Dead Dad Club

By: Katie Moulton

Narrated by: Katie Moulton

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

What are the limits of what the past can return to us—and can we make the record jump the loop?

Dead Dad Club is the lucid, prismatic memoir of Katie Moulton, a millennial music critic who grew up in a die-hard rock-and-roll family, about her father’s unexpected death from addiction shortly before her 17th birthday, and the music obsession she inherited from him that shaped her early adulthood. A quintessentially American tale about family, grief, identity, and dependency, set in the Midwest and scored in the writer’s imagination by the timeless Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 

Dead Dad Club follows Katie as she navigates her grief and moves to Bloomington, Indiana–the town where her parents began their love story–to write and work as a radio DJ, spinning records that defined her father, a former record-store manager, and her relationship to him. In struggling to carve out her own space, she grapples with the inevitable questions of one’s 20s: How should we relate to our families as we become our own people? Are we fated to become our parents, or can we change the narrative? 

Scored with entirely original music by Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall, Dead Dad Club collapses the space between joy and sorrow, and what emerges is a personal yet universal story that spans genres and eras, richly told with tenderness, humor, and the knowledge of how nostalgia colors our lives—even as we endeavor to push forward past our grief. 

©2022 Katie Moulton (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

An Amazing Journey with Katie and Tom

Katie Moulton has pulled off the rare feat of being introspective without being overly indulgent. I almost didn't select this book because of the title. Other than country and geography, I don't share much in common with this writer but I connected with her love of music (live and recorded) and dealing with loss. The audiobook provides the opportunity to hear the writer speak her story in her own voice.

Haunting debut

This audiobook fully embraces its medium, pairing a beautifully written, complex, and deeply engaging story with an original music score and a writer who truly knows how to read her own work (a rare skill in and of itself!). In addition to a narrative that would be excellent in any format, Dead Dad Club is impressively edited and a compelling listen. I meant to parcel it out over a week but binged it in a day.

Compelling memoir

Great weaving of different stories into one cohesive work. Moulton masterfully connects each section (that read like essays) with strong themes and a through line of mourning, growth, and Tom Petty.

Disarmingly Honest & Brutally Frank

In "Dead Dad Club" music producer, music and concert critic, disc jockey, Katie Moulton tells a family story, as a witness to an era, through the history of music, rock, and rock & roll. Well told, even the saddest details are interesting.

"Life's too short to stare at the back of someone's head", she says. 

Magnificently Deep

Katie Moulton’s story is one of inspiration. She speaks through the universal language of music, carrying us down a river of lifelong emotions. For those who have experienced any kind of loss, big or small, this work shows you the kinds of connections that can be made to both embrace and overcome the challenges that come along with such loss.

Katie Moulton’s narration is heartfelt, and the accompanying musical arrangement adds the perfect touch to her story.

loved it!

a moving contemplation of grief, fandom, and connection across time and space. original score is lovely

Skipping

The recording skipped a few times. Some times I didn’t mind because I missed what was said anyways. Other times I thought it was ads because I’ve been listening to Audible for a few years now and this is the first book to do this.

Felt like the story ended to soon. I would have liked more, but that is just me.

Worthy of a six star review

If I could give this book and reading a six star review, I would. Moulton’s writing is like floating on a river, in turn lulling, mesmerizing, quickening and sparkling. Thank you.

Background audio/music

I love how books like this have background music, while the author is reading. This book resonated with me so much, because I myself used to be a DJ. I know full well what it’s like to speak on the radio, and how to speak when on the air. Also, I just could not put the book down.

A biography of sorts

it was good but not what I expected. A personal tribute by the author to Tom Petty and crew as well as some other musical artists. and it seems she worked through her grief. It's well written but viewed from the perspective of a youthful adult re life and music according one who hasn't lived fully to experience all life can show us.