Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me

February 8, 2016
Freelance pop-culture writer Hyden puts his knowledge of pop music and pop culture on full display in his first book. Though the premise of debating the merits of one band or artist over another may seem a bit contrived, Hyden notes in the preface that he is “not interested in settling these arguments,” which allows him to take his deliberations in fun and original directions. For instance, investigating his own dislike of Blur and his love of Oasis leads Hyden to quote early 20th-century sociologist Charles Cooley, so that he can talk about “how a person’s indemnity is shaped by... the ways in which that individual thinks he or she is perceived by others.” In another example, Pearl Jam versus Nirvana evolves into an exploration of what’s more important: sacrifice or survival. If Nick Hornby’s writing had a love child with Chuck Klosterman’s, the result would be Hyden’s clever prose, as evidenced by his funny-because-it’s-true line about Eric Clapton: “He’s the Vince Carter of guitar legends.” By combining music journalism and pop psychology with some of his own life lessons, Hyden has created a literary mix tape that will be music to pop-culture junkies and the music-obsessed. Agent: Anthony Mattero, Foundry Literary.

April 15, 2016
What we talk about when we talk about the Beatles vs. the Stones, Hendrix vs. Clapton, and Biggie vs. Tupac.In his first book, music critic Hyden makes a whimsical, semiserious, somewhat wearisome personal attempt to plumb famous musical rifts for deeper truths, and he succeeds a little more than half the time. In some cases, the showdown between major acts reveals the assumptions of the audience. Is Oasis the conventional band and Blur the more discerning one, or is Oasis honest and straightforward while Blur struggles under the weight of its own pretentiousness? Is Jimi Hendrix more popular than Eric Clapton because he died young, while the surviving guitar god is doomed to shrink into mediocrity? Hyden also focuses on how musical acts are formed by their struggles and rivals, such as the way Pearl Jam was pushed in new directions by Nirvana. The author makes a fascinating case that Jack White's famous public loathing for the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach is really about male one-upmanship and that the dustup between Miley Cyrus and Sinead O'Connor represents a generation gap between very different types of rebels, each talking past the other. Unfortunately, Hyden has less to say as the book goes along, and his attempt to make ever more off-the-wall connections becomes desperate, such as when he compares Roger Waters and his estranged band mates in Pink Floyd to Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien; or when he decides the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus are kind of like Nixon and JFK. There's certainly an autobiographical element to all this, as Hyden tries to squeeze life lessons of maturity from every battle, but he ultimately comes off sounding older rather than wiser. Other rivalries explored include Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West, Toby Keith vs. the Dixie Chicks, and Prince vs. Michael Jackson. A pop-culture journey to self-realization that makes some intriguing stops before it runs out of gas.

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Starred review from March 15, 2016

For those who have argued late into the night with their friends about why one band is better than another, this title will grab them from the minute music critic Hyden (Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation?) starts with Oasis vs. Blur. He covers 19 rivalries going all the way back to the obvious Beatles/Rolling Stones, but the majority of the chapters examine bands that have been prominent during the past quarter century. The author uses the rivalries as a jumping-off point to talk about not only the musicians, but also the meaning of the conflicts, skillfully applying the arguments to a discussion of his own experience. Even the most knowledgeable music fan will learn from Hyden's musings, and anyone with a sense of humor will find his prose laugh-out-loud funny. There's also a surprising amount of poignancy, such as his exploration of the odd relationship between the White Stripes' Jack White and the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. This is a wide-ranging, hilarious, and smart look at both expected and surprising matches mixed with autobiography. VERDICT An outstanding piece of pop culture writing for readers who consider music an important part of their lives.--Craig L. Shufelt, Fort Erie P.L., Ont.

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