Review: Shoulda Been Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of Triple J’s Hottest 100 by Tom W Clarke
It is the book that has taken Australia by storm, with the author frequently popping up on national television and radio to be quizzed about his new release and a topic we all love – the Hottest 100. If the media buzz doesn’t convince you, the book’s cover almost certainly will. Pull quotes by none-other-than Paul Dempsey (Something for Kate), Odette, Alex Dyson and Tyler Jenke speak to “a visual and hilarious detailing of Australian music history”. It is agreed that “Clarke’s knowledge, humour, and passion for the poll is the tribute Aussie music needs.” Having now read the book myself, I can tell you outright: the hype is entirely justified. ‘Shoulda Been Higher’ is nostalgic, nerdy and deeply funny. It is somehow both chock-a-block with stats and completely fascinating – not a combination I have witnessed previously, of that you can be sure. Tom W Clarke approaches the Hottest 100 with the studiousness of an academic, the joy of a comedian and the anecdotes an...