Full Disclosure: I loved Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, so Eating the Dinosaur was bound to be right in my wheelhouse. For those of you who haven't read his stuff, Klosterman is essentially a pop-culture essayist in these two books. The books really don't have any kind of cohesive theme. Instead, they read like a collection of essays that on their surface state outrageous or absurd claims (Kurt Cobain is a lot like the leader of cult from Waco in the '90's David Koresh), but actually deal with something much broader (how self-perception influences the production and sale of an art form). Part of the appeal to me is the in-depth examination of the inane. One of my favorite essays is his discussion of the use of time travel in movies in which he gives 8 bullet points that list all of paradoxes of time-travel, a discussion Mike and I have had on numerous occasions both drunk and sober.
The book is an interesting read, but there are a few shortcomings. First, Klosterman has a fairly convoluted way of writing. I'm not entirely sure if it's a)the complexity of what he's trying to say; b)he just writes in a convoluted fashion; or c)I'm just not smart enough to understand him at all times. I'm sure it's some combination of those three, but often, I found myself re-reading passages several times because he lost me. My other problem with the book is that his references sometimes are just too obscure. Maybe it's me, but is anyone from our generation familiar with ABBA's catalogue outside of "Dancing Queen"? This isn't to say you can't understand his point if you don't get the reference, but there is definitely something lost if you haven't seen/heard/read whatever it is he is referring to. Shortcomings aside, it's definitely something worth picking up if you're in search of a quick read. Or you're like me and are in the dating pool and need the assistance of smoke and mirrors to make "witty" conversation so as to appear to be an interesting or quirky person.
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