Book Review: None of this Rocks by Joe Trohman (Fall Out Boy)
None of this Rocks
by Joe Trohman
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
Publisher: Hachette Books
Review by Jared Stossel
Joe Trohman and I have a lot in common. We both grew up with a love of all things nerd related (Star Wars, horror, comic books); we’ve dedicated our lives to music and art (albeit, he’s had a far more successful career than I’ll ever have); and anxiety has been a constant dominating factor in both of our lives. I’ve been a Fall Out Boy fan since 2006, as the band were on the heels of releasing their third (and my favorite) album of theirs, Infinity on High. Writing that sentence feels weird knowing what I now know, as longtime guitarist Trohman details how it was his least favorite recording process of any album in their band’s discography, coupling anxiety with substance abuse, frustration and the pressure of superseding their sophomore effort, From Under The Cork Tree.
None Of This Rocks: A Memoir features many stories like this from the life of the guitarist and co-founding member of one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Whether he’s regaling the audience with stories of his childhood, going off on a diatribe about Star Wars, or discussing some of the darkest moments of his life as he struggles with mental health and substance abuse, you’re rooting for Trohman the entire time. He has an undeniably unique writing voice, often going off into tangents that you want to stick with, even as it navigates away from the story he was originally trying to tell.
Often humorous, darkly candid, and utilizing a brand of self-depreciation to cope with the horrors of the world, None Of This Rocks is an excellent chronicle of life, and a great addition into the ever-expanding library of music memoirs. Maybe “none of this rocks”, but Trohman’s storytelling abilities certainly do.
None of this Rocks can be purchased here.
