Paul Myers (1)Reseñas

I was pretty disappointed in this book. Paul Myers is Mike Myers' brother, and is a lifelong friend of the Kids. He had access to all five kids, to Tavie Phillips (their longtime fansite admin turned official social media guru), modern comedians who were inspired by them... but it really seems like he doesn't understand what people are interested in. There's a lot of logistical details about business deals and contracts, and 55% of the book covers the post-9/11 careers of the group members. The early sections of the book are light on anecdotes or insight, and the later sections almost read like obituaries. He also glosses over almost anything from the Kids' personal lives past childhood, including alcoholism, divorces, children, etc. Maybe they didn't want to include anything too personal, I don't know, but I feel like I didn't really learn much about them as people or a troupe reading this book.½

Great book about the KitH. A little McDonald-heavy but he was probably my favorite Kid anyway.

Disappointingly forgettable, unlike their music.

Great biography of the fascinating genius of Todd Rundgren and an interesting peek inside the recording industry and its evolution from the 1970's to the present. Detailed, well written and lovingly compiled. A bit too brief in the later years, but a very satisfying read for this Rundgren fan.½

It was great to take stock on Rundgren's body of work both as producer and musician. Each chapter focuses on a different project compiled and quoting interviews by musicians, engineers and the man himself. While not strictly a bio, it includes in passing key incidents without letting this get in the way of the books intention, to document Todd in the studio and the development of his craft, which has proved to be anything but predictable musically. He's one of the few that have been able to carve out a life in an industry where safe, boring music is the unfortunate outcome. It would have been great to read each chapter and listen to the record, that is for another day.

This book had good potential but just couldn't live up to it. I was interested in learning the background story of a band I enjoy, but the author's repeated (and often failed) attempts at cleverness were annoying. Because of Myers' poor writing, I found it difficult to focus on the story of the band.½