A book review of Meatballs & Microphones: A True Story about Small Kitchens and Big Dreams by Gregory Patrick Travers
Stars: ***
Roundfire Legends Publishing (2019)
Memoir
172 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: Being a cook and a rapper is hard work. Thankfully there are drugs to make it better.
They say out of all the aspiring rappers trying to make it, only 1% will ever find mainstream success. Gregory Patrick Travers pens a fiction-like memoir of the ups and downs of Vancouver rapper, joBlow. One of the 99% who didn’t. Set in the years 2010 to 2014, not only does the book give you a behind-the-scenes look at the world of underground hip hop and the politics of the chain restaurant industry, but it places you in the timeline of notable Canadian milestones like the 2011 Stanley Cup riots, the Occupy Movement, and the 2010 Olympics.
Meatballs & Microphones is a raw look into how one man’s chase for fame led to the destruction of every personal relationship he ever held dear. From bad band breakups to his struggle with addiction, to being homeless in order to pay for his tour expenses, this book lifts the veil of glamour surrounding fame and focuses on the hardships and downfalls that come with it.
Meatballs & Microphones
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I said yes to reviewing it because I love memoirs and I’d not read one where the author was a chef and/or was a music artist. So it sounded interesting.
Honestly when it arrived and I started reading, I was worried it wasn’t going to be good. It’s a short book but the text is also very small and the language was a lot more vulgar than I’d realized it would be. I normally don’t like to read vulgar language and it was off putting at first but then I got used to it because it fit the storyline. I think what bugs me the most about vulgar language is for the most part, there is no need for it. But it seems to fit what he is going through and his state of mind throughout the book.
It’s not just the language. I didn’t realize drugs were going to be the center point of the book. Drugs are not my thing and I don’t care for tv shows or books where there is constant drug use. But the book drew me in and it didn’t seem to bother my anymore. When I started the book, I honestly thought I’d give up and end up not reading it but I was interested straight through to the end.
Speaking of the end, I don’t spoil but I just want to say that the last few chapters made me upset for what he went through. I can’t imagine having to deal with all that he had to deal with and I was feeling angry at the people who were responsible. The last chapter was a nice “end” to the story. I say it that way because it’s more like the beginning of the rest of his life than an end.
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