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Don't Try This at Home: A Year in the Life of Dave Navarro
Step into the booth. Check your judgments at the curtain. Close your eyes. Listen: you can hear the voices of the visitors who sat here before you: some of the most twisted, drug-addled, deviant, lonely, lost, brilliant characters ever to be caught on film. What do you have to offer the booth?
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2004
74 people are currently reading
1662 people want to read
About the author
Dave Navarro
10 books32 followersDavid Michael Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band The Panic Channel and, most notably, Jane's Addiction. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Navarro is member of the cover band Camp Freddy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
April 9, 2009
I read this one in a day because I simply couldnt put it down. I guess there was some kind of morbid fascination in it for me as I have always wondered what it would be like if I just "let it all go" for a while and give in to excess...whether I could claw back from the edge or simply become lost or die. Of course Dave Navarro has oodles of money and unlimited access to the LA freakshow so his story is much more interesting. This book is an interesting look into his psyche and what happens when a human being has no boundaries. Dave's ego and incredible self-absorbtion as well as capacity for shifting responsibility for his own problems is just plain ugly....no romance there. Looks and talent have made the man famous but underneath this is nothing pretty (well for that year of his life anyway). It was painful to read about people exploiting things that were extremely important to him such as his dead mother and connection to unicorns just to get closer to him. I guess there are no shortage of vampires and vultures out there. Despite all of this he seems to be quite intelligent and has an ability to read people (as well as some kind of magnetism) and its a shame that he used his "powers" for selfishness and destruction...though I guess that he has moved on from this point in his life to hopefully more positive things. He did put this out there in the hope that it may help others and he did come to some important realisations "If its everybody elses fault, then why am I the guy thats dying?" and the 10 reasons NOT to tie off. All in all it was a very interesting and harrowing read.
April 13, 2017
3 alternative names for this book
1. I was bored, so I did drugs
2. I did so much drugs, my dealer broke up with me
3. People are ruining my life
Actually, as you approach the end, the book explains itself (spoiler)
"This book is about a drug addict who has negative beliefs about life and buys a photo booth to prove and document those beliefs. But in the process he comes to learn that many of his beliefs are inaccurate and gets sober."
And then, in the end, we throw in some love story, that we all know (ok, wikipedia says) doesn't really have a happy ending. So some of it loses meaning. The rest, however, paints a good picture of self-destructive activities, pretending to be wise while high, and trying to get people to sit around and listen to you.
Not bad, really. Thanks for sharing).
1. I was bored, so I did drugs
2. I did so much drugs, my dealer broke up with me
3. People are ruining my life
Actually, as you approach the end, the book explains itself (spoiler)
"This book is about a drug addict who has negative beliefs about life and buys a photo booth to prove and document those beliefs. But in the process he comes to learn that many of his beliefs are inaccurate and gets sober."
And then, in the end, we throw in some love story, that we all know (ok, wikipedia says) doesn't really have a happy ending. So some of it loses meaning. The rest, however, paints a good picture of self-destructive activities, pretending to be wise while high, and trying to get people to sit around and listen to you.
Not bad, really. Thanks for sharing).
August 26, 2018
I wanted to read this for a couple of reasons. The first reason of course being that I am a fan of Dave Navarro, the second is that I loved the photo booth idea and the fact that this book is a snapshot of his life and not the full story, and the final reason is because it is far from being a fluff piece. Actually it hits hard on the topic of substance abuse, which happens to be a career focus of mine.
Expectation wise this novel delivered. I cannot begin to explain how incredibly interesting it was. It was in fact ramblings of a delusional addict, but it was more than that too. You get to see exactly how drugs dilute a persons mind over time and how someone can find themselves at a dead end so to speak. Navarro committed to this project under the preconception that he would never make it to see it through (basically he was under the impression the drugs would kill him). The fact that he still ended up putting it out there after getting to reflect on it was brave. Often people judge and do not take into consideration how hard it can be to share your story when you are an addict. Yeah, so maybe we have heard this story before (a rockstar who finds himself addicted to drugs) but really think about it....have we? Is that the story that's really being told?
The only real problem I had with the story was the fact that Navarro was determined to have a happy ending. Don't get me wrong I wanted a happy ending, but sometimes it is best just to stop where your at and not keep picking things back up. The after interview, the conclusion to love in LA, and the addition of ten reasons not to tie off were all good additions and I'm glad they were a part of the story. It was even interesting to read about his relationship with Carmen Electra, but it was overdone and took away from the message of the story. Some of it would have been better off being left out.
