killing yourself to live: 85% of a true story.

so i've just finished reading killing yourself to live: 85% of a true story by chuck klosterman. it's the second book of his i've read (the other being sex, drugs, & cocoa puffs). i highly recommend both books. killing yourself to live is the story of klosterman's journey across america as he visits the places where rock stars have died over the years, from the site of the plane crash that killed richie valens, the big bopper, and buddy holly to the rhode island club where 100 people burned to death at a great white concert to the property in seattle where kurt cobain was murdered.

klosterman, a senior writer for spin magazine and a columnist for others, has a style that makes you feel like you're reading a series of long, good magazine articles. he intertwines anecdotes from his life with musings on life, death, and rock songs. reading killing yourself to live feels like taking a cross-country road trip with the perfect soundtrack. even though i feel like i would not like chuck klosterman that much if i met him in real life (he seems like he'd be fairly self-centered and maybe a little pretentious), i can't get enough of his writing. and as soon as i can afford it, i'm going to pick up fargo rock city, which is the third of his published works and the only one i have yet to read.

okay, so what i need you to do is to make the following playlists that correspond to chapters in killing yourself to live. and then you have to go get killing yourself to live (library, bookstore, wherever). and then you need to listen to your playlists while reading the book. trust me, it'll be a good time.

PLAYLIST #1 // The Day Before The First Day, The Night Before The First Day, The First Day

01. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols
02. "Seven" - Sunny Day Real Estate
03. "In Circles" - Sunny Day Real Estate
04. "Song About An Angel" - Sunny Day Real Estate
05. "Round" - Sunny Day Real Estate
06. "47" - Sunny Day Real Estate
07. "The Blankets Were The Stairs" - Sunny Day Real Estate
08. "Pheurton Skuerto" - Sunny Day Real Estate
09. "Shadows" - Sunny Day Real Estate
10. "48" - Sunny Day Real Estate
11. "Grendel" - Sunny Day Real Estate
12. "Sometimes" - Sunny Day Real Estate


PLAYLIST #2 // The Second Day, The Third Day, The Fourth Day

01. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton
02. "Chantilly Lace" - The Big Bopper
03. "Looks That Kill" - Motley Crue
04. "Bodhisattva" - Steely Dan
05. "Kate" - Ben Folds Five
06. "Underwhelmed" - Sloan
07. "My Drug Buddy" - Lemonheads
08. "Crazy In Love" - Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
09. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
10. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles
11. "Surrender" - Cheap Trick


PLAYLIST #3 // The Fifth Day, The Sixth Day

01. "Downtown" - Petula Clark
02. "Maggie May" - Rod Stewart
03. "China Grove" - Doobie Brothers
04. "Whipping Post" - Allman Brothers Band
05. "Hypnotize" - Notorious B.I.G.
06. "Hit 'Em Up" - Tupac Shakur
07. "California" - Phantom Planet
08. "Ashes of American Flags" - Wilco
09. "War on War" - Wilco
10. "Everything In Its Right Place" - Radiohead
11. "Kid A" - Radiohead
12. "The National Anthem" - Radiohead
13. "How To Disappear Completely" - Radiohead
14. "Treefingers" - Radiohead
15. "Optimistic" - Radiohead
16. "In Limbo" - Radiohead
17. "Idioteque" - Radiohead
18. "Morning Bell" - Radiohead
19. "Motion Picture Soundtrack" - Radiohead
20. "Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd


PLAYLIST #4 // The Seventh Day, The Eighth Day

01. "Batdance" - Prince
02. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
03. "Hollywood Nights" - Bob Seger
04. "Round and Round" - Ratt
05. "Get It On" - T. Rex
06. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - Def Leppard
07. "Heroin" - The Velvet Underground
08. "Rock Me Amadeus" - Falco
09. "Come and Get It" - Badfinger
10. "I Need You Tonight" - INXS
11. "Hotel California" - The Eagles
12. "Steal Away The Night" - Ozzy Osbourne & Randy Rhoads


PLAYLIST #5 // The Ninth Day

01. "Layla" - Derek & The Dominoes (Eric Clapton)
02. "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley
03. "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley
04. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
05. "Drown In My Own Tears" - Jeff Buckley
06. "Stones In My Passway" - Robert Johnson
07. "Four Until Late" - Robert Johnson
08. "Monkey Business" - Skid Row
09. "Man In The Box" - Alice in Chains
10. "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen
11. "Working For The Weekend" - Loverboy
12. "Camel Walk" - Southern Culture on the Skids



