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EELS leader Mark Oliver Everett writes a book:
How does one young man survive the deaths of his entire family and manage to make something worthwhile of his life? In Things The Grandchildren Should Know Mark Oliver Everett tells the story of what it's like to grow up the insecure son of a genius in a wacky Virginia Ice Storm-like family. Left to run wild with his sister, his father off in some parallel universe of his own invention, Everett's upbringing was 'ridiculous, sometimes tragic and always unsteady.' But somehow he manages to not only survive his crazy upbringing and ensuing tragedies -- he makes something of his life -- striking out on a journey to find himself by channeling his experiences into his, eventually, critically acclaimed music with the Eels. But it's not an easy path. Told with surprising candor, Things The Grandchildren Should Know is an inspiring and remarkable story, full of hope, humor and wry wisdom.
"E's story is a good example of the way an adverse life in childhood and adolescence shapes an artist, creates eccentricity and ultimately contributes to brilliance. This is one of the best books ever written by a contemporary artist. I learned more about my own business and my own methods by reading this book than I did by reading the life of Chuck Berry, Elvis or David Bowie." - Pete Townshend
"How do you think it felt finding out that one of my favorite rock stars in history is also a better, funnier, and more touching writer than I am after 10 years at Time magazine?" -Joel Stein, Time Magazine
"The Kurt Vonnegut of rock" - Rolling Stone
"Things The Grandchildren Should Know is nothing like the lurid rock-star confessionals that crowd the bookstore shelves. Instead it is, like the music of Eels, intellectual, wry and unflinching as it conveys complex emotions with simple, graceful language."- Los Angeles Times
"Talk about a heartbreaking story of staggering genius."- LA Weekly
"Everett comes across as a clear-eyed and emotionally affecting writer." - Spin
"A great big grin of a book, winced out through gritted teeth." - Kirkus Reviews
'Eels singer Mark "E" Oliver Everett relates the intensely strange, sad, true story of his typically atypical American family - disconnected genius father; substance-abusing, doomed sister; burdened mother and no good son - with such spare, matter-of-fact clarity... I've never read a better book by a musician than this superior chronicle of suburban madness.'- Word magazine
'Where it could be self-pitying it's actually uplifting. As a book about the creative process, and the circumstances propelling that process, it's revealing, grimly humorous and just about peerless' – 4 stars,
Q magazine
'On the page, he just speaks, and continues to speak, in a cleverly uninflected way, minimising the surface area of drama and pain, even when recalling how his father's ashes were put out with the rubbish. Crucially, Everett picks the right stories to tell. A rare skill in the writers of memoirs. It makes you trust every word coming off the end of Everett's fingers. His book is a subtle, touching thing' - The Sunday Times
'With Things The Grandchildren Should Know, Mark Everett, a relative youngster aged only 44, has created one of the most humane, funny and least egotistical books written by a musician'
– The Sunday Tribune
'...moving, sometimes comic... some artists fake sincerity but E is the real thing' - The Daily Telegraph
'crackling with a staccato rage, he comes clean about bad times, good times and finally getting to be a grown-up on his own terms' - The Times
'Rock autobiogs have been thick on the ground over the past year or two. Everett's, however, is in a different class from his fellow guitar-stranglers', partly because he became an indie cult hero rather than a global superstar, and partly because his unique sensibility is as apparent in his prose as in his music. This book isn't just for devotees. Even those unfamiliar with or indifferent to, Everett's work will still enjoy meeting him'
– The Independent
'... candid and touching memoir. With the same sincerity and wit of his songs, Everett explores how creativity offers him the chance to make peace with a seemingly relentless series of tragedies... peppered with insights into the tawdry motives of the music industry, this is primarily a story of spirited resilience from one of pop's most maverick survivors'
– 4 stars,
Metro
a salutary, and timely, picture of the lot of the indie artist in the record industry today. I began this book knowing nothing of Eels and expecting it to be one for the fans; I finished it humming "Novocaine for the Soul" and suspecting I might now even be a bit of a fan myself' - The Guardian
'... hugely anticipated and utterly riveting... his is a jaw-dropping story told with candour, self awareness and total lack of self pity' - London Paper
'More than the recurrent tragedies and personal loss, however, what comes off the page is optimism and, frequently, humour. Everett's underdog charm and ability to tell a story keeps us rooting for him until the end' – Sunday Business Post
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Things The Grandchildren Should Know is published in the UK by Little, Brown January 17, 2008.
UK paperback edition now available HERE.
American edition is published by St. Martin's Press October 14, 2008. Purchase U.S. hardback edition HERE.
US paperback edition now available HERE.
Australia edition available HERE.
German language edition available HERE.
Spanish language edition available HERE.
Italian language edition available HERE.
French language edition available HERE.
UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOK 4 CD VERSION:
Purchase US Audiobook
Purchase UK Audiobook
UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOAD:
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iTunes UK
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The English language edition is now available in these countries:
France
Switzerland
Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Spain
Cyprus
Iceland
Transvaal
India
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