From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Synopses & Reviews
“Friend, asshole, angel, mutant,” singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt “came along and made us gross and broken people seem... I dunno, cooler, I guess.” A quadriplegic who could play only simple chords on his guitar, Chesnutt recorded seventeen critically acclaimed albums before his death in 2009, including About to Choke, North Star Deserter, and At the Cut. In 2006, NPR placed him in the top five of the ten best living songwriters, along with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen. Chesnutt’s songs have also been covered by many prominent artists, including Madonna, the Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Sparklehorse, Fugazi, and Neutral Milk Hotel.
Kristin Hersh toured with Chesnutt for nearly a decade and they became close friends, bonding over a love of songwriting and mutual struggles with mental health. In Don’t Suck, Don’t Die, she describes many seemingly small moments they shared, their free-ranging conversations, and his tragic death. More memoir than biography, Hersh’s book plumbs the sources of Chesnutt’s pain and creativity more deeply than any conventional account of his life and recordings ever could. Chesnutt was difficult to understand and frequently difficult to be with, but, as Hersh reveals him, he was also wickedly funny and painfully perceptive. This intimate memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the music or the artist.
Review
"An intimate, complicated portrait of the artist as road warrior . . . a beautiful but often dark, heartbreaking read."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Review
"The book's great sadness is matched by the skill and vitality of
Hersh's writing; it will make treasured and troubled reading for fans of
Chesnutt and the author alike."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[Hersh’s] observations . . . always ring with a harsh lyrical truth . .
. an eloquent, heartbreaking testament. Hersh’s language is vivid and
conversational, as descriptive and elliptical as her own music."
Pitchfork
Review
"Don't Suck, Don't Die is not only one of the best books of the
year, it's one of the most beautiful rock memoirs ever written. Hersh
is as stunningly talented an author as she is a musician, and her
portrayal of Chesnutt is perfectly done." Michael Shaub, NPR Books
Review
"A raw, poetic memoir . . . a last, wonderful example of Chesnutt at his most charismatically mischievous." The Guardian
Synopsis
A haunting ode to a lost friend, this memoir by the acclaimed author of Rat Girl
offers the most personal, empathetic look at the creative genius and
often-tormented life of singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt that is ever
likely to be written.
Video
About the Author
Kristin Hersh
New Orleans, Louisiana
Hersh is a founding member of the bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. Her memoir Rat Girl was widely praised by publications from the New York Times to Rolling Stone, which named it one of the top ten best rock memoirs ever written.
Amanda Petrusich
Brooklyn, New York
Petrusich is the author of several books about music, including Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World’s Rarest 78 rpm Records. Her criticism and reporting has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, Pitchfork, Spin, BuzzFeed, and the Oxford American, where she is a contributing editor. She teaches music writing at New York University.
Kristin Hersh on PowellsBooks.Blog
Kristin Hersh is that rare breed of musician who is also a fantastic writer. Though most people would know her from her solo career or her bands Throwing Muses or 50 Foot Wave, her first memoir, Rat Girl, described her life as an 18-year-old songwriter, newly diagnosed with mental illness ...
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Kristin Hersh on PowellsBooks.Blog
In 1981, Kristin Hersh founded the iconic band Throwing Muses, along with her stepsister Tanya Donelly (later of Belly and the Breeders). She went on to record several solo albums and form a new band, 50FootWave. Throwing Muses' sound ...
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