Bonus Feature: Book

Rock fans and pop culture-ites alike will enjoy Chuck Klosterman's thoughts on dying in Killing Yourself To Live: 85% Of A True Story . The book follows Klosterman's travels as he retraces the steps to death taken by some of music's greatest. Over the course of twenty-one days he drove his Ford Taurus, affectionately called 'the Tauntan' from the Chelsea Hotel to the place where Kurt Cobain died. He explores the swamp that brought death to Lynyrd Skynyrd; he visits the Great White fire.

Klosterman's observations are oddly perverse, but often dead-on. Pardon the pun. He writes randomly-- kinda like you and your friend on a roadtrip. You know, the kind of friend where silence is OK and as you gaze out the window you think 'It's never rainy enough' while debating the finer points of Led Zep's SOZO. While he's driving, you spend a lot of time in his brain-- a scary thought as he breaks down the "Pot/Creedence" Contingent and the "Coke/Interpol" Contingent. Regardless, he speaks truth. Allow me to quote.

"If there was ever a band doomed to die by the side of the road it was the Allman Brothers... I say this because the only think I know about the Allman Brothers Band is that they seem to die a lot. Still, they did record "Whipping Post," a song title that is ironically yelled at indie-rock concerts almost as often as "Free Bird." That counts for something."

"With the possible exception of Jim Morrison, Eric Clapton is (arguably) the most overrated rock musician of all time; he's a talented, boring guitar player, and he's a workmanlike, boring vocalist. He also has an abhorrent (and, I suppose, boring) neck beard. However, he is not terrible in totality; he did unleash one stellar album: Derek and the Dominos' 1970 LP, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs."

The Eighth Day finds Klosterman examing ten rock 'n' roll casualties 'nobody ever talks about by probably should, as they are latently educational.' Among them: Steve Clark, the insecure lead guitarist for Def Leppard who liked to drink massive amounts of everything. "In 1991, while taking prescription painkillers for three broken ribs, Clark came home from an evening at the pub and decided to have a few nightcpas, which- according to her drinking companion, Daniel Van Alphen--ended up being a triple vodka, a gradruple vodka, and a double brandy (all comsumed in 30 minutes). This killed him. What's interesing about this episode is that Def Leppard had fired guitarist named Pete Willis in 1982 because he had a drinking problem." The lesson Klosterman goes on to tell: "We all have problems, brother."

Killing Yourself To Live examines the romance of death. Klosterman writes with respect for the deceased legends, but he often challenges the myth and romance that goes with them. It fels almost sacreligious to challnge 'facts'. His observations are sometimes profound and more times than not, I found myself nodding (and laughing) in agreement.

The book may be mildly offensive to some, but fans of all genres will agree Killing Yourself To Live is a nice addition to your music library.