Things the Grandchildren Should Know
| Company type | Autobiography |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founder | Mark Oliver Everett |
| Products | Book, Audiobook |
| Website | www |
Things the Grandchildren Should Know is an autobiography penned by Mark Oliver Everett, the lead vocalist of the indie rock group Eels. Everett composed this memoir over the span of a year, situated between the releases of the retrospective compilations Meet The Eels: Essential Eels, Vol. 1 (1996–2006) and Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006, and the production of the 2009 album Hombre Lobo.
Title
The title derives from the final track on Eels' 2005 record Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. In that piece, Everett assumes the voice of an aged grandfather imparting life lessons before passing away. Although Everett himself was significantly younger than this character at the time, the title underscores themes related to heritage and what is passed down through generations. He also remarks on the irony of choosing such a title given he did not have children then (his son Archie McGregor Everett was born in 2017). The German version of the book is called “Glückstage in der Hölle,” which translates as "Lucky days in hell," referencing the Eels' track "Your Lucky Day in Hell".
Marketing
Uniquely, neither the original edition's cover nor its interior pages include photographs of Everett. Instead, the cover displays his full name rather than his stage moniker E, and it does not highlight his position as frontman of Eels. Selections from the autobiography were performed live during the 2008 Eels tour, with guitarist The Chet later providing narration for the audiobook release.
Reception
Things the Grandchildren Should Know garnered favorable reviews across media outlets in both the United States and United Kingdom. Critics from Time, The Guardian, and The Independent lauded its emotional resonance and narrative quality. The Times emphasized Everett’s talent in curating meaningful anecdotes, describing it as "a subtle, touching thing." Musician Pete Townshend praised it as "[O]ne of the best books ever written by a contemporary artist." Regional press highlighted its intellectual rigor and candid tone, while music publications such as Spin and Q recognized Everett’s lucid and poignant prose style, with Q awarding it four stars out of five.
Publication history
After its initial release in the United Kingdom, the autobiography was published in the United States by Thomas Dunne Books and St. Martin's Press on October 14, 2008 (). An audiobook version was launched by Blackstone Audio on November 30, 2008, available on cassette tape, CD-ROM, and Compact Disc, as well as digitally via the iTunes Store. Later editions appeared in countries including Belgium, Denmark, Cyprus, France, Germany, Iceland, India, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy.