This is my first reading of anything by Chuck Klosterman and for the most part I enjoyed it. He displays his vast knowledge of pop culture in ways that amuse, sometimes going for more laughs than others. Whatever he gloats over (Saved By The Bell, Mr. Kellogg, Axl Rose & more) he breaks down in inventive ways to reveal the mechanics of their power. My favorite essay involved his hanging out with a Gun’s N’ Roses cover band, pointing out the silliness of their dream but nicely managing never to make fun of it. Thankfully he admits to not being above the pull of pop culture otherwise the reader would have had the taste of a lie on their tongues essay after essay. I disagreed as much as I agreed with his conclusions but he made his points well enough that I could live with it. Personal tastes have to be lived with and can be as long as there is reciprocation. Sometimes the hipster veneer covers us all—that gloss of pretentious self importance composed of pop culture touchstones and being part of an advertisers favorite demographics—but it gets thinner the more you open your eyes. Youth and the misapplication of importance often go hand in hand. Some essays didn’t seem complete—specifically his take on breakfast cereals and his take on the Lakers/Celtics rivalry but on the whole the essays and their sharp introductions will provoke some laughs and thoughts. I’d be curious to read more…but I am not running out right this minute to find it.