This is a book review on The Storyteller by Dave Grohl. Earlier in January 2024, a friend passed along this book to me. From what I understand, her husband had just read the book, knew that music played a big role in my life…and by the time January arrived, I had already submitted my resignation from Cornell University….not because of the job or division I worked in….but due to the treatment I continued to be subjected to at the university administration level. The friend who passed the book along from her husband was aware of some of the challenges that I was dealing with from my health and other fun things related to Cayuga County, NY. I had also shared with her previously, that I had started keeping notes and a journal on my health journey. Up to that point, I had not been sharing any of the things I was writing with anyone. I mentioned it to a few people, however, I still hadn’t figured out what I was doing, other than at first creating “symptoms updates” for my doctors, and then started transitioning into more detailed writing so as not to change the structure of the health updates journal. As I was starting the journal, the intent was really just to capture symptoms updates for my doctors, nothing too detailed…just a listing by date and a fairly close to daily updates being entered. However, as my health journey continued…to get interesting….I started expanding more on the few sentences I was capturing in those daily notes. Shortly thereafter, I started having what I called “free flow writing” and soon after, I started making the notation…“see other document”…but had not really figured out what this “other document exactly was or what structure it would take. This person also knew some information I shared with her about some of the writing I had started working on about a year and a half prior to her giving this book, written by Dave Grohl, to me.
For those who may not be aware, Dave Grohl has an established career as musician with a long list of achievements as a musical artist and much more. He is probably most widely known as the drummer from the band Nirvana and the frontman for the band Foo Fighters. He is a very talented musician and, as I discovered after reading his book, a very talented writer. I have not thought of myself as a hardcore fan, however, I was very much into Nirvana when they first broke out into mainstream music…I was an undergraduate at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and absolutely remember the first time I heard Nirvana’s first big song to hit mainstream – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” - off the incredible album – Nevermind. I was actually hanging out at one of the bars I regularly frequented to meet up and play air hockey with a guy I met there. I never really hung out with this guy much, other than whenever we saw each other at the bar – which we both frequented as it was a true college bar that was packed any day of the week. This could have been due to the fact that the bar would regularly host $0.01 (yes penny) beer night…then due to ongoing debauchery…the price was raised to $0.05 beer night…and further debauchery led to $0.25 beer night…then upon complaints of the neighbor businesses…the bar went to $1 pitcher night – bring your own pitcher…regardless of the size. This did not really solve much other than having a bunch of drunk college students still stumbling around…but it gave a really good excuse to go out and listen to some music…especially live music. Because Bloomington, IN is located with a reasonable drive of Indianapolis, IN….Cincinnati, OH, and Louisville, KY. This ideal location, plus a 35,000+ strong student population just at Indiana University alone, it was not uncommon to have bands, or individual members of bands pass through Bloomington and get on stage with whoever was playing for a song or two. There is an awesome music scene in Bloomington, IN.