PLAYLIST #6 // The Tenth Day, The Eleventh Day

01. "Mr. Roboto" - Styx
02. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" - The Rolling Stones
03. "More Than Words" - Extreme
04. "18 and Life" - Skid Row
05. "What Might Have Been" - Little Texas
06. "When The Children Cry" - White Lion
07. "Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon
08. "Outshined" - Soundgarden
09. "Modern Day Cowboy" - Skin Candy
10. "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" - Great White
11. "Red Light" - Great White
12. "Second Hand News" - Fleetwood Mac
13. "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac
14. "Never Going Back Again" - Fleetwood Mac
15. "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac
16. "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac
17. "Songbird" - Fleetwood Mac
18. "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac
19. "You Make Loving Fun" - Fleetwood Mac
20. "I Don't Want To Know" - Fleetwood Mac
21. "Oh Daddy" - Fleetwood Mac
22. "Gold Dust Woman" - Fleetwood Mac


PLAYLIST #7 // The Eleventh Day, The Twelfth Day, The Thirteenth Day

01. "American Pie" - Don McLean
02. "Stairway To Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
03. "Lucky" - Radiohead
04. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer
05. "Better By You, Better Than Me" - Judas Priest
06. "Lovedrive" - Scorpions
07. "Life Is A Highway" - Tom Cochrane
08. "Slow Ride" - Foghat
09. "Free Ride" - Edgar Winter
10. "Here Comes A Regular" - Replacements
11. "Bastards of Young" - Replacements
12. "Dancefloors" - My Morning Jacket
13. "In My Time Of Need" - Ryan Adams
14. "Tomorrow" - Ryan Adams


PLAYLIST #8 // The Fourteenth Day

01. "I've Been Drinking" - Rod Stewart
02. "Stay With Me" - Rod Stewart
03. "The First Cut Is The Deepest" - Rod Stewart
04. "Infatuation" - Rod Stewart
05. "Tonight's The Night" - Rod Stewart
06. "Downtown Train" - Rod Stewart
07. "Cigarettes and Alcohol" - Rod Stewart
08. "City of Gold" - Head East
09. "Never Been Any Reason" - Head East
10. "Love Bites" - Def Leppard
11. "Cheeseburger In Paradise" - Jimmy Buffet
12. "Brown-Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison
13. "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC


PLAYLIST #9 // The Fifteenth Day, The Sixteenth Day

01. "Keep On Rocking Me Baby" - Steve Miller Band
02. "Be Yourself" - Audioslave
03. "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin
04. "The Ocean" - Led Zeppelin
05. "Out On The Tiles" - Led Zeppelin
06. "Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin
07. "When The Levee Breaks" - Led Zeppelin
08. "Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin
09. "Trampled Under Foot" - Led Zeppelin
10. "Always On My Mind" - White Stripes
11. "New York Groove" - Ace Frehley
12. "Snowblind" - Ace Frehley
13. "Mother's Little Helper" - Rolling Stones


PLAYLIST #10 // The Day Before The Last Day, The Last Day

01. "Doll Parts" - Hole
02. "Lithium" - Nirvana
03. "Animal" - Pearl Jam
04. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
05. "Something In The Way" - Nirvana



ENJOY! :)

me + celebrities = good times

i love meeting famous people (and even quasi-famous people). here's a list of people i've met & some photos of me with them. (constantly being updated with details, pictures, and new encounters!)

august, chris - musician, member of ashlee simpson's band - hampton beach, NH - july 5, 2006

barr, adam - executive producer of will & grace and desperate housewives - hollywood, CA


beckett, william - musician, of the academy is... - mansfield, MA - may 31, 2007


cease, kyle - comedian; bogey lowenstein from 10 things i hate about you & the slow clap guy from not another teen movie - manchester, NH - april 4, 2006




click five, the - band ("just the girl") - portland, ME


daschal, david - from average joe & the girl next door - hollywood, CA



day, howie - portland, ME

degraw, gavin - august 29, 2005 - mansfield, MA


eve 6 - portland, ME

fields, dean - musician - manchester, NH


gonzalez, rob - musician (somehow) - manchester, NH


guster - portland, ME

haskins, dennis - mr. belding from saved by the bell - august 30, 2005 - manchester, NH


hayes, sean - jack mcfarlane from will & grace - hollywood, CA


hilton, tyler - musician (the tracks of tyler hilton) and chris keller from one tree hill - portland, ME

hush sound, the - band (like vines) - boston, MA july 2, 2006




boston, MA - december 9, 2006









kellogg, stephen - musician (stephen kellogg & the sixers) - manchester, nh


leto, jared - jordan catalano from my so-called life and frontman of 30 seconds to mars - manchester, NH

mccormack, eric - will truman from will & grace - hollywood, CA

mcmahon, andrew - musician (something corporate, jack's mannequin) - cleveland, OH july 11, 2006 - mansfield, MA july 28, 2006 - wallingford, CT august 13, 2006 - kingston, RI september 24, 2006 - hartford, CT september 27, 2006 - worcester, MA february 21, 2006 - newport, RI june 30, 2007 - allentown, PA august 19, 2008 - boston, MA november 17, 2008 - boston, MA april 28, 2009
















morrisson, shelley - rosario from will & grace - hollywood, CA


mullaly, megan - karen walker from will & grace - hollywood, CA

nathanson, matt - manchester, NH - boston, MA april 28, 2009

needtobreathe - (musicians, daylight) - boston, MA - july 26, 2006


o-town - ashley parker angel, erik-michael estrada, dan miller, trevor penick, jacob underwood - manchester, NH & portland, ME

saporta, gabe - of midtown and cobra starship - mansfield, MA - may 31, 2007; hampton beach, NH - november 3, 2007


saraceno, heath - of midtown - boston, MA

scalise, nick - (drummer, october fall) - boston, MA - july 26, 2006


stone, sharon - catherine trommel in basic instinct - manchester, NH


wolf, scott - bailey from party of five - manchester, NH


zanidakis, zoe - contestant from survivor: marquesas - falmouth, grey& auburn, ME (she was at a barbecue at my house and i was in a benefit show with her)

bands/groups/artists i've seen live/in concert.

(constantly being updated as i go to more shows & find old ticket stubs with dates & locations.)

+44 (mansfield, MA) may 31, 2007
30 seconds to mars (manchester, NH)
aiken, clay (gilford, NH; portland, ME)
all-american rejects, the (portland, ME) march 16, 2006; (hampton beach, NH) april 24, 2009
allister (boston, MA)
american head charge (portland, ME)
american idols 2003 (worcester, MA)
armor for sleep (hampton beach, NH) november 3, 2007
ash (manchester, NH)
audition, the (worcester, MA) february 21, 2006
august, chris (hampton beach, NH) july 6, 2006
autopilot off (portland, ME)
big city rock (boston, MA) july 26, 2006
bim skala bim (lewiston, ME)
blink 182 (mansfield, MA) august 6, 2009
blunt, james (boston, MA) may 27, 2006
bottle rocket kings (auburn, lewiston, freeport ME)
carlisle, brandi (boston, MA) may 27, 2006
cartel (keene, NH) april 22, 2007
circle and square (portland, ME)
clarkson, kelly (portland, ME) august 2, 2005
click five, the (portland, ME)
cobra starship (mansfield, MA) may 31, 2007; (hampton beach, NH) november 3, 2007
copeland (worcester, MA); (kingston, RI) september 24, 2006; (hartford, CT) september 27, 2006
crespo, dave (manchester, NH) february 17, 2006
cronin, rich (portland, ME)
damone (portland, ME)
daphne loves derby (kingston, RI) september 24, 2006; (hartford, CT) september 27, 2006
day, howie (portland, ME)
death cab for cutie (providence, RI) november 4, 2006
death set, the (lewiston, ME) september 27, 2008
degraw, gavin (portland, ME; mansfield, MA) august 29, 2005
dickies, the (portland, ME)
disturbed (portland, ME)
drive-by (boston, MA) july 26, 2006
dropkick murphys (northampton, MA)
drowning pool (portland, ME)
eve 6 (portland, ME)
even all out (portland, ME)
everytime i die (portland, ME)
face to face (boston, MA)
fall out boy (northampton, MA); (portland, ME) march 16, 2006; (mansfield, MA) may 31, 2007; (mansfield, MA) august 6, 2009
fields, dean (manchester, NH)
fingertight (portland, ME)
folds, ben (orono, ME) april 28, 2009
forthcoming (portland, ME)
fray, the (boston, MA) may 27, 2006
from first to last (portland, ME) march 16, 2006
geiger, teddy (portland, ME) june 4, 2006
girl talk (lewiston, ME) september 27, 2008
gob (portland, ME)
gonzalez, rob (manchester, NH)
goo goo dolls (portland, ME) november 24, 2006
good charlotte (portland, ME; boston, MA)
graham colton band, the (portland, ME) august 2, 2005
guster (portland, ME)
h20 (portland, ME)
hawthorne heights (portland, ME) march 16, 2006
head automatica (worcester, MA) february 21, 2006
heather rose and the drama (newport, RI) june 30, 2007
hotel lights (orono, ME) april 28, 2009
hilton, tyler (portland, ME) december 16, 2004
hippos, the (portland, ME)
hush sound, the (portland, ME) march 16, 2006; (boston, MA) july 2, 2006; (kingston, RI) september 24, 2006; (hartford, CT) september 27, 2006; (boston, MA) december 7, 2006
incubus (portland, ME; manchester, NH)
jack's mannequin (cleveland, OH) july 11, 2006; (mansfield, MA) july 28, 2006; (wallingford, CT) august 13, 2006; (kingston, RI) september 24, 2006; (hartford, CT) september 27, 2006; (lowell, MA) november 18, 2006; (worcester, MA) february 21, 2006; (keene, NH) april 22, 2007; (newport, RI) june 30, 2007; (allentown, PA) august 19, 2008; (boston, MA) april 27, 2009;
jeremiah freed (portland, ME)
joel, billy (boston, MA) january 30, 2006
jordan, frankie (portland, ME) june 4, 2006
joydrop (portland, ME)
juliana theory, the (portland, ME)
june (boston, MA) july 21, 2005
kaci (portland, ME)
lavigne, avril (mansfield, MA) august 29, 2005
lifehouse (orono, ME) november 11, 2005
lightman, toby (portland, ME)
linkin park (portland, ME)
lit (portland, ME)
los lobos (portland, ME) december 11, 2007
love of diagrams (boston, MA) may 4, 2007
martin, charlotte (manchester, NH)
mayer, john (boston, MA; portland, ME)
mccain, edwin (freeport, ME)
mccarley, erin (boston, MA) april 27, 2009
mcnaboe, tony (portland, ME)
mellencamp, john (portland, ME) december 11, 2007
middle ground (boston, MA)
midtown (boston, MA)
moneen (portland, ME)
movielife, the (boston, MA)
mrs. skannotto (auburn, lewiston ME) march 18th, 2001
mudvayne (portland, ME)
murder by death (portland, ME); (boston, MA) december 7, 2006
mxpx (portland, ME)
my chemical romance (portland, ME; northampton, MA)
nathanson, matt (manchester, NH); (burbank, CA); (boston, MA) april 27, 2009
needtobreathe (boston, MA) july 26, 2006
new found glory (boston, MA)
nickelcreek (portland, ME)
norma jean (portland, ME)
o-town (manchester, NH; portland, ME)
OAR (mansfield, MA) july 28, 2006
october fall (boston, MA) july 26, 2006
offspring, the (portland, ME; northampton, MA)
on the surface (manchester, NH) february 17, 2006
our lady peace (portland, ME)
over it (portland, ME) november 24, 2006
panic! at the disco (boston, MA) july 2, 2006; (lowell, MA) november 18, 2006
papa roach (portland, ME)
paper route (allentown, PA) august 19, 2008
paramore (manchester, NH)
parr, mike (manchester, NH)
pete kilpatrick supergroup (portland, ME; manchester, NH)
phantom planet (portland, ME); (allentown, PA) august 19, 2008
plain white t's (boston, MA) july 21, 2005; (lowell, MA) november 18, 2006; (nashua, NH) july 22, 2007
planeside (portland, ME)
reel big fish (boston, MA)
res (boston, MA)
rocket summer, the (hampton beach, NH) november 3, 2007
rocktopus (portland, ME)
saves the day (portland, ME)
shades apart (portland, ME)
sherwood (hampton beach, NH) november 3, 2007
shiny toy guns (hampton beach, NH) april 24, 2009
simpson, ashlee (hampton beach, NH) july 6, 2006
slipknot (portland, ME)
starting line, the (boston, MA)
story of the year (portland, ME; northampton, MA)
stretch armstrong (portland, ME)
sum 41 (portland, ME)
svala (portland, ME)
switchfoot (worcester, MA)
system of a down (portland, ME)
tables up (manchester, NH)
taking back sunday (portland, ME) ; (boston, MA) september 9, 2006
taxis, the (lewiston, portland, ME)
taylor, james (manchester, NH) december 20, 2005
ted leo and the pharmacists (providence, RI) november 4, 2006; (boston, MA) may 4, 2007
the academy is... (boston, MA) july 21, 2005; (mansfield, MA) may 31, 2007; (hampton beach, NH) november 3, 2007
the receiving end of sirens (boston, MA) september 9, 2006
third faze (manchester, NH)
this is me smiling (cleveland, OH) july 11, 2006
thrice (portland, ME; boston, MA)
thursday (portland, ME)
toasters, the (lewiston, ME) march 18, 2001
treaty of paris (keene, NH) april 22, 2007; (allentown, PA) august 19, 2008; (boston, MA) november 17, 2008
upswelling, the (hampton beach, NH) april 24, 2009
used, the (portland, ME)
vacationland (portland, ME)
walker, butch (mansfield, MA) august 29, 2005
wall, paul (mansfield, MA) may 31, 2007
we are the fury (worcester, MA) february 21, 2006
wellesley blue notes (orono, ME) april 28, 2009
yankovic, weird al (portland, ME) october 31, 1999

words of wisdom from the wonder years.

some of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite TV shows of all time, the wonder years. even though the show was made in the 80s & 90s and set in the 60s & 70s (or maybe because of that), i think the emotions, situations, music, and words of the show transcend all generations and represent something that is inarguably human, young, and wonderful.

the following quotes are what i like to call the world according to kevin arnold. enjoy. and pay attention.



"there's no pretty way to put this - i grew up in the suburbs. i guess people think of the suburbs as a place with all the disadvantages of the city and none of the advantages of the country, and vice versa. but in a way, those really were the wonder years for us there in the suburbs. it was kind of a golden age for kids." (pilot)

(winnie's brother has just been killed in vietnam; kevin goes for a walk and finds her and comforts her, and they share their first kiss)
"it was the first kiss for both of us. we never really talked about it afterward. but i think about the events of that day again and again, and somehow i know that winnie does too, whenever some blowhard starts talking about the anonymity of the suburbs or the mindlessness of the TV generation. because we know that inside each one of those identical boxes with its dodge parked out front and its white bread on the table and its TV set glowing blue in the falling dusk, there were people with stories. there were families bound together in the pain and the struggle of love. there were moments that made us cry with laughter. and there were moments, like that one, of sorrow and wonder." (pilot)

"maybe we both realized that growing up doesn't have to be so much a straight line as a series of advances and retreats. maybe we just felt like swinging. but whatever it was, winnie and i made an unspoken pact that day to stay kids for a little while longer." (swingers)

"and then sometimes, you knew you shouldn't do it, but you just couldn't help yourself. you gave him lip. i guess we really didn't understand why he was so hard on us sometimes. because sometimes, and i remember these times so distinctly, my dad could be great. he could be so much fun. you never wanted that feeling to end." (my father's office)

"there are very few things in life as purely terrifying as calling a twelve-year-old girl on the telephone. especially a really cute twelve-year-old girl." (the phone call)

"i never knew until that moment what it was like to lose something i never really had." (the st. valentine's massacre)

"love can tear and rip you apart. it can kill you. but if you're lucky, it can put you back together."

"change is never easy - you fight to hold on, you fight to let go."

"growing up happens in a heartbeat. one day you’re in diapers, next you’re gone. but the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul."

"all our young lives we search for someone to love. someone who makes us complete. we choose partners and change partners. we dance to a song of heartbreak and hope, all the while wondering if somewhere and somehow, there is someone perfect searching for us."

"things in life can get lost without any certainty of finding them again."

"in your life you meet people. some you never think about again. some you wonder what happened to them. there are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. and then there are some you wish you never had to think about again - but you do."

"the friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect. the ones who stuck by you shoulder to shoulder, in a time where nothing was certain, all life lay ahead, and every road led home."

"i'm not sure how i did it. my memories begin with the crack of the bat, and the sight of the ball rising. maybe that's not exactly what happened. but that's the way it should h ave happened, and that's the way i like to remember. and if dreams and memories sometimes get confused, oh well... that is as it should be, because every kid deserves to be a hero... every kid already is..."

"we think the stars are fixed in the sky, but they are not. i think sometimes we have to learn to give in to change, to the new things."

"all we could do was close our eyes and wish that the slow song would never end."

"growing up is full of big moments. some of them you can see coming from a mile away and some you can't see at all."

"in love there’s no simple fix. sometimes you have to just hang on... and lead with your heart."

"i guess sometimes the ground can shift between your feet. sometimes your footing slips. you stumble. and sometimes you grab what's close to you and hold on as tight as you can."

"over the course of an average lifetime you meet a lot of people. some of them stick with you through thick and thin. some weave their way through your life and disappear forever. but once in a while someone comes along who earns a permanent place in your heart."

"once upon a time there was a girl i knew, who lived across the street. brown hair, brown eyes. when she smiled, i smiled. when she cried, i cried. every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way had to do with her. that day winnie and i promised each other that, no matter what, we'd always be together. it was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. it was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young."

"when you're a little kid you're a bit of everything - scientist, philosopher, artist. sometimes it seems like growing up is giving these things up one at a time."

"i remember a place... a town, a house like a lot of other houses ... a yard like a lot of other yards... a street like a lot of other streets. and the thing is... after all these years, i still look back... with wonder."