Life of the Party...Not So Much

Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs – Dave Holmes (Crown Archetype)

I read this book and I am left wondering…what exactly is it? It says right there in the title, “A Memoir in 21 Songs.” But is it a memoir? Is it a coming of age tale? Is it a guide book for personal discovery? Is it a pop culture book or a music book? I gotta be honest, I am not quite sure.

And therein lies the rub when it comes to Dave Holmes, Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs, it’s a little bit of all of those things, but none of them is really well done. Holmes serves it all up with an easy going style, the same easy going style that he used when he was a MTV VJ; he writes like he speaks, which is generally a pretty good rule of thumb.

The problem, even for a music fan like me, is it just doesn’t hold my attention. Holmes seems fixated on his gay-ness even from its earliest indications and he strings that thread through the whole book. Okay, you’re gay, we get it, now talk about the music stuff.

Holmes now works as a writer, comedian and TV performer and is generally a pretty funny guy and while the book shows flashes of that humor, it just wasn’t enough to keep me locked in the story.