I never got to see Nirvana…but clearly remember (despite the penny beers)…when the album Nevermind hit the streets as songs from it were regularly played everywhere. This guy I used to play air hockey with was also very much into music and we both had a deep appreciation for Nirvana and the whole grunge rock music scene which at the time, was just starting to rear it’s head outside of the Pacific Northwest. The funny part about it…is while this guy and I got along great when we met up at the bar…he and I never hung out outside of playing air hockey at this bar and sharing drinks and stories. Then we parted ways until we met up again at the air hockey table. It got to the point, at least for me, where I actually looked forward to going to that bar…not just for the crazy drink specials, but to play air hockey with this guy. There wasn’t any set meeting time or any of that, we didn’t know each other…besides playing air hockey and the conversation around the table in between matches. In addition to discussing this new-to-me music…grunge…which he was very familiar with coming from the Pacific Northwest. The other thing we had in common was an appreciation for a good game of air hockey. We were both fairly evenly matched up in terms of skills….which led to some amazing air hockey games. After numerous times of use playing and taking turns at the table…like with any air hockey table at a bar…people started watching us because the games were fairly evenly matched up. There wasn’t any real trash talking or taunting or any of that…it was two air hockey warriors challenging each other’s skills…and challenging ourselves. I very much appreciated the skill this guy had because playing against him definitely continued to improve my skills. I also enjoyed air hockey matches with him because at the end of the day, it wasn’t so much about winning or losing….it was about challenge and learning…for me at least. I’m guessing we were on the same page on that…as was our interest in grunge music. At some point, I believe our air hockey matches came to an end because he graduated. I was starting a masters degree so I was still hanging around Bloomington. But like many college bars, new owners come and go and similar to the other bars in that true college town, new management of the bar was hired and that was the last I saw of the air hockey table. I found another bar to hang out, but for the pool tables…which was really a passion of mine. I still really enjoy a good game of air hockey though and have a hard time passing up a table when I see one. This is probably due to me growing up in the North Country in New York State where hockey is embedded into the culture. Sometimes in retrospect, I wonder what would have happened had I chose to play air hockey in high school, instead of shooting on the rifle team. Both were winter sports, so for me it was going to have to be one or the other due to logistical reasons. I’m fairly positive I would have been a good hockey player as it’s a game that has many similarities that I could point out that match up pretty closely with how I like to operate….work together as a team…carry out different strategies to achieve goals, play by the rules, including making use of some hip checking….but then at the end of the day…take off the gloves if needed and go for it! Perhaps that’s just me…but I suspect Dave Grohl and other people like him are of the same mindset because in many respects, hockey does demonstrate many of the same qualities that can be seen in people who are fighters and survivors.
When I was given Dave Grohl’s book, I knew it was going to be good because I had read a cursory review on it saying how good it was. In reality though, I knew it would be good because Dave Grohl wrote it. I had listened to his music and lyrics over the years. He is an incredibly talented musician and the lyrics to his songs truly resonate with me. Similarly to a lot of musical artists though, I wouldn’t consider myself to be a huge Foo Fighters or Nirvana fan per se…although I really enjoy the music. It’s more about having an immense amount of respect for bands like the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and the various band members…for what they bring to the table to form the band. By default of that alone, I went into reading the book both knowing it was going to be good…as well as getting to know more about a person who I already had an immense amount of respect for…not just because of his musical talents….but because of his life and how he dealt with what are some of the most difficult experiences that any one person has to go through. The biggest key point for me specifically about Dave Grohl, as it is with other people….whether they are famous or rock stars or whoever…was that Dave Grohl is a fighter and a survivor. So am I….so by nature…I was already interested in learning more about his life and more details of what he went through, because those are where lessons learned truly come from. Tough challenges in life that are overcome and which for some people, is the thing that takes them down to a lower points in their lives…and for other people…like Dave Grohl, myself, and a whole lot of others…there is a rebirth of even more strength and determination…regardless of how challenging the situation we get thrown into. We live, we learn, we move forward…and try to keep doing better…over and over again…as long as it takes. You fall down, you get back up. You get knocked down, you get back up. You get knocked down and kicked in the gut, you get back up. You get attacked and beaten up to a pulp (metaphorically speaking), and you get back up. And depending on your personal beliefs…you are born, you live your life, your physical bodies dies, but then you get back up and move forward trying to be an even better person on the next round. At the end of the day, it’s a philosophy of a fighter and a survivor and those of us that are out there… absolutely have an attraction towards each other and each other’s lives whether we consciously know that or not…it’s just a natural occurrence.
