RaveFloodAnyone familiar with Ozzi’s writing knows that he’s very good at making fun of things, however he manages to tell these stories without sarcasm or snark, fully conveying how destructive this phenomenon was for Bay Area bands like Green Day and Jawbreaker ... But what’s most interesting is the way Ozzi characterizes the unique nuances between these bands and their audiences and why the aforementioned acts bore the brunt of this self-righteous indignation more than, say, Jimmy Eat World or The Donnas ... Ozzi is able to provide context and details to these situations in a way that makes the stories as compelling to completists as they are to casual fans. This is due to the fact that he’s able to craft a cohesive narrative that weaves through the book, connecting these stories and musicians through a staggering amount of interviews and research. It’s a tricky task, however the dots are connected in a way that illustrates the real-life crossover of these seemingly disparate acts and keeps the book rooted in reality. Above all, Sellout is a compelling time capsule of a time before social media dominated our lives, and bands could make a living without resorting to meet-and-greets, VIP experiences, and other supplementary income streams that would make Maximum Rocknroll columnists scoff.
