Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas

Klosterman's the type of guy you feel smart-yet-slightly-cool for reading. He observes the world through a unique lens which is evident whether he's interviewing a Steve Nash or discussing the ethics of chasing after women in committed relationships.

This book largely a collection of previously published articles about pop-culture icons. It's more than mere anthology, though—Klosterman wrote introductions and footnotes to the articles that are often as illuminating as the article itself. As if this wasn't enough, he ended this volume with a short quasi-autobiographical novella to round out the collection. Oddly enough, it all seems to flow together.

His perspective can grow wearisome, but (like Douglas Coupland) after placing the book show more down for a brief sabbatical you'll find yourself craving more.

Klosterman's a commentator on the human condition. A condition he perceives more accurately than most. show less

Hmmm....well....hmmm. Have you ever read the celebrity profiles in magazines like Esquire, Vanity Fair, Spin, etc? Well, if so - and you like them - you've got the spirit of Chuck K. IV is a collection of his essays, which he introduces with a short lead-in. The lead-ins provide context on his thinking or approach at the time and they were generally interesting.

The book is a play in three acts:
Act 1, "things that are true," are reprints or, in some cases, unedited originals of some of his celebrity profiles and interviews. These range from a young Britney Spears to Steve Nash to Val Kilmer to Jeff Tweedy and Thom Yorke. My personal favorites are the ones about Styx and the 70s music cruise and his investigative reporting on his local show more clairvoyant scene. His interviews are humanizing rather than salacious and he mostly lets you draw your own conclusions.

Act 2, "things that might be true," is a collection of cultural perspective pieces. These I liked more. He's an interesting brain and while I don't always agree with his point of view, that's what makes him interesting. Also, his writing is funny, self-deprecating and incisive. I found myself laughing out loud at several of his essays and unfortunately it's turns of phrase that don't work outside the context of his writing. Some of his phrasing, I'd love to steal, but it'd just be peculiar. Particular favorites: Nemesis, Stories about Pants.

Act 3, "something that isn't true," is a short story that's...marginal. CK's perspective on the story is more interesting than the story itself. It just reads, unfinished and inserted because he didn't really know how to stick the landing and wanted to round out the content beyond stuff previously published in periodicals.

This is a book that's easy to dip in and out if you're in a line or a doctor's office and need a book that's easy to put down when your number is called. One week later I'm left with a mildly positive perception, but can remember few specifics. It's like a dessert--it tastes good at the time, but it's not particularly memorable and not nutritious.

Recommended if you're interested in pop culture and appreciate different perspectives on it. And bonus if your pop culture flavor is circa 80s or even 90s as that's about the right time period to appreciate it. show less

I like Chuck Klosterman. I think it's hip not to like him now, but I don't really give a shit. His Wilco profile was fun, as was his Radiohead piece. I wasn't crazy about some of his "theories," but his terrific profile of the Rock Cruise (a Carnival cruise featuring performances by Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon) had me giggling like crazy.As I read this book, I started to think about how the entire magazine industry exists solely to prop up the entertainment industry, featuring profiles of whoever has a new movie or album out. Without one, the other would likely crumble. I suppose that if I must read another piece probing the inner-workings of some hack rock band, I'd prefer it be Mr. Klosterman doing the probing.

My most trenchant criticism of Klosterman is that his works are TOO relevant. His allusions draw so heavily from Gen X culture that he suffers the risk of receiving no long-term payout from his producing such contemporary books.

The first chapter did not pique my interest. It seemed to be the quintessential mediocrity the Internet (and angst-ridden post-90s/iPod culture) has spawned.

The Britney Spears interview was fun and light and hilarious. Klosterman, however, benefits from the fact that his interviewees are so removed from our reach. Their public impenetrability allows him to write exaggeratedly, clumsily, and weirdly about all manners of celebrity.

He took a conservative, if not conventional approach to The Smiths and Morrissey, show more which annoyed me. If the Hispanics of LA abandoned Morrissey, he would not be fanless! Smiths enthusiasts appreciate and venerate Johnny Marr--perhaps not to the extent they do Morrissey--AS WELL as Morrissey. show less

Chuck Klosterman's essays are always interesting, even when I disagree with him, even when he makes me angry. There are even a couple of essays about musicans I really like in this volume (Bono and Morrissey) which is a fun bonus; considering that I've read Klosterman's book about heavy metal, which I am totally not interested in, it was a curious experience to hear his thoughts on something I honestly do care about. Klosterman doesn't shre my love, but he's fair to his subjects and really does raise interesting points—fine qualities in an essayist. However, the one example of his fiction at the conclusion of this volume does not display his finer qualities quite so well; it kind of reads like a bad Chuck Palahniuk/ Douglas Coupland show more fusion. Chuck Klosterman should stick to being Chuck Klosterman; he's very good at it. show less

This book is split into three sections: interviews and features, opinion pieces, and a work of fiction. The first two sections contain material already published in various places, like Esquire. If you like reading magazines, you'll probably like reading these sections. I found them to be short, a little too short.
The interviews all seemed to be getting at the same thing: famous people are people, and they're aware that they're being interviewed, just like you and I would be. At best, the interviews made me want to watch Real Genius or listen to some music I hadn't heard in a while. At times they were boring, superficial, and, well, trendy. I guess that's just the nature of magazine writing.
I found the opinion pieces to be much more show more interesting and amusing: robots, pirates, archenemies and nemeses, what could go wrong?
I didn't read the fiction, it just didn't seem necessary. I may have missed something good though, who knows? show less

Once I started reading this I realized I had read some of the articles previously, the first time they were published in magazines. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them just as much the second time around. Klosterman is a writer of quick wit, more than a few pop culture references, and a charming tone of slight self-deprecation. More than a few times I laughed out loud while reading this book, and even when the topics concerned things I have zero interest in (such as, sports), the writing was engaging enough to keep me reading, as well as laughing.