Besides my general knowledge of Dave Grohl’s background that most people have seen in the public forum, I also had a connection with Dave’s life just due to the fact that we grew up roughly around the same time period and, after reading his book, I realized we listened to and we’re influenced by much of the same type of music when we were both growing up…which is really not surprising considering how much I enjoy the music from the bands he has played in. However, I did not realize the level of connection and similarities that we also shared at a much deeper level…just due to our life experiences. With the one big exception being that he became a rock star…and I just drink Rock Star…which has been one of my favorite beverages since I first discovered it. I also knew there would be a connection just based on tragedies that we each have faced over our lives as well too. So in fairness, I went into reading his book already somewhat biased knowing that it was going to be a good stor,y and that I was going to learn more about this person and their life. An individual whom I already had some knowledge of and already had a whole lot of respect for as a human being. Dave hit the nail on the head in his book when he was discussing sharing similar DNA with other people….which at the end of the day….all human beings at the core level…are truly each other’s brothers and sisters. I’ve witnessed it my whole life and believe in part why you can meet people for the first time and have an instant connection without even knowing them…because there comes a moment when the natural laws kick in and you can recognize intuitively those people upon whom you have this type of connection with. The reverse is also true when you encounter people who are good at being chameleons and can manipulate others, but these people always get exposed…and when I encounter them, I keep my distance as there are plenty of other people out there who have respect for their honor and integrity and the ACTIONS that take to truly be part of the human family tree.
By the time I finished ready the book…The Storyteller…I just sat back both amazed, inspired, and dumbfounded…pretty much as I sit here writing this article. I could not believe how similar a background I share with Dave Grohl and various aspects of his life and his approach to life. On one hand I wasn’t too surprised, as I mentioned, I knew the guy was a fighter and a survivor…I just could not get over the similarities at the specific level of details that matched up with my own life. Especially with the personal nightmare that I have been going through for almost two years now. The personal nightmare that has tried tearing me, my family, my friends, my coworkers and so many other people apart…all being driven by sweet family greed and with some of the most grotesque levels of narcissism imaginable. Behaviors and tactics that I would never even wish upon a sworn enemy. There is a big difference between trying to succeed at the expense of other people and that of pure maliciousness and nothing short of what are defining characteristics of the term “evil”. The utter disregard for anyone and everything at any cost imaginable…but then to take it a step even farther and actively seek out to “destroy” another human being…for the pure pleasure of doing so. These types of individuals have already sealed their fate and their time and justice will come…not just their time on this planet, but long afterwards…and that too is one of the natural laws.
A big difference between people is how they approach, deal with, and respond to such encounters with these “evil weasels”…as I like to call them. How do you respond when challenges get thrown at you that are beyond imagination or beyond comprehension in what people think of in a “normal” situation. The fact is that every human being has had varying degrees of tragedies in their lives from things such as a pet hamster passing way…to the loss of a parent or family member…to the early death of someone you care about…especially if it’s before their time and at their own hands. While each example is very different from an initial look…every human being looks at each of these situations differently and the impacts on each person can be very different from one to the next for similar situations. It’s not so much about the specific instance or example…it’s more about how a particular situation affects an individual…at their core level…at their foundation of what it means to be human…that it to say…the impact it has on their soul. One easy example for me personally is what happened when my beloved dog passed away. Those people who knew me well and had met my little girl, knew that her passing to me was nothing short of me losing a child…because she was my only child…as I don’t have any children of my own…which was a voluntary choice. To the far extreme, while some people genuinely meant well…their suggestions that I “could just get a new puppy”…which wasn’t meant purposefully in a harmful way, they just didn’t understand the level and depth of the connection this beautiful creature had on my soul. This too in contrast to the evil weasels who were actively threatening and planning to steal my deceased dog’s ashes…in order to cause as much harm as possible to me…which resulted in forcing me to keep her ashes locked up…so I didn’t come home some day only to find them missing…or rather…stolen for pure malicious pleasure. I have no doubt had that happened, I would have also received letters of extortion asking for money for them to be returned or basically requiring me to sell my soul to get them back. Yes, those type of people still very much exist today and yes that is a very true story that is part of my ongoing personal nightmare…and that is only one small example of what I was subjected to. The witchcraft books left laying around the house as my health continued to decline are another example. Funny how my health started improving after I left. Think about it…actively coming up with plans on how to steal the ashes of a deceased loved one in order to cause the most intense level of pain that can be thought of…for that day…only to be superseded with the next day’s thoughts and plans to come up with something even more devastating…day after day after day…in an effort to cause more physical and mental suffering to drive someone into the ground faster…going on two years….how sweet is that? These types of people very much are around and operating unabated and continue to do so and being wholeheartedly supported by various groups and Big Red organizations….talk about Home Sweet Home….
