Talking to Girls About Duran Duran - by Rob Sheffield (Paperback)

About the Book

The author of "Love Is a Mix Tape" shares the soundtrack to his 1980s adolescence. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies; and, like any all-American boy, Sheffield was searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut.

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape and Turn Around Bright Eyes, "a funny, insightful look at the sublime torture of adolescence."--Entertainment Weekly

The 1980s meant MTV and John Hughes movies, big dreams and bigger shoulder pads, and millions of teen girls who nursed crushes on the members of Duran Duran. As a solitary teenager stranded in the suburbs, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music, and himself. And he was sure his radio had all the answers.

As evidenced by the bestselling sales of Sheffield's first book, Love Is a Mix Tape, the connection between music and memory strikes a chord with readers. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran strikes that chord all over again, and is a pitch-perfect trip through '80s music-from Bowie to Bobby Brown, from hair metal to hip-hop. But this book is not just about music. It's about growing up and how every song is a snapshot of a moment that you'll remember the rest of your life.

Review Quotes

A handful of rock writers can explain what they think about music, and lots of rock writers can explain what they feel about music. What makes Rob Sheffield different is that he understands how those feelings are generated. He can turn those abstract emotions into concrete thoughts. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes the smartest guy in the room is also the funniest guy in the room...and the nicest guy...and the tallest guy...and the most vocal Chaka Khan fan. Read Talking to Girls About Duran Duran and enter that room."--Chuck Klosterman, New York Times bestselling author of But What If We're Wrong? and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

"Sheffield goes deep into the '80s, into his own adolescent heart. Sheffield uses music the way some people use scripture-to elucidate and sanctify the mysteries of life. He raises teen angst into high art that is funny, charming, and profoundly pleasurable."--Darcey Steinke, author of Easter Everywhere

"A funny and insightful critic... After happily wallowing in this nostalgic journey, haul out your Go-Gos tunes, and you'll soon feel the same."--Miami Herald

"A lighthearted coming of age story about a music-addicted teen growing up in '80s Boston, driving an ice cream truck and gobbling up all things new wave. We all have songs that serve as emotional and biographical touchstones, but Sheffield has a gift for writing about such songs and bands in a way that brings his past to vivid life."--Dallas Morning News

"Readers who were teens during the Eighties will love Sheffield's anecdotes, insights, and odd pop-culture trivia and will find themselves humming the tunes as they read. Those who don't remember this time period will be looking up the bands to find out more. An endearing coming-of-age story, perfect for music lovers and all who feel nostalgic for the music and moments that shaped their lives."--Library Journal

"Sheffield is back with the same encyclopedic knowledge of pop music and touching, resonant prose in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran...incredible, almost stream-of-consciousness commentary on 1980s music."--Bookpage

"Much like the '80s, this book is chock-full of pure, guilty-pleasure cheese ... [but] Sheffield's writing is deeply introspective and thoughtful, not just entertaining."--Philadelphia City Paper

About the Author

Rob Sheffield has been a music journalist for more than twenty years. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he writes about music, TV, and pop culture, and regularly appears on MTV and VH1. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Love Is a Mix Tape, which has been translated into French, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and other languages he cannot read. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.