However, I still really liked the novel, and when all is said and done it is not my story to tell. I think the novel has some great messages in it and I hope that others who read this can take as much from it as I did.
Expectation wise this novel delivered. I cannot begin to explain how incredibly interesting it was. It was in fact ramblings of a delusional addict, but it was more than that too. You get to see exactly how drugs dilute a persons mind over time and how someone can find themselves at a dead end so to speak. Navarro committed to this project under the preconception that he would never make it to see it through (basically he was under the impression the drugs would kill him). The fact that he still ended up putting it out there after getting to reflect on it was brave. Often people judge and do not take into consideration how hard it can be to share your story when you are an addict. Yeah, so maybe we have heard this story before (a rockstar who finds himself addicted to drugs) but really think about it....have we? Is that the story that's really being told?
The only real problem I had with the story was the fact that Navarro was determined to have a happy ending. Don't get me wrong I wanted a happy ending, but sometimes it is best just to stop where your at and not keep picking things back up. The after interview, the conclusion to love in LA, and the addition of ten reasons not to tie off were all good additions and I'm glad they were a part of the story. It was even interesting to read about his relationship with Carmen Electra, but it was overdone and took away from the message of the story. Some of it would have been better off being left out.
However, I still really liked the novel, and when all is said and done it is not my story to tell. I think the novel has some great messages in it and I hope that others who read this can take as much from it as I did.
December 9, 2011
I didn't read all of this book which is a shame because I was looking forward to reading it as I have loved Neil Strauss' other work with Marilyn Manson, Jenna Jameson and Motley Crue. But I just couldn't get into this book. It seemed to me to just be a series of disjointed recounts and musings of someone who has done far too many drugs. There didn't appear to be any direction in the book and I just didn't find the random recounts gripping enough to keep me reading.
February 26, 2010
A really quick, easy read that is slightly less self indulgent than the typical addiction/recovery memoir - probably because it's written mostly by a third party, but only slightly because it is also "approved" by Navarro.
The concept of documenting a year in his life through a photo booth in his home was really intriguing and I found the early retelling of conversations and Dave's essays both sad but also interesting. Unfortunately for the book and the documentary project it devolves into a lesson learned and the documenting pretty much stops about halfway through the year. The book ends with a tacked on retelling of meeting Carmen Elektra and how he was completely wrong about love. I wish the book had ended at the natural point, which was a year after the project started. After that point the book is really self indulgent and is less about documenting life and more about trying to convince us he's not a bad person, which I don't think he is a bad person, but if I did think that the epilogue to this book wouldn't change my mind.
The concept of documenting a year in his life through a photo booth in his home was really intriguing and I found the early retelling of conversations and Dave's essays both sad but also interesting. Unfortunately for the book and the documentary project it devolves into a lesson learned and the documenting pretty much stops about halfway through the year. The book ends with a tacked on retelling of meeting Carmen Elektra and how he was completely wrong about love. I wish the book had ended at the natural point, which was a year after the project started. After that point the book is really self indulgent and is less about documenting life and more about trying to convince us he's not a bad person, which I don't think he is a bad person, but if I did think that the epilogue to this book wouldn't change my mind.
May 5, 2019
The premise of this book is interesting and well executed: take a year in the life of a complicated person of note, and document it with photo booth strips, transcriptions of conversations and memories. Navarro starts out with a hypothesis that the only people who stay in one's life are those one pays. Fortunately, he lays himself bare enough to rethink this idea by the end of the book. When Navarro appeared to throw himself into a drug and thought induced pit of darkness near the end, I almost gave up and closed the book. But I'm glad I stayed with it because there is a happy ending of fairytale proportions. The final chapters of the book take place after the initial year of documentation, and I'm glad that Navarro and Strauss allowed the story to develop a little before unleashing it. I'm not familiar with Navarro's music, but after reading about how thoroughly he accepts life's challenges, I am curious to hear how this translates in his musical projects.
October 9, 2008
As a fan of Dave Navarro's music, I thought this would be an interesting read. The premise is that he put a photo booth in his house and whoever came to the house had to get their picture taken to document what happened in his house and his life. I thought there would be interesting stories about other musicians, but instead I read about his girlfriend, his assistant and the numerous prostitutes and groupies that hung out and did drugs with him. Boring! What I did find interesting was his fight with his addiction and attempts at recovery.Being a mental health professional, I'm always interested reading stories of people's struggle with their inner demons. It was a quick read. I'm glad I checked it out from the library, and didn't spend money on it.
February 3, 2012
Extremely dark and not especially insightful. This is a year in the life of an addict. There's a chapter in the end after he cleaned up, which is a nice silver lining. In the forward he clearly states that he does not condone drug use, but admits that they are a large part of his history and his journey. I distinctly remember a page titled "10 ways to tie off" and some details about how he would use anything around to get a fix just about anywhere. In the end there's also a page called "10 reasons not to tie off." I'm glad he came out of it alright. Unfortunately there isn't much here unless you want a peak inside the brain of junkie.
December 2, 2009
Being the Jane's Addiction junkie that I am, I had to read this one. Not only is it a completely engaging and entertaining read, it's also a book detailing a year in Dave Navarro's life in photographs that are primarily from a photo booth he had in his home during that year. Funny at some points, tragic at others, the book is a must read for fans.
Read
December 12, 2020A fascinating man with a tragic past. Loved him on Brittany Furlan's podcast.
I've always been a fan of music where you can hear new things each time you listen.
Check out the documentary about his mother's murder - Mourning Son.
I've always been a fan of music where you can hear new things each time you listen.
Check out the documentary about his mother's murder - Mourning Son.
October 20, 2014
A deep and penetrating looking into the life of a guy that, when all was said and done, I really didn't give two shits about. I suppose the fact that he's intelligent sets him apart from 90 percent of the people he associates with but beyond that, meh. However, Im still glad I read it in my "Six Degrees of Biography" challenge I've given myself. I am rolling through autobios of people who were mentioned in whatever previous autobio I read. Rod Stewart led to Bobbie Brown, then that led to Tommy Lee, and now to this one. The next one will inevitably have to be Anthony Keidis or Perry Farrell, but only one of them has written an autobiography. Too bad Courtney Love and Leif Garrett havent gotten their shit together enough to put one out yet.
September 7, 2015
I'm a Dave Navarro fan - I'll say that right off.
I had to read this book. A year in the life of Dave Navarro. Basically, a year in the life of a heroin addict. Wow. I am so glad I am not this f**k'd up. This book is one weird trip.
This takes place from the summer of 1998 to the summer of 1999. At the end, there's good news. He goes straight. Then there are a few epilogues afterwards as he waits to publish this. There is a chapter at the end about his relationship with Carmen Electra and they seem so happy it's sad that we now know they divorced.
Parts of this book are painful to read but I'm glad I finally read it.
I had to read this book. A year in the life of Dave Navarro. Basically, a year in the life of a heroin addict. Wow. I am so glad I am not this f**k'd up. This book is one weird trip.
This takes place from the summer of 1998 to the summer of 1999. At the end, there's good news. He goes straight. Then there are a few epilogues afterwards as he waits to publish this. There is a chapter at the end about his relationship with Carmen Electra and they seem so happy it's sad that we now know they divorced.
Parts of this book are painful to read but I'm glad I finally read it.
February 21, 2008
A decent book...it was Carmen and Dave's relationship that interested me. It's another Hollywood sob story...a life of drugs, alcohol and sadness.
November 11, 2012
I loved the peak into the life of a rock 'n roll icon that this book provided. It was a cool/fun read and I really dug the photobooth tie-in!
December 19, 2021
This is a dark, gritty look at drug addiction and I couldn't tear myself away. I had to know what happened and I was intrigued by the photo booth in Navarro's house to see who is still around in a year. This took place June 1999 - June 2000 I highly recommend this book 📖
July 22, 2019
This was a thoroughly interesting autobiography that had surprising depth and insight into a year in the life of an addict.
Dave Navarro famed guitarist from Jane's Addiction and briefly within the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells his story to Neil Strauss for an entire year. This took dedication for much of that year Dave was heavily involved in heroin and cocaine addiction. The stories were raw and real, like how his mother was brutally murdered by her ex boyfriend and that's perhaps why he turned to drugs (understandably so). How he preferred prostitutes to dates for he didn't have to deal with intimacy or rejection/cheating; apparently his first ever girlfriend cheated on him and this has thus scarred him.