As I read Dave’s book, besides just being amazed at some of the similarities, I was also chuckling to myself with some of the finer details that matched up within my own life. It’s not so much that Dave Grohl went to specific places or locations that I have visited….or that Dave Grohl likes this type of food or movie…or things like that. It’s at a much deeper level of how the specific examples point to how a person lives their lives and more importantly, how those examples and events impact and transform their lives. I would also argue that things like this transcend into a much deeper level as they can almost be viewed as common threads among many people that help describe an individual’s DNA and the soul that rests within each and every one of us. Dave touches on this topic of DNA in his book and I also found that to be very interesting. We all get presented with different life experiences…both good and bad…and there are also things that we do or may be attracted to doing…that in so many respects define who we are at the core level….down to our souls. There has been plenty of research along these lines related to leadership studies that I have been personally interested in. It’s not so much that if you do “X”…you will therefore think or act like “Y”…and then behave in manners such as “Z”. Quite the contrary, nothing is predetermined, however, there are natural tendencies that shake out of people’s personalities and behaviors in what they believe, things they do in their lives, what they are attracted to…and what makes up their DNA…as they are natural tendencies. I am also a firm believer that every human being has the capacity to be very successful at wherever their passion leads them…if they are willing to follow that passion with the dedication, commitment, energy, and drive that is required…regardless of the hurdles, obstacles, and challenges they encounter to achieve their goals…what ACTION they take to achieve their goals. As I have stated before in several other articles…procrastination has killed more dreams than anything I know…because procrastination leads to missed opportunities and opportunities are what shape our lives…both opportunities taken as well as missed opportunities. A key factor and difference between those people who are successful and those who still struggle…is not so much how many or what frequency or quality of opportunities we are presented with in our lives…but what we do with those opportunities that are presented to us. This includes not only the opportunities we pursue, but also how we respond to missed opportunities….those that are consciously not taken for whatever reason as well as those that we don’t take due to procrastination. The defining characteristic that applies to both circumstances is what lessons did you learn through that particular opportunity…taken or missed. It all goes back to living the life of a professional student in my opinion. When you approach life from the standpoint of “live and learn”…the opportunities that are provided to you are endless, and in that case, both opportunities…taken and missed…all still help you to achieve success. This is, if you use the information that is provided to you through these experiences and this in turn generates some sort of ACTION on your part. It’s really that simple…at least in my book of life.
Throughout Dave’s book, I was laughing to myself with each page at how he was using the written language to tell his story. I found his writing style is similar to mine in the sense that it is meant to elicit more of a personal connection versus just simply telling a story or describing something. His writing was able to bring back both good and bad memories for me and pull-out emotions that I don’t always let come out. Not that I try to keep the painful stuff shoved deep inside of me, I don’t…I may not always discuss these things publicly…as of late because I have been forced to in order to counter the attempts at defamation of my character, but I let those painful feelings and emotions to express themselves in other ways…like listening to music and letting the music pull it out from me. Or I use physical exercise to expend those emotions and get them out in a healthy way. I didn’t always do that consistently and fell into the same pitfalls that other people fall into drowning their pain and suffering in whatever is their fancy…it’s human nature. I’m not at all surprised at Dave Grohl’s writing style because I’ve listened to his music for so many years and knew he was a gifted songwriter. This is something I don’t think he truly gets the credit for that he deserves...but he certainly put an exclamation point behind that with the writing of this book.
