Chuck Klosterman Presents Chuck Klosterman X

The Audio Companion to a Highly Specific and Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century

By: Chuck Klosterman

Narrated by: Chuck Klosterman

New York Times–bestselling author and cultural critic Chuck Klosterman presents a unique Audio Companion for Chuck Klosterman X, in which he contextualizes and reads from the collection of his best articles and essays, providing both a fascinating tour of the past decade and an ideal introduction to the mind of one of the sharpest and most prolific observers of our unusual times.

Klosterman has created an incomparable body of work in books, magazines, and newspapers, and on the Web. His writing spans the realms of culture and sports, while also addressing interpersonal issues, social quandaries, and ethical boundaries. Klosterman has written nine previous books, helped found and establish Grantland, served as the New York Times Magazine Ethicist, worked on film and television productions, and contributed profiles and essays to outlets such as GQ, Esquire, The A.V. Club, Billboard, and The Guardian.

Chuck Klosterman X collects the most intriguing of those pieces, and, for this Audio Companion, Klosterman offers intimate and exclusive commentary about each piece, telling stories about each one, reading excerpts, and relating unexpected asides and digressions. Subjects include Breaking Bad, Lou Reed, zombies, KISS, Jimmy Page, Stephen Malkmus, steroids, Mountain Dew, Chinese Democracy, the Beatles, Jonathan Franzen, Taylor Swift, Tim Tebow, Kobe Bryant, Usain Bolt, Eddie Van Halen, Charlie Brown, the Cleveland Browns, and many more cultural figures and pop phenomena.

Eh, It was nice.

This was cool. Just kinda wish he would've simply read the articles rather than talk about them. I guess thats my bad for not reading the description. Probably the worst Chuck Klosterman book I've listened to, which means it's still very good.

Klosterman keeps me thinking

I continue to enjoy Chuck Klosterman not only because he is an entertaining writer but I see him as the thinking man's writer who doesn't just talk about the what but the why, the larger cultural context or significance behind the band Kiss, death, and celebrityism and how these ideas have evolved. Klosterman is able to draw connections between events and people that seem irrelevant at first until you think differently a little like Malcolm Gladwell. It's helpful how he summarizes certain articles down to their essence in this book but in audio form it all goes by a little too fast. I was left wishing this piece was longer.

Fantastic companion to the book

I love that Chuck recorded this himself.
This is a great companion to the book because its like a behind thebscenes of what his motivations were when he was writing these pieces. The cotext he gives is really great.

a fun companion by Chuck himself.

I'm sure people have already noted this is not the book itself; but as someone who will download and listen to any interview or podcast with Chuck Klosterman, I found it very enjoyable nonetheless.

Companion to Full Collection

This is a audio companion, or more so summarized version of the essay collection. I would have preferred a straight read through, but the commentary was very enjoyable.