Apparently, once Dave became sober, he was very hesitant to have this published, but felt like for any addict, it could give them some hope. An addendum was added discussing how he met and married Carmen Electra. Their story, which I saw on MTV as well, was very moving. It is amazing how someone as attractive as Carmen Electra could be so insecure. They both were more real than anyone probably has given them credit for. Sad that they are no longer still together and it makes me ponder what happened to a couple so well suited for one another.
Finally, his photobooth that he used throughout this story was like a Where's Waldo of celebrities. I found some easily (Rebecca Romijn, Natalie Imbruglia, many rock stars), but some I was unable to ever find and it was a fun game at night to do. The shocker was that his assistant at the time was Jen Syme, a woman who was supposedly the love of Keanu Reeves life(I know this from stuff I have read about Keanu NOT from the book itself). They had a stillbirth child and a few years later she died in a horrific car accident. They say he has never gotten over her death. I was shocked at the connection to Dave here and how poorly he treated her during his drug abuse. Thankfully, he was a pallbearer at her funeral, so redemption in my eyes there.
Overall, I love a good summer autobiography and this delivered. I will always find him a hottie in the rock world (I love a man who can rock a good eyeliner well) and I hope that he can maintain his sobriety and find another great love. A recommended read for any fans of his.
Dave Navarro famed guitarist from Jane's Addiction and briefly within the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells his story to Neil Strauss for an entire year. This took dedication for much of that year Dave was heavily involved in heroin and cocaine addiction. The stories were raw and real, like how his mother was brutally murdered by her ex boyfriend and that's perhaps why he turned to drugs (understandably so). How he preferred prostitutes to dates for he didn't have to deal with intimacy or rejection/cheating; apparently his first ever girlfriend cheated on him and this has thus scarred him.
Apparently, once Dave became sober, he was very hesitant to have this published, but felt like for any addict, it could give them some hope. An addendum was added discussing how he met and married Carmen Electra. Their story, which I saw on MTV as well, was very moving. It is amazing how someone as attractive as Carmen Electra could be so insecure. They both were more real than anyone probably has given them credit for. Sad that they are no longer still together and it makes me ponder what happened to a couple so well suited for one another.
Finally, his photobooth that he used throughout this story was like a Where's Waldo of celebrities. I found some easily (Rebecca Romijn, Natalie Imbruglia, many rock stars), but some I was unable to ever find and it was a fun game at night to do. The shocker was that his assistant at the time was Jen Syme, a woman who was supposedly the love of Keanu Reeves life(I know this from stuff I have read about Keanu NOT from the book itself). They had a stillbirth child and a few years later she died in a horrific car accident. They say he has never gotten over her death. I was shocked at the connection to Dave here and how poorly he treated her during his drug abuse. Thankfully, he was a pallbearer at her funeral, so redemption in my eyes there.
Overall, I love a good summer autobiography and this delivered. I will always find him a hottie in the rock world (I love a man who can rock a good eyeliner well) and I hope that he can maintain his sobriety and find another great love. A recommended read for any fans of his.
August 24, 2016
This books follows a year in the life of Dave Navarro in which he is submersed in his drug addiction. To give some time frame on this, the time period in his life was prior to meeting Carmen Electra. The book seems like a very honest portrayal of what it is like battling an addiction. Sometimes as you are reading the text becomes almost infuriating as it is when you are sober talking to a drunk. The photobooth project going on within it is an intriguing one. And I like the perspective of having Dave comment back on the book a complete years out when he is in recovery. I think this book really shows how completely dangerous drug addiction is and shines and light on what it can do. It is very admirable that Navarro put this out for the world to view. It serves as a true testament to his character as well as, I am sure, a reminder to him, in black and white what life was like back then. At the end of the book it is brought up that the text has helped Navarro not romanticize that period in his life. Perhaps if more addicts had something documenting their lives like this, they'd be able to have a better shot at sobriety. Overall, while at times the book was tough to read (on ones heart not the writing) it was a great read with a great message. I have never had an interest in drugs but if I ever had this would have cured me of that interest real fast.
April 20, 2008
I just read this book in whole in two days (that says a lot seeing how my daughter doesn't give me a lot of time for reading these days) after picking it up and putting it back down several times over the past couple of years since first buying it.
