Party of One cover art

Party of One

A Memoir in 21 Songs

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Party of One

By: Dave Holmes
Narrated by: Dave Holmes
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About this listen

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.

©2016 Dave Holmes (P)2016 Random House Audio
Biographies & Memoirs Comedy & Humour Music Funny Heartfelt Witty Comedy

Critic Reviews

"In Party of One, Dave Holmes goes deep into all the ways loving music warps you for life, from shaping your teen crush on Huey Lewis to putting you on MTV at the peak of the TRL era. But his book is also a tenderly hilarious and moving tale of trying to grow up - whether that means coming out at your Catholic college, hitting the hot tub with Kid Rock, or getting that sensation that the singer on your radio is the only soul who truly understands you." (Rob Sheffield, New York Times best-selling author of Love Is a Mix Tape)
"Who better to marry great storytelling with great songs? Dave Holmes's love of music and pop culture is infectious, and his stories are hilarious!" (Andy Cohen, New York Times best-selling author of Most Talkative)
" Party of One is a perfect memoir - hilarious, moving, and full of beauty. Holmes writes at all times with great heart, brains, and courage." (Darin Strauss, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Half a Life)

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