I’ve been challenged by my best friend to write a book on not just what I have experienced over these last two years related to my personal nightmare, but more importantly, how I have been able to deal with it all. The personal nightmare on top of my health issues….which in a very large part has been one of the main reasons for my personal nightmare. My health issues are not my personal nightmare, the health issues have been a main driver for those evil weasels to subject me to the type of abuse and treatment they took so much pleasure in doing…as they still do today even as I write this article. Pure malicious pleasure in causing as much pain and suffering with the hopes of putting me in the ground sooner than Mother Nature is ready for me….and all for sweet family greed…for money they will never see…they will only get their pleasure in trying to do me what was promised…to “destroy” me (how’s that working out for you sweetie?). How funny is it that people actually have it in them as a goal to want to do that do another human being? When dealing with the type of health issues I have been handed…talk about “live and let die”! Not for anything other than the pleasure of being able to do these things because they have the backing of a corrupt legal system and a Big Red support structure that continues forward unabated to encourage and allow that type of behavior. They may try to break me physically, mentally, and financially…but they will never break my spirit. This is what my best friend wants me to capture in writing and why he challenged me. I had some ideas about putting something like that together, however, it’s a complicated task to consider assembling something of that nature. Fortunately, I was able to extract some really good ideas from Dave Grohl’s book that helped clarify my own thinking in terms of organization and presentation. His book was really just that well written and more importantly had that big of an impact on me.
My family has distinguished military service running as far back as the civil war. One of my relatives was actually formally recognized by the governor of New York at the time for his bravery as being the only soldier who returned from a civil war battle in which a forced retreat happened. He was the only soldier who brought his equipment back with him…and that equipment was his drum. He had enlisted at too young of an age to be able to carry a gun, but he still wanted to serve his country during the civil war…so they made him the drummer boy. During this forced retreat, the rest of the soldiers had to leave their arms and other gear…but chose not to leave anything. He carried his drum into battle…and returned back with his drum. This was formally recognized by the government at the time for him doing this….it’s a true story. Growing up most of my initial favorite musical artists were drummers…and still are to this day. I give credit to Peter Criss of KISS for giving me the motivation to take up drums…and yes…one Halloween…of course I dressed up like Peter Criss. To this day I still really enjoy listening to the solo album he did as a member of KISS, as well as the other solo albums the other members of the band produced when all four put out solo albums at that one moment in the band’s history. If you have not listened to those in a while…they are well worth revisiting and I would encourage you to check them out.
When the music bug truly grabbed me, I was too young to be a drummer – per the music teacher’s policies – so I took up coronet for one year, then the next year after my birthday…I immediately switched to drums. I did have a small drum set, but really wasn’t set up for doing that in the small house I grew up in, however, I did sign up for the junior high school band to be a drummer, and very much relished being a marching drummer. I carried that forward into high school but in 10th grade, I had to make a decision to either stay in band or switch over to the honors program. There was a conflict during the times band practiced and when certain honors level classes were being offered. So with the encouragement of my parents, despite what my passion was…I dropped out of band to continue with the honors classes. Kind of a bummer for a high schooler who loved music, but both my parents came from poor families, and they recognized that getting a good education would lead to freedom out of how they grew up as kids. Both of my parents chose the military to help them reach their goals as well. As my time is winding down and I am rediscovering my passions again, last year I purchased some drumsticks, an electronic drum set, and a marching drum and started taking some online lessons to get back in the groove. Of course there is the ever present air drumming while rocking out to Sirius XM – Hair Nation! I could write an entire article on how leadership style is tied to things and activities people participate in and pursue….especially drumming…but I’ll save that for another day.
My love for music truly took hold after listening to Led Zeppelin which not only resulted in me owning everyone of their albums, I went as far as to have the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven written down on a very small piece of paper that I used to carry around in my wallet. I would regularly read and memorize the lyrics in between classes or when the tune popped in my head. I’ve seen the film “The Song Remains The Same” so many times that I used to be able to tell you the list of songs from the soundtrack without looking at it. Then along came Ozzy Osbourne who I would argue is one my favorite if not my most favorite musical artist, as well as Alice Cooper…and many others. Similar to what Dave Grohl described as his childhood, as well as the time period this music was coming out…which I grew up during close to the same time period as he did. As our world continues to spin out of control…the music that came out during that time period almost seems even more applicable to today as it did back then. As with Dave Grohl and being attracted to that type of music based on where he grew up…the same held true for me in terms of where I grew up. In my case it was in the North Country in northern New York…and no…it’s not called “Upstate”…which isn’t even a region in New York State. For those who are not aware that New York State is a bigger state than what is found in New York City…my hometown is about 8 hours due north of New York City. There are actually very distinct regions in the state with each having their own subcultures…similar to any large state or country for that matter. As is known by people from there or who have friends or relatives from there, the North Country definitely has it’s own culture and way of life. The region also is heavily influenced to the southwest due to Fort Drum as well as (previously) to the northeast due to the Plattsburgh Air Force base. Combine that with my family line and history within the military…and the fact that I was literally conceived at Fort Drum…well, no one should be too surprised who I am and why I do things a certain way, and why I have some of the personal quirks that I do.
