knew, he went much more in-depth.

I say all this as a compliment because many memoir writers take safe routes when talking about former bandmates, lovers, and friends. You see most of the names withheld or changed, and stories about the parting of ways is usually made light of, citing how water metaphorically passed under a bridge. This is not a dirty, gloves-off tell-all. At least to me.

Not to sound like I'm reviewing Super 8, but I don't really want to delve too much into what is talked about in the book beyond what you might have already heard in other reviews. I will say this: when it comes to talking about Husker Du's end and why they will never reunite, Mould doesn't mince words, but he doesn't poo-poo on the time the band was together. Cynicism can spoil a joyous time together if the time ever ends -- and I'm thankful Mould doesn't knock the band's legacy. The same goes for Sugar.

So, if there were any doubts you had with this book, then why are you still reading this blog entry instead of reading his book?

Comments

Andy said…
As somebody who's study a great offer of selection interviews with Mould and observed him interviewed several instances on television more than the years, there is way far more details in Mould's publication that I've certainly not known.
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