
Party of One
A Memoir in 21 Songs
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Narrated by:
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Dave Holmes
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By:
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Dave Holmes
About this listen
From former MTV VJ Dave Holmes, the hilarious memoir of a perpetual outsider fumbling toward self-acceptance, with the music of the '80s, '90s, and today as his soundtrack.
Dave Holmes has spent his life on the periphery, nose pressed hopefully against the glass, wanting just one thing: to get inside. Growing up, he was the artsy son in the sporty family. At his all-boys high school and Catholic college, he was the closeted gay kid surrounded by crush-worthy straight guys. And in his 20s, in the middle of a disastrous career in advertising, he accidentally became an MTV VJ overnight when he finished second, naturally, in the Wanna Be a VJ contest, opening the door to fame, fortune, and celebrity - you know, almost.
In Party of One, Holmes tells the hilariously painful and painfully hilarious tales - in the vein of Rob Sheffield, Andy Cohen, and Paul Feig - of an outsider desperate to get in, of a misfit constantly changing shape, of a music geek who finally learns to accept himself. Structured around a mix of hits and deep cuts from the last four decades - from Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" and En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" to LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge" and Bleachers' "I Wanna Get Better" - and punctuated with interludes like "So You've Had Your Heart Broken in the 1990s: A Playlist" and "Notes on (Jesse) Camp", this book is for anyone who's ever felt like a square peg, especially those who have found their place in the world around a band, an album, or a song. It's a laugh-out-loud funny, deeply nostalgic story about never fitting in, never giving up, and letting good music guide the way.
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Critic reviews
Charming, nostalgic and honest
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This Book Is For You
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Quick interesting listen!
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Relaxed, funny narration
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He is a wonderful writer with smart and funny observations and the ability to make the reader feel as if they are in a one on one conversation with the author.
It is an engaging, funny, self-depreciating and poignant book. The chapters are vignettes that are strung together to tell the story of life by a talented storyteller. And the author brings you along--inviting you to his party.
Party of One on One with a great storyteller
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Funny? Yes! Relatable? Surprisingly so!
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I'm going to listen again and tell everyone to buy this book
Loved Dave Holmes before love him more now
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BUY THIS NOW.
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Funny and heartfelt.
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"Susanna Hoffs was gouda." Priceless.
Any additional comments?
Recently I heard Dave on a satellite radio show called "My Favorite Song," and I was quite taken with his taste & found him so interesting that I was eager to check out his book. I REALLY related to him on many, many levels. I totally would have wanted to be part of the group of friends he describes from his school boy days who didn't fit in to any clique apart from the awkward, closeted, grammatically correct, music-obsessed teens who are overflowing with insecurity. Dave's tales provide us another fabulous example of "we're not alone" and "it gets better."
This is his life story in bits & pieces, each under the umbrella of an appropriate song from his playlist of favorites. Hearing him tell the storeis is even better than reading them because you get to hear his nuances... the tiny little ways he infuses a line delivery. Several of them land like punchlines. I had no idea he had such a strong comedy/improv background. That really shows here, both in how he views & relates to the world & in how he crafts the story he's telling. I found myself smiling throughout... I just loved it. I wholeheartedly recommend it, especially to anyone who grew up in the 80s, and even more especially if you're a gay man who feels like none of the usual stereotypes apply to you. #ComingOfAge #Clever #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes
It feels like he's my friend now
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