Review: Everyone Loves You When You're Dead by Neil Strauss

I have to be honest, I don’t really follow music journalism. However, reading Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss was more entertaining that I had imagined!

Neil Strauss has interviewed countless celebrities for the likes of The New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine. This book is a collection of some of the more gritty scenes from some of his interviews. Most of this material has never before been published.

This is a compilation of interviews from Snoop Dogg, who had to run to the store to buy Pampers, to Curtis Mayfield, who talks about his perspectives on life after he was paralyzed in a freak accident.

One of my favorite lines was from an interview with Lady Gaga:

Neil Strauss: Your fans seem to really like what you stand for, because some people need to be reminded that it’s okay to be different.

Lady Gaga: I love what they stand for. I love who they are. They inspire me to be more confident every day. When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure twenty-four-year-old girl. But I say, “Bitch, you’re Lady Gaga, you better f*cking get up and walk the walk today,” because they need that from me. And they inspire me to keep going.

The subjects of these interviews share some amazing things. From stories of inspiration to tales of drug use and crazy sex adventures. They talk about time spent in jail and their constant worrying about what people will think about their music. Neil uncovers some intimately personal details from the lives of these celebrities, and of course, I devoured every word.

If you are even remotely interested in music journalism, or like following the lives of celebrities, then I highly recommend this book. It is almost hard to believe that one person has interviewed the likes of Brian Wilson, Dolly Parton, the Wu-Tang Clan, Otha Turner, Rick James, Ben Stiller, Marilyn Manson, Cher, Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tom Petty and countless others!!