Sometimes a book turns out to be very different than your
expectations. A Funny Thing Happened is an example of this phenomenon. The press for the book describes it as Taylor
“journeys through various ghostbusting groups”.
That’s not exactly what happens here.
What happens is that Taylor discusses some odd ghostly occurrences that
he has experienced, including one adhoc investigation performed by Taylor and
some friends.
At this point, I should probably mention that I come to this
book as neither a metal fan nor a true believer in the supernatural. I do, however, have an open mind, and am
fascinated with the phenomenon of paranormal investigation groups. I was hoping that A Funny Thing Happened would provide an interesting view into this subculture.
What did I get? At
the core of A Funny Thing Happened is
Taylor’s account of his own personal experiences. For the most part, these stories are
great. Taylor is a gifted natural
storyteller and the casual tone of his writing makes it feel like you’re having
a beer with the guy while he tells you some crazy stories. Yes, the stories are weird and creepy, just
like the best ghost stories always are.
Unfortunately, too much of the book is devoted to Taylor’s
theories about the nature of supernatural entities and subpar rock & roll
stories. Now Taylor comes off as a more
intelligent guy than you might expect, but I really have no interest in his own
pet theories. Think back to the guy
telling ghost stories around the campfire – do you care about his
theories? Or do you just want to hear
more spooky stories? I’m firmly in the
last camp.
On the whole I’d say that this book is really for fans
only. Taylor puts so much of his own
personality and personal life into the book that those who are looking for more
will be disappointed.
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