You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me

Enjoyed this one a fair bit after impulse buying it after seeing it... I don't even remember where. It's a memoir and an exercise in cultural anthropology about, mostly, throwing oneself headlong into the subcultures of the communities built around musical acts Phish and Insane Clown Posse.

By way of disclosure, I was really into Phish in high school, although I was that rare Phish kid who didn't use any drugs, even pot. I stopped paying much attention to them when they went in hiatus, although I still throw on an album once in a while. I have no particular prior exposure to Insane Clown Posse, with the exceptions of hearing a song once and watching what I still consider to be a tremendously unfortunate guest appearance on Adam Corolla and Drew Pinsky's call-in show Loveline, both years ago.

The author is the head writer for the Onion AV Club, and writes well. The book's a quick read; it bounces back and forth between its two subject scene. The Phish chapters mostly filled me with fond memories from my late teens, and it made me happy to see that so much of what I liked about the scene has survived intact despite the numerous obstacles on the way; I'm glad as well that Rabin doesn't shy away from mentioning the less savory aspects that have cropped up over the years, like the hard drugs that have become more common, or the toll that years of following a band around while using them takes on many people. In case you are wondering whether an accurate assessment of the Phish scene can be made without doing a lot of drugs, never fear. Rabin did a SHITLOAD of drugs. That's made his experience fundamentally different from mine, but it was still very recognizable for me.

The Insane Clown Posse chapters are a wholly different experience for me, in a way that both subjects will be different for most readers: I was never into this band. Rabin's developed an affection for the band and for its fans, and has some idea of what draws people to the band and to its scene. Frankly I still find a lot about the Gathering of the Juggalos kind of horrifying. But I feel like I understand them a little better, and I've lost some of my Juggalophobic tendencies, so to speak.

Solid book, easy read.