Dave Grohl went on in his book describing the different bands and musical artists that influenced his life and music, and with each name he kept mentioning, I kept smiling to myself and actually had to put the book down a few times just to reflect on this fact and the similarities of the influences. I really found a strong connection with his book from things like what he was describing as I found the same power and strength in music in a number of these same bands. I especially relied on this music when dealing with the various fun things I’ve had to deal with over my life…similar to some of the serious tragedies that Dave Grohl has gone through….and similarly how he used music to give him strength, power, and healing. The power of music is undeniable and the way he described this in his book was incredibly inspiring and powerful. It could have been just because he was talking about the same bands that I enjoy, but what kept driving his story to connect with me was the emotions that I could feel coming from reading the words he wrote. That alone made his book, or any others for that matter, stand out and grab onto me…reach deep inside and touched my soul through the pain and suffering that came through his words. They also brought forth the rebirth and strength he gained out of these experiences in his life. I feel the same about my own life looking back and going through what I am experiencing today…with no end in sight. It’s never fun to have to go through pain and suffering…and certainly not like the almost two years’ worth that I continue to be subjected to at the hands of malicious people, but at the end of the day…this is truly what makes each and every one of us stronger and better people in the end. There is so much truth that you cannot truly appreciate someone else’s pain and suffering unless you experience it yourself in one form or another. Sometimes it happens through related situations, in other cases, it’s the same basic situation. Perhaps someone else reading his book may not have experienced the same level of understanding that Dave conveys in his book…but I do…and I understand what he describes with his ability to fight back and move forward as a survivor…not a victim…but as a fighter and a survivor.
My music education continued throughout college and one class in particular still resonates with me, and this after having obtained three college degrees. I would still argue to this day that this one class – “The History of Rock and Roll” - was one of the best courses I ever took. Besides the textbook that went with the class, I also have watched a variety of documentaries on this topic and continue to listen to audiobooks on bands and individual members of bands that publish such books. Getting a better understanding of these musical artists and what is behind their music truly makes me appreciate both the music itself and it’s place in these artist’s lives. It also helps to convey the raw emotions that can be heard and felt through their music…these various bands that Dave described in his book. The stories he shared of his own life resonated with me from my own experiences and resulted in quite a bit of self-reflection as I made my way through the pages. The timing of reading this book too had just as much of a forceful, positive impact on me as well…despite some of the tragedies and experiences he described. That may at first sound strange…to associate some of what he describes as positive impacts…but it’s not the actual tragedies I am referring to…I am talking about the resilience Dave has shown and the positive outcomes he brought out of his life experiences. Even if I wasn’t going through this unending two year personal nightmare now, I would have still felt the inspiration and power his book delivers. It just happens to be right now at this time in my life…his words and description of those experiences and how he fought back…most certainly have helped me keep moving forward. It’s no small feat to not only get back up when you get knocked down…but to get knocked down…only to climb even higher, risking a bigger fall…but continue to get back up and climb higher and higher….that is what I am referring to about having such a positive impact.
