A Dream About Lightning Bugs

A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons

Author	Ben Folds
Language	English
Subject	Memoir
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Publication date	July 30, 2019
Media type	Print (hardcover), Audiobook
Pages	336
ISBN	978-1-984-81727-3
Website	https://www.benfolds.com/book

A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons is a memoir written by musician Ben Folds, first published in July 2019. It reflects on his early life, time as a member of Ben Folds Five, and his solo career to the near present.[1][2]

Reception

The book received generally positive reviews and became a New York Times Best Seller.

Allison Stewart of The Washington Post commented, "Once an artist plays their first sold-out show, or signs their first record deal, they are no longer relatable human beings whose experiences in earlier chapters — childhood crushes, bullies, trouble at school — mirror our own. [...] It’s an unbridgeable gap, one that Ben Folds, a singer, pianist and musical Everyman whose relatability seems to have been factory-issued, does his best to navigate in his engaging and solid new memoir."[3]

John Young of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that the book, "offers a glimpse inside the head of another musical genius while also being one of the best-written, most interesting musical memoirs of the rock era."[4]

References

1. Rodman, Sarah. "Ben Folds on his new memoir, working with a young Keith Urban, and his political podcast". EW.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
2. Gordon, Doug (30 October 2019). "Musician Ben Folds Reflects On His Genre-Bending Career". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
3. Stewart, Allison. "Rock-musician memoirs have a distancing effect, but Ben Folds is as relatable as ever". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
4. Young, John. "Master lessons from two top pop music tunesmiths". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 13 November 2019.