I remember all the debates in high school about bands joining major labels. I really appreciate the brief history Dan does on each band and the great insight we get. ( )

Sellout by Dan Ozzi is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in quite some time (within what I think of as "entertainment" reads, ones both about and for my entertainment) while also bringing to light the many conflicting aspects of the overused idea of selling out.

As a concept, selling out has a long history. Within music it easily predates punk and within other forms of entertainment, such as sports and writing, it goes back even further. And it is always a questionable idea when applied from the outside, in other words, by fans or journalists catering to those fans. Yet the vast majority of us have used it to discount what some celebrity, individual or collective like a team, has done that we felt went against what we expected. And, as some of the stories in this book show, those artists use the concept to pose as some kind of special entity for their fans, right up until they don't.

The thing that makes this book so much fun is that each example is interesting and will take many readers back to that time. So there is that nostalgia fun. There is also the fun that comes from being given the opportunity to think more deeply about an area we often only pretend to give serious thought to, art forms that serve to entertain.

Will a reader come away with a more sympathetic and understanding position about their old favorite band that "sold out?" Will the reader think just a bit longer about throwing this particular label on future celebrities that make a move or change that could be interpreted as selling out? Hard to say, the accusation alone offers a form of consolation when we feel left behind by our favorites, so we may well still hurl it. Maybe we will also know in our hearts that things are never quite that simple and clear cut.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )