Talking to Girls about Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut by Rob SheffieldBack-of-the-book blurb: Growing up in the eighties, you were surrounded by mysteries. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies, the era of big dreams and bigger shoulder pads. Like any teenage geek, Rob Sheffield spent the decade searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut. This memoir is his tale of stumbling into adulthood with a killer soundtrack; it is a journey through pop culture of an American adolescence that will remind you of your first crush, first car, and first kiss. But it’s not just a book about music. This is a book about moments in time, and the way we obsess over them through the years.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ review: In the introduction to his memoir about growing up in the 80s, Rob Sheffield muses:
It’s complicated, the way we use pop culture artifacts in our day-to-day emotional relationships … What else is pop culture for? … bringing people together is what music has always done best. … I could claim that Duran Duran taught me everything I know about women, but that’s not exactly accurate: I learned it from listening to girls talk about Duran Duran.
Sheffield’s story is, of course, about more than Duran Duran. It’s filled to overflowing with 80s references, from movies (Pretty in Pink, Dirty Dancing and Sixteen Candles) and fashions (um, I’m using the term loosely to apply it to Dynasty-era shoulder pads and the ubiquitous Members Only jacket) to current flashback favorites (“Tainted Love” and “Billie Jean”) and songs you might hear at a wedding reception this very weekend (“Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”).
Sheffield writes with a loose and conversational style; I image an author event would be filled with laughter and head-nodding as he read from his book. He writes a lot of humor in Talking to Girls; yes, much of which will be most appreciated by those who were around in the 80s and enjoyed, or at least were aware of, the movies and music he uses to frame his memoir.
An example of the way pop culture anchors the memoir (and one of many passages I read aloud to J as I enjoyed this book): Sheffield spent the summer of ’82 (between Sophomore and Junior years in high school, if my calculations are correct) as an exchange student in Madrid, making fast friends with many local girls, who considered him “just a friend” and a safe escort to parties and outings:
Sometimes they trusted me to pick the evening’s entertainment. … But I squandered my credibility dragging them to Airplane! retitled Aterrizza come puedas, or “Land However You Can.” I assured them that in America, this was universally recognized as the funniest movie ever made. How I laughed, the lone hyena in the theater, at all the badly dubbed Spanish versions of the jokes I knew by heart. The girls failed to see the humor of “Yo hablo jive” or “No me llamas Shirley.”
I tried explaining why it was funny. See, in ingles, the word “seguramente” is “surely,” which sounds like el nombre de una persona. Shirley! Divertido, no?
I was never allowed to pick the movie again. To punish me, they took me to see Midnight Express, about an American boy who gets thrown into a foreign jail because he tries to smuggle drugs. The movie was torture to watch, although, it did introduce me to the concept of bras that unhook in the front.
Rob Sheffield tells his story, setting the time and place by the pop culture he soaked up as a teen. It’s his story – the events are the personal anecdotes of a self-confessed quiet geeky guy, the oldest of four children, and the only son in an Irish Catholic family living outside Boston. But, it could be anyone’s story. Single, outgoing, mother of two in Des Moines? It’s her story. Married, unemployed accountant in Tampa? It’s his story. We can all connect to the memories that surface when a certain song plays on the radio, or when we land on a favorite old TV show when channel-surfing; Sheffield shares what sparks those memories for him.
Recommended for fans of the 80s; if you survived them the first time around, you’ll especially enjoy this trip down memory lane.
About the author: Rob Sheffield is a music journalist and columnist for Rolling Stone. His previously published memoir, Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time, has been added to my wish list.
That sounds like a book I would love to read. I didn’t exactly love the 80′s (growing up in them myself), but the latter part of them when I had grown up a bit more was okay. I will read this one. Off to check if any European online sellers has it…
Argh…. I think I’m officially feeling old.
I love pop culture! I think I’d probably like this one but since I didn’t grow up in the 80s (I’m a 90s kid), I’d probably have to keep YouTube open the entire time I read the book…
I had a friend in high school that just adored Duran Duran. I think she even went to the airport to meet their plane when they flew into town. It was kind of crazy. That being said, I think I would really enjoy this book and that it would really take me back. I am going to have to add this one to my list, and now that I think about it, I think my husband would love it too! Thanks for the great review, Dawn!
Well since I am a child of the 80s…… I never was a huge Duran Duran fan though.
This book sounds like it is made for me! The 80′s were definitely my decade (though embarrassing). The big hair, the shoulder pads, the music! Now that I have rekindled my friendships from high school, all that stuff has been top of mind. Sounds like a book I need to get and share with them!
Louise – I’m definitely nostalgic for them. My kids talk about them the way I asked my parents about the 50s and 60s!
Beth F – it’s not OLD, it’s seasoned
Ladytink – now, that DOES make me feel old! I’ll confess to YouTubing a few unfamiliar songs as I read the memoir (but most brought an immediate smile to my face)
zibilee – I was laughing from the start when Sheffield described a contingent of friends who pronounced it “Jran Jran” (like mock-European?)
Julie – don’t worry, Journey, Madonna, and Flock of Seagulls also make appearances.
Sandy – his story, apart from all the pop culture, is told in a very entertaining way. I grew up about 15 miles from him, and listened to all the same radio stations, so I was instantly hooked. Although, I never drove an ice cream truck as a summer job …
Her name is Rio and she dances across the sand….
I’ll be cursing you all day as I sing Duran Duran songs.
I had a baby during the 80s, so I wasn’t all that up on pop culture back then, like I am now. LOL The book does sound entertaining, though.
Beth F mirrored my thoughts exactly … LOL!
I’ve read snippets of this one here and there and thought it was really fun. I do have to say though that Sheffield’s first memoir is truly wonderful and well worth your time. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I loved it very much!
I read Rob’s first book…it’s a quick and fun read, so I’m sure this one will be as well!
I have wondered about this book….I am an 80′s kid and love to remember the movies – the music, the clothes – LOL
I was a bit young in the 80s…actually born in 1980 but I still remember the decade fondly. This sounds like a fun read.
I graduated high school in 1981 and college in 1986 so this one would be right up my alley!
This sounds like such a fun book. I wasn’t really sentient in the ’80s, but I bet it would be good anyway. I’m looking forward to reading his first book, too.
I was born in ’81 and even though I was young, I definitely felt like I was a part of the ’80′s. I read Sheffield’s first book, actually listened to it, and loved it. I’m sure this is one I will enjoy too. Thanks for the review!
so it is like VH1′s “I love the 80′s” with out having to see the individual pop icons depreciated with failing colons and bald heads?
I AM DOWN FOR IT!!
Wow, would this memoir bring back memories for us children of the 80s. Hilarious…thanks for the review.
I have his “Love Is A Mix Tape” sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read.
softdrink – Oh Rio Rio dance across the Rio Grande …
Kathy – Sheffields story is a fun one (mostly!)
Beth – My kids call this ‘oldies music’
Steph – definitely on my list to read; I was concerned that it might be very sad, but you’ve convinced me that he focuses on more upbeat times
Natalie – quick, fun, and very much a flashback for me
Sheila – sounds like TALKING TO GIRLS would be a good fit for you
Trisha – born in 1980? I am. officially. OLD.
Kathleen – yes, we’re in the same time bracket (but I think others outside the decade would enjoy it, too!)
Kim – I’ve got a lot of feedback about LOVE IS A MIX TAPE; has been added to my wish list
Julie – others have said that the writing style is very similar to his first memoir, so it seems like you’d like it …
erisian – there’s not a “whatever happened to …” photo in the book
Serena – the right decade and the right city for me; I thought it was fantastic!
Jenners – I’ll be reading that soon(ish)!
A flashback to the 80′s sounds like fun to me. I’m not sure you can ever explain Airplane – either you laugh or you don’t! Adding this to my wish list.