|
|
|
|
||
|
HELP | |
|
This item may be
Check for Availabilityout of stock. Click on the button below to search for this title in other formats.  Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earleby Lauren St John
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:If Steve Earle weren't a living, breathing person he'd be a character in a blues song, a raucous ballad that would tell the tale of a gifted rebel who drank too much, lost his career and almost all of his women in a blizzard of heroin and crack-cocaine addiction, and lived wildly and extravagantly on the wrong side of the law. Along the way, Earle has welded rock to country, the Beatles to Springsteen, Celtic to Americana, punk to bluegrass and has produced multiple Grammy-nominated albums and one enduring classic: Guitar Town. Like Hank Williams and Robert Johnson he has wandered across the American South; like Janis Joplin he has a huge capacity for self-destruction that matches an appetite for life in all its extremes. Like Stephen Foster, he is a storyteller and songwriter of rare skill and force whose sincerity echoes through all his work. A heroin addict since the age of fourteen, six times married to five different women, a man who took a four-year 'vacation in the ghetto', Steve Earle none the less survived. And he came back with an artistic and personal vision intact, determined to change society for the better even as he seemed set to live his life for the worse. Lauren St John has been allowed unrestricted access and cooperation by Steve, his family and friends. In exchange, she has written a hauntingly clear-eyed, unvarnished and uncompromising life of one of American music's talismanic sons. Review:"[The book has] a brilliant opening hook, and St. John never lets the reader go....St. John manages to demythologize a man whose life often threatens to overshadow his music (unfortunately, however, she herself doesn't spend much time on Earle's actual recordings)." Publishers Weekly Review:"Worshipful, overlong....[A]ll of the musician?s extremely bad behavior is tinged with a patina of glamour: the artist sinking into the lower depths to fuel his art....The ferociously intelligent and talented Earle deserves better than this fawning portrait." Kirkus Reviews Review:"A sensitive and amusing book....[E]ntertaining, confessional and full of wicked one-liners." Sydney Morning Herald Review:"On one hand, this first full-length portrait doesn't break any ground — the sordid aspects of Earle's life were already well documented. On the other, however, by using Earle's own words, St. John brings us closer to her subject's intimate relationship to music, which often gets overshadowed in the press. Ultimately, Earle emerges as a guy who wants to make damn good music." Library Journal Review:"A fascinating book...utterly compelling...heartfelt...insightful...and much recommended." Time Out London Review:"If you love Steve Earle, you'll buy this book. If not, get it anyway. It's one helluva story." Uncut (UK) Review:"Shockingly honest." Q Magazine Review:"Meticulously researched and well?written...captures the heart and soul of one of America's most talented, troubled, and controversial songwriters." Charles R. Cross, author of Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain Synopsis:If Earle weren't a living, breathing person he'd be a character in a blues song, a raucous ballad that would tell the tale of a gifted rebel who drank too much, lost his career and almost all of his women. St. John has written a hauntingly clear-eyed, unvarnished, and uncompromising life story of one of American music's talismanic sons. Two 8 page photo inserts. Synopsis:Steve Earle is the musicians’ idol - ‘ my hero’ to Emmylou Harris - who has said of his life that ‘ If I’ d known I was going to live this long I’ d have taken better care of myself.’ He was taking heroin at thirteen, and by the age of forty was mired in a seemingly permanent ‘ vacation in the ghetto’ as he described his life then. In and out of jail for a variety of offences, Earle seemed determined to make good on his boast that when the end of the world came ( it seemed pretty close at times) only he, Keith Richards and the cockroaches would be left standing. Not yet fifty, he has been married six times, twice to the same woman, and amazingly forgiven by almost all of the ex-wives. In moments of consciousness he has, through sheer musical ability, shared a stage with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, the Pogues and Bob Dylan. He’ s a legend, and one of the most gifted songwriters of his generation. He has poured a lot of living into those songs. Nashville just wouldn’ t be the same without him. Synopsis:If Steve Earle weren't a living, breathing person he'd be a character in a blues song, a raucous ballad that would tell the tale of a gifted rebel who drank too much, lost his career and almost all of his women in a blizzard of heroin and crack cocaine addiction, and lived wildly and extravagantly on the wrong side of the law. Like Hank Williams and Robert Johnson, Earle has wandered across the American South; like Janis Joplin he has a huge capacity for self-destruction that matches an appetite for life in all its extremes. Like Stephen Foster, he is a storyteller and songwriter of rare skill and force.
The only difference between Earle and his distinguished forbears is that he survived. Lauren St. John has been allowed unrestricted access and cooperation by Steve, his family, and friends. In exchange, she has written a hauntingly clear-eyed, unvarnished and uncompromising life of one of American music's talismanic sons. About the AuthorLauren St. John is the author of Walkin? After Midnight: A Journey To The Heart Of Nashville,a biography about Steve Earle, and four other biographies. She writes regularly for The Sunday Times and The Independent.She lives in London, England. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment: | |||
|
| ||||
|
||||
Don't Miss
