Holmes - Party of one: a memoir in 21 songs

Praise for

Party of One

Dave Holmess hilarious memoir will delight pop culture junkies.What makes Party of One such a standout in this overcrowded genre is Holmess voice, which is conversational, insightful about how the entertainment we consume informs our memories and, most important, really, really funny.It will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt inhibited or insecure. Which is to say, it will resonate with everyone.

Washington Post

Equal parts funny and heartfeltan absolute treat.

Entertainment Weekly

A wonderful writer and comedian[Holmes] has penned the funniest memoir Ive read all year. Reading his book is like catching up with your favorite friend and music nerd.

Jessica Reedy, NPR

Dave Holmess Party of One is the latest great gay American book.While [it] is so consistently hilarious that it might deceive you into thinking its a lighter, less serious read than the aforementioned literature-with-a-capital-L, do not be fooled: Party of One is every bit as deserving to be considered in this new wave of essential, unmissable gay writing.

Gawker

Party of One is as charming as it is funny, and its a testament to how pop music has the power to shape our lives.

Esquire

Exceptionally funny and memorableThis memoir will fill your summer with nostalgia, music, and laughter.

Bustle

Holmes has a knack for breezy prose thats insightful and funnyi.e., the kind of writing everyone on the internet aims for, but seldom hits, because the humor is labored or the perspective isnt strong enough. Holmess voice translates nicely to book form, particularly when reliving awkward and painful moments from his past.

The A.V. Club

Holmes approaches his own story with warmth and a sense of humor[in this] engaging tale.He painstakingly makes sure each song rings true[and] offers up his heart on his sleeve.

Newsday

The greatest strength of Holmess book is its specificity. He has a very keen ability to slow moments down and examine them to expose a nugget of truth.There is a warmth and sincerity that carries throughout.If youve ever felt like that aforementioned bee girl [from Blind Melons No Rain video], this is great book that might also help you feel like you arent partying alone.

Lambda Literary

A sharp and sharp-witted reflection on what it was like to grow up gay and feeling like you never belong.

The Daily Beast

Humorous, yet poignantHolmes doesnt shy away from discussing his early struggles with his sexuality as a closeted gay teen, often in a wry, self-effacing way.

Huffington Post

Holmes is all charm, and his self-deprecating style makes his story relatable and engaging without feeling self-involved. A hilarious and touching coming-of-age story that will strike a particular nerve among Generation Y.

Kirkus Reviews

While [Holmes is] inarguably a funny guy, hes also a thoughtful one who has interesting things to say about life away from the camera. And saying them, hes always good company. Welcome to his party.

Booklist

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 upwhether 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 bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape

Who better to marry great storytelling with great songs? Dave Holmess love of music and pop culture is infectious, and his stories are hilarious!

Andy Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of Most Talkative

Party of One speaks a secret language to those of us who grew up at a time when being different was something to be hidden rather than celebrated. Holmess masterful wit and colorful storytelling never obscures the soulful honesty underneathwhich is exactly the lesson we different kids learned to live with. Fantastically fun and captivating.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell, New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Myself These Days

Party of One is a perfect memoirhilarious, moving, and full of beauty. Holmes writes at all times with great heart, brains, and courage.

Darin Strauss, National Book Critics Circle Awardwinning author of Half a Life

I love this book. I felt so many of the things that Holmes describes with grace and candor, from our shared pop-culture shorthand to our nearly unbearable love of music. There are also a million jokes packed in here. I went over each paragraph to laugh again and again.

Margaret Cho, bestselling author of Im the One That I Want

While the soundtrack to Dave Holmess young life may have been primarily composed of American and British Top 40, his glorious attention to detail has more in common with Bach. And I mean Johann Sebastian Bach, not the lithe, sexy bigot who sang for Skid Row. This is an exquisite music memoir that easily fulfills its goals of entertaining people young and old and helping them figure out where the hell they fit in.

Rob Delaney

Copyright 2016, 2017 by Dave Holmes

Readers Group Guide copyright 2017 by Penguin Random House LLC

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

Extra Libris and the accompanying colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Epigraph on courtesy of Frank Turner.

Originally published in hardcover in slightly different form in the United States by Crown Archetype, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, in 2016.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Holmes, Dave, 1971

Title: Party of one : a memoir in 21 songs / Dave Holmes.

Description: First edition. | New York : Crown Archetype, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015047486 | ISBN 9780804187985 (hardback) | ISBN 9780804188005 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Holmes, Dave, 1971 | Holmes, Dave, 1971 Childhood and youth. | ComediansUnited StatesBiography. | Television personalitiesUnited StatesBiography. | Radio personalitiesUnited StatesBiography. | Authors, AmericanBiography. | Gay menUnited StatesBiography. | Coming of ageUnited States. | Self-acceptanceUnited States. | Popular musicUnited StatesMiscellanea. | BISAC: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs. | HUMOR / General. | MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal. Classification: LCC CT275.H6446 A3 2016 | DDC 780.92dc23 LC record available at https:// lccn.loc.gov/2015047486

ISBN9780804187992

Ebook ISBN9780804188005