Authors I Love: Chuck Klosterman

I am a bit late to board the Chuck Klosterman bandwagon.  By this time, he's written 6 books, and I've only read 2.  Granted, those 2 books probably took me 4 days to read, and that's exactly why I'm obsessing.  I cannot put his books down.

The first, and Klosterman's second, given to me by my former manager was, naturally, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, which if you've somehow managed to escape, is a collection of popular culture essays.  Klosterman stole my heart when he wrote about the 1980s Lakers vs. Celtics rivalry, which mirrors my current sports obsession, or when he wrote about my childhood favorite, Saved by the Bell.

The second, I finished in a day and a half.  Yesterday, I spent nearly all day on my couch reading Killing Yourself to Live, which is a narcissistic, obsessive account of rock music and relationships, told as Klosterman drives across the country.  A self-aware homage to High Fidelity, I found myself making a list of albums I needed to listen to in order to understand where Klosterman was coming from as he wrote.

I have four Klosterman books left to read, which will take me, oh a week.  I hope that those novels can make me a) nostalgic for my youth, b) jealous of his knowledge, c) craving new music, and d) wanting to be a better writer.  Let's be honest, I read Klosterman because I am Klosterman.  I may not be as talented of a writer, and I may not get to work at a really awesome magazine due to all my obscure knowledge, but truth be told, everything Klosterman thinks, is probably right along the same lines of what I think.

Uh oh, I've given myself away.  Hopefully there aren't too many Klosterman fans out there who now can see deep into my soul based on what they've read in his books...