Dead Dad Club

by Katie Moulton

What are the limits of what the past can return to us—and can we make the record jump the loop?

Dead Dad Club is the lucid, prismatic memoir of Katie Moulton, a millennial music critic who grew up in a die-hard rock-and-roll family, about her father’s unexpected death from addiction shortly before her 17th birthday, and the music obsession she inherited from him that shaped her early adulthood. A quintessentially American tale about family, grief, identity, and dependency, set in the Midwest and scored in the writer’s imagination by the timeless Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Dead Dad Club follows Katie as she navigates her grief and moves to Bloomington, Indiana–the town where her parents began their love story–to write and work as a radio DJ, spinning records that defined her father, a former record-store manager, and her relationship to him. In struggling to carve out her own space, she grapples with the inevitable questions of one’s 20s: How should we relate to our families as we become our own people? Are we fated to become our parents, or can we change the narrative?

Scored with entirely original music by Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall, Dead Dad Club collapses the space between joy and sorrow, and what emerges is a personal yet universal story that spans genres and eras, richly told with tenderness, humor, and the knowledge of how nostalgia colors our lives—even as we endeavor to push forward past our grief.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction

Audiobook

Published June 9, 2022

Reviews

[Judy Mura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t even finish the audiobook, so my opinion is only on the first half of the book—having lost my own father recently, I suppose I put more into the title than I should have. It’s still unclear to me what this was about.

I never call it quits on a book before I finish. Never. But I just couldn’t take all of the music metaphors and flowery language.

[Lizzie peyton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the title, this storytelling is an homage to growing up in the Midwest, the beats that shape our lives (Tom Petty, in this case), and MamaTan. Pensieve; both the author's voice and meditative rock soundtrack meander through vignettes of disjointed periods of time that come together like soft puzzle pieces falling right into place: eliciting a feeling that the listener is in the river's flow, but not necessarily a linear one. Thoughtful and kind, told from the heart, and much more uplifting than the title belies. The author's voice is meant for audio-those years as a DJ did not hurt!

[Kate Gansneder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this story, but I found it disjointed. I never knew what time period we were in, who the people she was talking about were in relation to her, her story, or her dad, etc. It was an unfortunate let down, and felt more like odd journal entries thrown together. Her dad is scarcely mentioned. I never felt attached to any of her story, her character, or her - not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone.

[Tamara J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this audio book mostly because much of it was set in Bloomington, Indiana and incorporated two musical artists that I have always loved, Prince and Tom Petty. I liked how the author took vignettes from her life and crafted an autobiographical study. Her writing style had just enough detail to move me forward (and backward) through her world. The original background music was a perfect touch.

[Matthew Davison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Dad Club is a remarkable memoir that reads like a mixtape for grief, memory, and identity. Katie Moulton uses her father’s obsession with Tom Petty — and Petty’s music itself — as a way to ask impossible questions about loss, addiction, and legacy.

I was especially moved by how the book integrates its own soundtrack, composed by Evan Stephens Hall of Pinegrove. The original music adds a whole other dimension to the audiobook, making it feel intimate and immersive.

Loved it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful Slow start but so glad I decided to hang in long enough for all the parts to coalesce.

[Kristen Mits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. If you like music, thoughtfully crafted language and family stories, you’ll love this book. Katie Moulton is a genius and her voice is angelic.

[Candice Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay listen , I thought it would be more interesting than it was.
I lovely idea that just didn't captive me.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels disjointed and repetitive. Well produced. But takes forever to make the final point.

[Gregp · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 out of 10

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find that with books of this genre, particularly those that are heavily poetic and metaphorical, it takes me a few tries to get absorbed into the story. This was no exception, but I’m so glad I gave it a few chances because it really had a lasting effect on me. This isn’t the type of book that blows you away, but the type of book that needles its way into you slowly and overcomes you with warmth and longing.

Just based on the audiobook alone, Moulton’s narration is simply stunning, and the addition of composed music for the reading was an unexpected and wonderful addition to her prose. The author’s writing was lyrical, with a distinct feeling of nostalgia. It felt quite pensive and exploratory, wavering between moments of melancholy and hope. I’m always impressed when an author so eloquently depicts a personal feeling or experience and many of Moulten’s lines stopped me in my tracks with both their beauty and relativity.

I learned an incredible amount not just about the author but about Tom Petty, rock music, and music through the decades, which as a music lover was particularly enjoyable.

I truly hope that more people get to experience this book. It felt like a walk down memory lane though the memories weren’t mine. Kudos to Moulton for this beautiful memoir.