Customer Reviews
Literary Music - By: M. Rainbow, 30 Nov 2008 
This book is written as if it were lyrics to a song. Every word is perfect. One chapter epitomises this:
"I'm sittingin a salad factory somewherein Germany & a pretty Russian woman just turned to me & said, "you are not beautiful""
That is a chapter!
Great read, get it!
A book everyone should read - By: D. Carvill, 25 Sep 2008 This is a true story based on the life of Mark 'E' Everett, the man behind alt rock band Eels & is an absolutely beautiful read. The book follows his life from early childhood up to the present day, giving real insight into his personal life & the stories behind his albums, which invariably intertwine.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill rock star biography about a troubled teen that pours out his anger & frustrations through his music & then finds fame. Instead, it's a dark, frank, humorous, sad, yet ultimately positive story about how difficult life & the music industry can be & how E has had to deal with both. His sincere honesty & genuine descriptions of the tragedies he has been confronted with during his life, & how he's dealt with them, really provoke an emotional reaction that I've not experienced from reading other books.
It's difficult to express quite how tragic E's life has been, yet he manages to adopt a positive point of view that yes, it's been tough, but you know what, this means I'm really living my life & these trials are sent to make me stronger. The book really makes you think about how lucky you are & also about how to deal with & look at the positives of even the worst experiences.
Eels fans will no doubt love 'Things the Grandchildren Should Know'; however I wasn't a huge Eels fan before reading this book & don't be put off if you're not familiar with his music. It really doesn't matter; however during or after reading the book, it's difficult not to listen to some of the songs that he talks about. My appreciation for Eels & E as a person have increased quite considerably since reading the book & now I'm a huge convert.
Simply ther best - By: Charlie T., 19 Sep 2008 I agree with the reviewers who say that this is the best rock biography ever written, but it is much more than that. Although E's family was clearly an unusual & pretty dysfunctional one, the story he tells about growing upin suburban America makes great reading even if he had never become a rock star & even if he hadn't had a famous quantum physicist father who invented the idea of parallel universes. It really ought to be made into a movie! Anyone who is interestedin what America was likein the 1960s & 1970s will enjoy it even if they have never heard of Eels. It's certainly different from The Wonder Years.
Great even without the music - By: , 17 Sep 2008 I don't agree with reviewers who say you need to be an Eels fan to enjoy this book. I barely knew Eels at all, & I came to the book because of my interestin quantum physics & Mark Everett's father (see, for example, In Search of Schrodinger's Cat). I found it to be a terrific read full of insights about growing upin America. And THEN I bought a couple of Eels albums, which are also great.
you need to buy this! - By: Mr. G. Forsbrook, 20 Apr 2008 hands down the best book i have ever readin my life. a must have for any eels fan, this book will put you through every emotion possible, i am generally a very detached person but i had a tearin my eye when he writes about his sister & mother's death. if your not into emotional stuff dont be put off by that, this book made me laugh loads as it is full of witty antidotes which had me laughing out loud, this book adds even more meaning to all his songs & you understand where lyrics came from & what was going onin his life when he wrote them. It was such a great experience to hear "the chet" (eels guitarist) read out parts of the book when i went to see them live at the Birmingham town hall. A must have, i rate this very highly!!! (eels rock)