While reading this book…I could not help but feeling the point that mirrors my own philosophy which is simply…the most challenging and worst of times has a tendency to bring out the true colors in people…for better or worse…until death do us part. When these times and situations happen to people…to everyone in one form or another…we are given a choice on how these situations influence our present moment and what we do with our future. The easiest path, and I would argue in our society of today, probably the more accepted path…is to feel victimized and let the forces of “being a victim” come to the rescue…with all of the strings attached to that line of thinking and behaviors. Alternatively, and there is no question in my mind about Dave Grohl falling into this category is…instead of being the victim…you become a fighter and a survivor…and a stronger one with each punch life throws out you….regardless of the maliciousness. For me personally…. it’s in my DNA to be a fighter and a survivor…literally. I have no other options. That doesn’t mean I am out there looking for fights, but when they are forced upon me in various ways and through various methods…even to the extreme of the Netflix Fargo-like series grotesque abuse I have been subjected too over these last two years…I have no option nor any other will to not fight back…and I will fight to the death if necessary. It’s just a simple fact that if anyone ever asked me why I am the way I am…I can answer that question and any variation on it by summing it up in one word and that being…”genetics”. If I was allowed to use a second word as a descriptor…that word would be “experience”. Unfortunately, like Dave Grohl, some of the my own experiences, even if I excluded this current personal nightmare, have been pretty substantial, but in all cases I came back stronger in a similar vein that Dave Grohl did. I also have a number of close personal friends that I have which also fall in the same category…which is one of the reasons they are my close friends….we share that DNA of life experiences. When people are fighters and survivors, they have a certain way about how they carry themselves, how they act, and what they will do…compared to other people in the same situations. These are the things that resonates with people who are like-minded. As mentioned, I always knew the Dave Grohl was a fighter and a survivor from my general background knowledge of him…but he did an amazing job at providing that confirmation through his words in this book.
The other points that came through loud and clear…like so many of Dave Grohl’s songs…was about how tragedies can and must be turned around to conquer one’s own pain and suffering, or fears…or whatever. Tragedies that he described do have the ability to reach deep within a person’s soul and pull out the best in people. These experiences force an internal reckoning where we have to make a choice of whether to be defined by such experiences…or in his case…as for myself and others…or to turn these experiences around to give us the strength, power, and comfort in such a way to not let these tragedies define us…but allow us to make use of such experiences to truly define who we are…at the core level our own being. It’s never easy nor fun when you are being dragged through the mud and kicked in the face when you are knocked down…let alone being subjected to malicious things for someone else’s pure and sick pleasure…but at the end of the day…the defining characteristic is to conquer fears and challenges and move forward in your life. All of which have the benefit of become a better and stronger person….as well as being better equipped to handle the next big thing handed to you. If you choose to live a fun and exciting life, then you just have to expect that life is going to do this to you so in many respects. However, you are better prepared to face the next big challenge and fun opportunity that gets handed to you…it’s called living a full life. These tragedies and experiences provide opportunities for improvement physically, mentally, and spiritually. The real big difference that Dave Grohl did an excellent job describing in his book relates to what people do with those opportunities….what truths about other people and ourselves get revealed through these processes…what ACTIONS do we take in response to what is forced upon us by the action of others or in other cases…what we brought upon ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s all about personal responsibility and how you define yourself…not how other people choose to define you through their actions…be that good or bad…or in my case…through grotesque abuse and mistreatment. I’ve done my best to continue to demonstrate how I am fighting back in my own personal nightmare…and Dave Grohl clearly described and demonstrated where he stands on matters through all of the incredible things he has done throughout his life….including the publication of this amazing and inspirational book.
If you have not had the opportunity to read Dave Grohl’s book – The Storyteller – I would highly recommend adding it to your reading list, and especially if you are facing challenging times now or still trying to recover from a recent or past tragedy or experience that still causes you pain and suffering. His words and the description of what he has done throughout his life are truly full of positive energy and inspiration. Even dealing with the level and intensity of the malicious abuse and treatment that I have been subjected to over these last two years…behavior driven by sweet family greed and what can be described as nothing short of pure evil…this book gave me hope and faith to keep marching forward….and that I shall do…forever.
Thank you Dave Grohl, for writing a truly inspirational piece of literary art…as you have done for so many years through your music. You continue to be a source of strength and positive thinking and energy to people all around the world.