I've been in a mood for the past week so reading this was just what I needed. It made me think that my life could be worse for wear and not that I would compare my life in anyway to Dave's, I do see that everyone can learn a good lesson about how to handle life from him.
We all suck and no one is prefect. Do something about it, don't sit around and blame everyone else. It's a good rule to live by.
I won't become a baby unicorn but I will never look at a photo both the same way again.
I've been in a mood for the past week so reading this was just what I needed. It made me think that my life could be worse for wear and not that I would compare my life in anyway to Dave's, I do see that everyone can learn a good lesson about how to handle life from him.
We all suck and no one is prefect. Do something about it, don't sit around and blame everyone else. It's a good rule to live by.
I won't become a baby unicorn but I will never look at a photo both the same way again.
March 1, 2021
What a disappointment. I love Dave Navarro, don't get me wrong. But this whole book was poorly written and poorly executed. It's a mish mash of experiences Navarro had throughout one of his heroin-addled years, and honestly, there's not much substance to it (pun not intended). I really didn't care about the stories he told, or the bizarre photo booth type setup of it. It felt incomplete, out of order, and pointless. Like this book was just a way to share his countless drug stories, with no emphasis on the fact that he has since recovered and that things are better now. I did learn a little bit about Navarro while reading this, but none of it was groundbreaking. You aren't missing much if you don't read this, and honestly, there are better rockstar memoirs than this.
October 7, 2020
I enjoyed reading this. My heart broke for him. The drug addiction is evident throughout the book but...let’s face it, don’t say you didn’t expect that to be in the book. I liked the idea of the photobooth and I enjoyed looking at the pictures. I couldn’t help but think that today’s version of the photobooth is social media. Wherein people have lots of friends/followers online but real friends not so much. His views about life and love are very insightful and difficult to digest. Things most people would not even say out loud or recognize. I love reading autobiographies/biographies, the celebrity becomes a person. Someone who I can relate to as a human being with feelings and ideas, fears and failures. If you decide to grab this book, keep an open mind.
January 2, 2013
I'll be honest - I gave up less than 1/3 into the book. I don't know why you'd read it - Dave Navarro (from Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers) talks about his life experience with drugs, sex, and the people who passed through his house and who were photographed in his home photo booth. I didn't really care about any of it. He sounds as whiny as he complains other famous people are. Maybe there's an enduring message in here, but I wasn't into it. I just didn't care about it. I wished that maybe he'd come to the other side of the drug use (and people use) and come to a new conclusion. But not yet. And it's just annoying to read about his self-obsessed life.
December 7, 2010
I STAYED INETERSTED. IT'S A VERY DARK & DEPRESSING BOOK BUT NOT BORING. HE HAD A REAL PROBLEM WITH DRUGS AS ALL ROCK STARS DO...
"The man had a dark past. Surprise to see him still living! He has made an amazing turn around from junkie to well known status. I recommend if you like dark type drug living reading
"The man had a dark past. Surprise to see him still living! He has made an amazing turn around from junkie to well known status. I recommend if you like dark type drug living reading
October 1, 2012
Uccchhhh. If you are a Dave Navarro fan, don't read this. You won't be anymore. It's not that it's poorly written. It's just pathetic. What a shallow, sheltered, ungrounded person. This book has no redeeming quality that I could see. The idea of having a photo booth in your house is cool, but that's about it. I couldn't even finish it.
November 7, 2016
I wanted to like this book. I'm a big fan of Neil Strauss' writing. But what I read was a boring story about a terrible human being who was boring in his terribleness. I think that's why the book is full of stupid pictures from one of those photo booths, to distract you with visuals from how tedious the actual book is.
February 19, 2016
Not your typical memoir. It's a year in the life of a drug addict. It's not very insightful into Dave Navarro's life. However, it does have a happy ending.
May 9, 2008
Look on the spine of the book and a few pictures on the inside and you'll see my friend Kelli
June 1, 2008
What did I learn from this book? I learned that Dave Navarro believes his life is more interesting than it really is.
September 25, 2009
Love learing peoples dirty little secrets!
Want to read
June 18, 2010LOVED what Neil Strauss did with Motley Crue in THE DIRT, so I'm giving this one a try.
January 17, 2011
Written by my favorite author so I knew I would like it. But, Navarro surprised me. Very intelligent and dark. Add heroin and coke to the mix and I am captivated.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews