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2.0 out of 5 stars Oh...
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2017
This book is not at all what I expected. I had actually heard of it through an ad and it sounded really interesting. The way it's presented is that it's stories from these bands/artists. I expected a chapter or at least a page from each. But it's not like that at all. Every single page (there are well over 500), is basically quotes from people. Some times the quotes are very very short and seem irrelevant to the chapter they're placed in. Example: In the chapter titled "I don't know who was paying for the drugs. It wasn't me." There's a quote saying, "Gordon Raphael: We recorded Is This Is between March and April 2001 at Transporterraum in Alphabet City." That's it. That's the end of the quote...They all just seem like extremely random thoughts. So far, I'm very unimpressed and a bit bummed. Given the size of the book, I was pretty stoked to read some first hand accounts (who doesn't love having a peak into the mind of someone famous?). But this is just a let down :/ Every single page looks like the picture provided (except for a few photograph inserts). There is literally zero story anywhere in the book, just quotes.
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new york oral history rock and roll yeah yeah yeahs lizzy goodman yeah yeah yeah lcd soundsystem please kill vampire weekend music scene york city kings of leon meet me in the bathroom james murphy white stripes ryan adams strokes and interpol many people indie rock fire eater
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Bradley Olsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly executed rock n roll interview book.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 8, 2021
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Can’t recommend “meet me in the bathroom” enough. It’s the story of nyc indie rock (basically 90% of all indie music during the early 2000s) from late 1990s to 2011.

But it also includes non-NYC bands who made it via the NYC/London route, like kings of Leon and the Killers. Really well done and comprised of satisfying arcs, only the DFA breakup leaves you wondering “what really happened”. Using only interviews, it covers the overlapping careers of a variety of different rockstars, art rockers, and NYC celebs in a compelling way, it really does read like fiction. You probably need to love some of this music to really dig the book, but it’s a great read if you love reading about egos, ambition, what defines “culture” as well as addiction, depression, and human frailty. And of course, similar to “please kill me” about the punk movement, there’s a ton of great tangential history (living through tech and real estate booms, as well as 9/11, as a bohemian) and and era-defining debauchery that seem to occur in pop culture every 20 years or so.

Most importantly, it answers life’s deepest questions, like “what did the strokes think when they first heard mr brightside?”
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J. Carey
3.0 out of 5 stars Good not Great
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 3, 2019
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Good story of the Strokes, Interpol, TVOR, LCD Soundsystem, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the years mentioned (2001 to 2011). So much in here that I didn't know, and some that I did. Of course, I would have liked them to continue the story with these bands (i.e., Interpol's 2018 album got pretty good reviews...and the band is showing they can make some good music as a three-piece.) But I understand that she had to stop the story somewhere. Pre-2001 NYC scene also gets some coverage so we know the "pre-history."

For some reason, the Killers, Kings of Leon, and other non-NYC acts are also discussed...apparently because they either borrowed some of the sounds of these bands and/or got popular around the same time. But it's not really clear to me why they're in the book. And if you're going to discuss them, then give the England scene more play, especially Bloc Party circa 2005.

And although the book has some on the Brooklyn bands, the coverage is minimal. Given the National became the most critically acclaimted NYC indie rock act of the second half of the 00s, I was surprised by how little they were covered, except in their experiences with the "big 5" bands in the first pgh. And what about mid-decade darlings the Hold Steady? Craig Finn is quoted once or twice, but somehow ignoring their 3-album pinnacle (staring with Separation Sunday) seemed like a big miss. Is Brazilian Girls in there? If they are, I missed it.

Anyway, it's worth a read. But we all have our own version of the NYC scene in those days. I'm pointing out the bands that were important to me; others would probably disagree.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars In Response to the Criticisms...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 5, 2017
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Although I have not finished this book yet, I haven't been able to put it down. I have read a few of the critical reviews that do not like the way that the book is written, because it is an oral history full of quotes that are interwoven together to tell the story of various bands throughout the early 2000s. I personally like the oral history aspect, but my recommendation would be go have a bookmark or page marker at the beginning of the book, because they give a brief description of the individuals being quoted throughout the book. In the first 100 pages, I've found myself flipping back and forth quite a bit, because I was not familiar with some of the journalists, promoters, and founders of the various bars/record labels, and they do not provide much of a bio in the quotes. With that being said, do not let the style of the book dissuade you from purchasing. If you're a fan of music like myself, you will have a hard time taking a break from reading this book.
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hi ok bk
5.0 out of 5 stars The new Our Band Could Be Your Life
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 27, 2017
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If you spent any time listening to (and possibly caring about) the good-to-decent music being put out in NYC in the early 2000s, you will immediately be drawn into this book. And for those who lived it (from nearby, or from afar via music blogs -- remember them?) you will not put this down. It's like riding a tidal wave. All momentum, some glory, and lots of messy wipeouts. Goodman is a selective, though reliable moderator. She's a journalist through and through. Sure, there is bias. Sure, she skipped some bands/scenes from the era. But perhaps somebody else will pick up where she left off. Meet Me in the Bathroom is an instant classic. The new Our Band Could Be Your Life. There is no doubt 16 year olds reading this book will later pick up a bass or start banging on a drum set or become the next Karen O -- inspired by the stories within.
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Rich Walls
5.0 out of 5 stars Devoured This
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 16, 2017
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Hard to be objective when I love most the bands represented here, but I devoured this book. All the players are at the table--you can read the description--and somehow Lizzy Goodman's got them talking. Sure the parties are a hook, but read for the inspirations which fueled each band, the 60+ characters represented, and the book-long tribute to a city that seems to give each generation its own little present to keep for themselves (and of course later declare better than anyone else's). Bravo to Lizzy Goodman for obtaining an unfathomable participation rate when a half-count would still have made a good book and, in contrast to one reviewer below in need of an author's presence, I say further kudos to Ms. Goodman for having the wherewithal and total lack of ego to let the voices speak for themselves. Her presence is the book. Brilliant work.
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123
4.0 out of 5 stars but loved the music
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 2, 2018
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An insider's peak behind the curtain of a burgeoning rock scene w/ eventual Rock Stars!(at least for a few years). Very interesting for an outsider who grew up during that time and observed from a distance, but loved the music. It feels very authentic, due to the format and personal stories. The book paints a picture of NY for those who have never visited.

This book has inspired me to go back and listen to the music I loved at the time(Yeah Yeah Yeahs), along with introducing me to new bands(Interpol) that I missed. That's all you can ask for in a book; along with being very entertaining.
JD
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Coco
3.0 out of 5 stars It's, um, ok.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 15, 2017
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It's okay. It didn't make me 'wish I was there', as per John Harris's review. Partly because there isn't really a 'there'. It's not like Edie, the tremendous oral history by Jean Stein and George Plimpton, which creates a very vivid sense of the Warhol / 60s Manhattan scene. More gossip and trivia and bitching. Maybe the author was too much part of it to be able to stand back and take an objective view - she includes photographs of herself in the plates of the people she is writing about.

I think that part of my gripe is the price of the book. £17 was way too much. At typical paperback pricing it might have got a three and a half.
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Vincent J Ives
5.0 out of 5 stars As close as you'll get to being there in 2019
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 3, 2019
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If, like everyone else, you adored 2001's 'Is This It', then this oral history of the New York scene before and after will be hugely enjoyable. The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, and LCD Soundsystem probably get the most devoted coverage, but the interviews reach as far as Vampire Weekend, while covering Jonathan Fire*Eater, Kings of Leon, the Walkmen and many other smaller players along the way. Occasionally stories contradict each other (what came first, Ryan Adams or Heroin? is a real chicken/egg scenario as far as The Strokes are concerned), but those moments only serve to make the book more entertaining (and let's face it, in the current climate I'd be surprised if anyone takes Adams' side). My only minor gripe with this otherwise great read is that in other oral histories I've read, the first time a new interviewee is mentioned you get parentheses stating who they are. That's not the case here, and so you'll find yourself constantly referring back to the (thankfully alphabetical) list of contributors found at the start of the book. Overall though, loved it.
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Ed, North London
3.0 out of 5 stars The Early Noughties In Crowd
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 25, 2020
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It was really disappointing that the kindle edition of this book doesn't have any photos.

There are parts of the book that are interesting, the genesis of DFA and electroclash, but also parts which feel like an interminable list of scenesters dropping names and telling anecdotes to let you know how cool they were.

Kind of like being trapped in the bar of Soho House in the early 00's listening to a load of journalists and industry dudes telling coked up anecdotes about The Strokes, James Murphy et al.

This book has it's interesting bits, but overall if you LOVE Interpol and The Strokes and have a massive nostalgia for that era of Indie you may be more enticed than I was.
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Angus
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2021
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Entertaining read.
I’m a big fan of The Strokes, Interpol and Kings of Leon so I’ve had this book recommended to me a few times.
I learnt some facts and history about my favourite albums which is great.
And Paul Banks made me laugh a few times with his stories..!
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Mr. John D. Mcgonagle
3.0 out of 5 stars I'm conflicted - it's fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 5, 2022
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I'm conflicted - it's fun. Big names of the scene are, impressively, on the record. But you realise its mostly about cocaine and bitching, rather than songwriting. Flicking back to the index of contributors gets tedious.
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