Perfect Sound Whatever, James Acaster
Perfect Sound Whatever, James Acaster
15 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Perfect Sound Whatever
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Author: James Acaster

Narrator: James Acaster

Unabridged: 6 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Headline

Published: 08/22/2019


Synopsis

The brand new memoir from James Acaster: cult comedian, bestselling author of Classic Scrapes, undercover cop, receiver of cabbages.

PERFECT SOUND WHATEVER is a love letter to the healing power of music, and how one man's obsessive quest saw him defeat the bullshit of one year with the beauty of another. Because that one man is James Acaster, it also includes tales of befouling himself in a Los Angeles steakhouse, stealing a cookie from Clint Eastwood, and giving drunk, unsolicited pep talks to urinating strangers.

January, 2017
James Acaster wakes up heartbroken and alone in New York, his relationship over, a day of disastrous meetings leading him to wonder if comedy is really what he wants to be doing any more.

A constant comfort in James's life has been music, but he's not listened to anything new for a very long time. Idly browsing 'best of the year' lists, it dawns on him that 2016 may have been a grim year for a lot of reasons, but that it seemed to be an iconic year for music. And so begins a life-changing musical odyssey, as James finds himself desperately seeking solace in the music of 2016, setting himself the task of only listening to music released that year, ending up with 500 albums in his collection.

Looking back on this year-long obsession, parallels begin to grow between the music and James's own life: his relationship history, the highs and lows of human connection, residual Christian guilt, and mental health issues that have been bubbling under the surface for years. Some albums are life-changing masterpieces, others are 'Howdilly Doodilly' by Okilly Dokilly, a metalcore album devoted to The Simpsons' character Ned Flanders, but all of them play a part the year that helped James Acaster get his life back on track.

About James Acaster

James Acaster is an award-winning stand-up comedian and the author of three Sunday Times bestselling books. In 2018, James released his four-part Netflix stand-up collection, Repertoire. A year later he completed a mammoth tour of his hugely successful show, Cold Lasagne hate Myself 1999, around the UK, Australia and America. His podcast Off Menu, which he hosts with Ed Gamble, is a regular in the Apple top 10 list.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rachel on August 28, 2019

James Acaster is perfect. He is the 2016 of people.......more

Goodreads review by Emily on November 12, 2023

This was enjoyable for me. A great way to find new music and artists while also getting to know James Acaster......more

Goodreads review by itsdanixx on January 11, 2020

This book is literally perfect for me. It combines my three biggest passions: books, music, and English panel-show comedians. As with his last book, I listened to the audio again. I love hearing James Acaster talk - even when he’s not telling jokes or being deliberately funny, there’s something abou......more

Goodreads review by Rick on September 14, 2019

I like Acaster a lot – he’s an amazing comic – but this book is... kind of boring. When he’s in stand-up mode, talking about his own life, it’s predictably great (though he dealt with much of this life-history better in his last show). But Perfect Sound Whatever is mostly about music, and he writes......more

Goodreads review by John on April 23, 2022

Essentially a book of reviews of albums from 2016 that James bought and listened to in 2017. As a result of this he posits the theory that 2016 was the best year in music ever. Also, alongside the reviews, Perfect Sound Whatever is a memoir of James difficult year in 2017 in which he struggled both......more


Quotes

Immensely comforting - a witty and wise account of the rejuvenating effect of opening yourself up the the creativity of others. Record Collector

Loved James Acaster's memoir / epic listicle that posits his theory that 2016 was the best year for music. His dry wit I expected, but was impressed by the real life stories of so many musicians the world over. Paints a striking picture of what it means to be a modern musician. Edgar Wright

honest, unaffected, poignant - and, yes, entertaining Chortle

James is a phenomenally talented comedian and his music taste is second only to mine. Romesh Ranganathan

If, as the pundits say, comedy is like jazz then I'm against it. I didn't drill power chords and feedback techniques just to go fannying about looking for the melody. James Acaster, though, is a bit of an outlier. He's a music wonk with a sense of the ridiculous and his controversial theory that 2016 was the greatest year for music ever is off by a mere five decades. Interesting take, though. David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap