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Party of One
- A Memoir in 21 Songs
- Narrated by: Dave Holmes
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
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Party of One
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Summary
From former MTV VJ Dave Holmes, the hilarious memoir of a perpetual outsider fumbling toward self-acceptance, with the music of the '80s, '90s, and today as his soundtrack.
Dave Holmes has spent his life on the periphery, nose pressed hopefully against the glass, wanting just one thing: to get inside. Growing up, he was the artsy son in the sporty family. At his all-boys high school and Catholic college, he was the closeted gay kid surrounded by crush-worthy straight guys. And in his 20s, in the middle of a disastrous career in advertising, he accidentally became an MTV VJ overnight when he finished second, naturally, in the Wanna Be a VJ contest, opening the door to fame, fortune, and celebrity - you know, almost.
In Party of One, Holmes tells the hilariously painful and painfully hilarious tales - in the vein of Rob Sheffield, Andy Cohen, and Paul Feig - of an outsider desperate to get in, of a misfit constantly changing shape, of a music geek who finally learns to accept himself. Structured around a mix of hits and deep cuts from the last four decades - from Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" and En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" to LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge" and Bleachers' "I Wanna Get Better" - and punctuated with interludes like "So You've Had Your Heart Broken in the 1990s: A Playlist" and "Notes on (Jesse) Camp", this book is for anyone who's ever felt like a square peg, especially those who have found their place in the world around a band, an album, or a song. It's a laugh-out-loud funny, deeply nostalgic story about never fitting in, never giving up, and letting good music guide the way.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Party of One
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gretastired
- 29-06-16
Party of One on One with a great storyteller
Dave Holmes' reading/performance of this book is wonderful. The tone is completely conversational yet at the same time incredibly professional. There was no over the top affect to the performance (as there have been some other audiobooks). Even the few times where Holmes began to attempt an accent were peppered with jokes of "no, I'm not going to do an accent".
He is a wonderful writer with smart and funny observations and the ability to make the reader feel as if they are in a one on one conversation with the author.
It is an engaging, funny, self-depreciating and poignant book. The chapters are vignettes that are strung together to tell the story of life by a talented storyteller. And the author brings you along--inviting you to his party.
3 people found this helpful
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- AF
- 27-06-17
Loved Dave Holmes before love him more now
Listening to him read his life is like sitting with my best friend. He explains his experiences so even if you've never had them you feel it with him.
I'm going to listen again and tell everyone to buy this book
1 person found this helpful
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- Fulanito
- 21-12-16
Funny? Yes! Relatable? Surprisingly so!
Despite the author's contention that he is not funny, don't let him fool you; Dave Holmes is quite funny. Imagine your best friend. Now go back to the time when you had just met that person, before they were actually your BFF and you were just getting to know that person. You already knew you liked that person and all the stories you told each other about your respective childhoods, your formative years, your latest exploits as adults - that's what this book feels like, with a tiny sprinkling of celebrity dish. Dave Holmes' honesty and willingness to be forthcoming makes him instantly likable and he discusses some issues that, while intensely personal, end up being pretty universal; I found myself nodding and saying, "That's right" several times throughout, and I'm a straight late-30's Latino male from California. Definitely worth a listen.
1 person found this helpful
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- E. Anderson
- 24-10-16
Hilarious and delightful
Dave Holmes tells a good story and his voice is very pleasant. A whole-hearted recommendation!
1 person found this helpful
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- Lucas
- 03-12-22
Fun trip
I was the perfect age for wannabe a VJ and always thought Dave should’ve won. I was thrilled to see he still has made a career from his pop culture obsession. This is a fun read with lots of nostalgia
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- Matt Kennedy
- 14-02-22
BUY THIS NOW.
Loved it! a must-listen (or read) for anyone who grew up loving music through the 80s and 90s. I found myself responding out loud so frequently, this is a book that I will purchase so i can pass it around to friends and refer to again and again. great humor, fun, heartwarming stories. If you are a music fan, you will find something relatable.
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- Jessica
- 17-02-21
An absolute delight
I loved this! Dave is an incredible writer - funny, personal, witty. I got so much out of this book and he absolutely comes through as a -real- person. This book had slipped under my radar until his excellent recent piece in response to Framing Britney brought it to my attention and I’m so glad I checked it out.
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- Rob
- 10-04-20
Touching and Entertaining
I was enthralled and burned through this book in a day. The story is touching and entertaining. I laughed out loud more than once. Framing the timeline with pop music references was brilliant. The production and narration are excellent. I highly recommend a good listen.
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- Justin Dillon
- 28-11-18
A Gen X tale
I highly recommend this book to anyone in Gen X. I vaguely remembered Dave Holmes from his MTV days, but he became a VJ after I stopped watching as much MTV. But I remember that he always seemed smart and likable. This book shows that he really is. He’s smart, he’s funny, and this is just a really nice walk down what life was like growing up in the 80s and 90s. He’s a funny, charming writer, and he is delightfully uncynical. Really great book.
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- Trey Chic
- 02-05-18
Listening to Dave is a party for one!
This book helped me feel less alone, about not wanting to be just like everyone else. Now if only Mr. Holmes will not cave on talking about The Real Housewives on his podcast. Come on Dave, be the only gay podcast that doesn't force me to hear about those people. #party