U.S.A. Cookbook

“[Snider] combines the sly phrasing of a stoner, the perfect timing of a stand-up comedian, and a mastery of the tiny detail.” —The New Yorker

For years, Todd Snider has been one of the most beloved country-folk singers in the United States, compared to Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, John Prine, and dozens of others. He's become not only a new-century Dylan but a modern-day Will Rogers, an everyman whose intelligence, self-deprecation, experience, and sense of humor make him a uniquely American character. In live performance, Snider's monologues are cheered as much as his songs. But never before has he told the whole story. Running the gamut from personal memoir to shaggy-dog comedy to rueful memories of his troubles and triumphs with drugs and alcohol to sharp-eyed observations from years on the road, I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like is for fans of Snider's music, but also for fans of America itself: the broad, wild country that has produced figures of folk wisdom like Will Rogers, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Tonya Harding, Garrison Keillor, and more. There are storytellers and there are performers and there are stand-up comedians. And then there's Todd Snider, who is all three in one, and something else entirely.

“Todd Snider's compressed story songs are so vivid and knowing that they seem completely plausible . . . But the most compelling character may be Snider: a lowlife Randy Newman.” —Rolling Stone

“Todd Snider’s new book is required reading for anyone who's a fan of his left-of-center, observational style of songwriting. Part autobiography, part modern folklore and all purely entertaining.” —The Boot