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Oct 01, 2012 Issue #42 - The Protest Issue By Dan Lucas

Given that it’s only been four years since Mark Oliver Everett published his memoir Things the Grandchildren Should Know, there must be a strong temptation to dismiss Tim Grierson’s new biography of Eels as superfluous. To do so though would be unfair, as Blinking Lights and Other Revelations offers a welcome objectivity that the autobiography by nature lacked.

Grierson’s account of a man he affectionately refers to as E arguably goes deeper than Grandchildren, considering and analyzing not only events in his personal life but trends and significant events in the wider music world. It’s also worthwhile hearing about events such as the firing of original bass player Tommy Walter from an alternative perspective to E’s, as well as times glossed over by the singer himself including the Bad Dude in Love era.

Blinking Lights’ author shows palpable enthusiasm for his subject matter, but this never gives way to sentimentality. Far from kissing ass, he paints E as a difficult artist, but nonetheless an admirable one.

(www.omnibuspressusa.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10