Closer You Are: The Story of Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices

(Hardback)

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The authorized biography of Robert Pollard, indie rock icon and founder of the music group Guided by Voices

Robert Pollard has been a staple of the indie rock scene since the early 1980s, along with his band Guided by Voices. Pollard was a longtime grade school teacher who toiled endlessly on his music, only finding success after adopting a do-it-yourself approach, relying on lo-fi home recordings for much of his and his band's career. A prolific artist, Pollard continues to churn out album after album, much to the acclaim of critics and his obsessive and devoted fans. But his story has never been faithfully told in its entirety. Until now.

Closer You Are is the authorized biography of Robert Pollard and Guided by Voices. Author Matthew Cutter is a longtime friend of Pollard, and at Pollard's personal request Cutter has set out to tell the whole, true story of Guided by Voices. This will be the first book to take an in-depth look at the man behind it all, with interviews conducted by the author with Pollard's friends, family, and bandmates, along with unfettered access to Pollard himself and his extensive archives, ephemera, and artwork, which many fans will no doubt recognize from the band's numerous album covers. A series of appendices will further illuminate Pollard's solo career, side projects, and art shows.

Robert Pollard has had an amazing and seemingly endless career in rock music, but he's also established himself as a consummate artist who works on his own terms. Now fans can at long last learn the full story behind one of America's greatest living songwriters.

Reviews

"Closer You Are does a great job in making the unlikely success story of an elementary school teacher who accidentally becomes the first lo-fi icon an engaging read, even for non-devotees."--PopMatters
"Closer You Are is a solid rock bio, and fans of GBV and indie rock will love it."---Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A boisterous chronicle of one of indie rock's least probable but most luminous and unremitting stars."--Arts Fuse
"A raucous read."

--Spectrum Culture

"Cutter's entertaining new biography of "Uncle Bob," Closer You Are, does an excellent job telling the story of the all-American-boy-turned-alternative-rock-god who's much more complex than his brash, boozy stage persona would indicate."--NPR
"Essential for fans of GBV, lovers of '90 indies rock, and proud Ohioans."--Library Journal
"Essential reading for all fans of Guided By Voices, as well as anyone interested in the history of American indie rock."--Dangerous Minds
"The author's lively writing captures the arc of indie-rock's mainstreaming...A well-crafted, intimate portrait of an unlikely, all-American rock-'n'-roll life."--Kirkus
"The first proper, objective, ...definitive Guided by Voices biography."--Psychobabble
"This authorized biography of Bob Pollard is a blast...[Cutter] has captured the raucous and squalling voice of a powerful American songwriter."--Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Matthew Cutter has published in MAGNET Magazineand penned several award-winning game supplements for Deadlands: The Weird West. He is writing a licensed game adaptation of Eric Powell's Eisner Award-winning The Goon and his short story "A Lonesome Place to Die" is slated to appear in The Cackler graphic novel. Cutter is also lead singer and lyricist for the bands Joseph Airport, Rectangle Creep, and Girls of the Big 10. He lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and their three children.