A Deeper Blue, 1: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt

by Robert Earl Hardy

Book Overview

This is the first serious biography of a man widely considered one of Texas'--and America's--greatest songwriters. Like Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Townes Van... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157441285X
• ISBN13: 9781574412857
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A must for any music collection with a focus on folk

Musicians embrace music to carry them through their troubled times. "A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt" tells the life story of the singer song writer, embracing folk music as a clutch for his life that carried him through his days when it looked as if his demons would finally consume him. Love, loss, and the things that drove Van Zandt will help readers earn a deeper knowledge and respect for the man, and Robert Earl Hardy transmits his soul well. "A Deeper Blue" is a must for any music collection with a focus on folk.

A Well Written Balanced Biog

I came across this biography while trying to find John Kruth's biog and due to the critisism of Kruth's book I opted for this one. I now have Kruth's but have not read it yet. However, this is a really good read. It is well researched and written in an easy to follow chronological style. It goes into great detail in some periods of Townes' life and although I had read pretty much everything I could find written on the internet prior to reading this there was an awful lot I did not know. I was particularly impressed with the detail around the mid 70s and having watch Heartworn Highways it was good to find the background to those scenes and were and when they were being filmed. I also had no idea how bad Townes heroin addiction was. Unfortunatley but probably understandably there are aspects and periods of Townes' life that are not fully explained such as when and how Townes finally quit Heroin. One period I found slightly lacking was the later period where he was running around with people like Blaze Foley. This time is really very briefly brushed over. The last days of Townes' life are very well written and paint a picture of a man who was a physical wreck and appeared to be just (like the first song he ever wrote) waiting around to die. Although I have no way of verifying its accuracy it is very sad but also very believable. It does paint his estranged 3rd wife in a fairly poor light -getting Townes to sign over all his publishing rights to her and her at best negligent behaviour and its contribution to his death- and it will be interesting to see how Hardy's account differs from Kruth's version which is endorsed by the Van Zandt family including the estranged wife, Jeanene. Having not read both biogs I can't say which is best but I can and certainly do recommend this book.

The definitive Townes biography? Almost certainly.

To be a fan of Townes Van Zandt is to be a member of a worldwide brotherhood/sisterhood - his extraordinary songs are a source of solace, comfort and guidance to those in on the secret, those who have taken the time to apprehend and understand. His work transcends boundaries of genre, and for all their variable quality, there is something in almost every song, be it a couplet, a characteristic twist of logic, a homily that soothes, a sobering vision of the darkest side of life or a verbal shaft of sunlight for a bleak day, that pulls you up short - not just a songwriter, then, but a poet and a sage. But his extraordinary legacy came at a terrible price, a life of manic extremes that's laid out in definitive and unflinching detail in Hardy's articulate biography. Much is revealed - the unexpected scale of heroin's hold on Townes; the punishing touring schedule undertaken in his final years; the shady machinations of those who professed to have his best interests at heart - and much is implied between the lines. Hardy's analysis of individual songs is one of the book's most valuable assets, steering even the most avid fan toward a song previously overlooked, maybe, or deconstructing a familiar one to reveal hidden elements. Don't be put off by the book's quasi-academic framework - there is none of the stuffiness commonly associated with a university press, and the copious endnotes only serve to add vital material. The photographs in the book's centre suffer from poor reproduction, and it's a shame that the budget couldn't run to art paper for them, but it's a minor quibble. In the final analysis, Hardy has seemingly written the definitive story of this extraordinary man, and no lover of Van Zandt's music can call their collection complete without this book on their shelves.

Tremendous

This is an excellent biography. Townes' story is assuredly a sad one but he left a legacy of unparalleled songs. I actually put off finishing the book for almost a month just because I didn't want to read the end...I already knew what happened but it didn't make reading a detailed account of his last days any easier. I've also read the other biography out there, To Live's To Fly, and there's simply no comparison. TLTF was largely anecdotal and the author broke a key rule of biography writing by attempting to project his own importance into the story; Hardy has simply done an exhaustive amount of research and cites all of his sources. He presents the story and then steps aside, so this is the one to go with if you want a more factual recounting of Townes' life. 100% worth the price and read if you're a fan, and if you aren't it just might convert you.

An excellent Townes biography

Townes Van Zandt (died 1997) was one of the world's greatest songwriters. He is hugely underrated - and many critics will agree that he ranks up there with Bob Dylan. There is little written about Townes. There are a few interviews (not many), a few articles (again, not many) and there is John Kruth's patchy, disorganized biography. This is the one to buy. Mr Hardy has spent considerable time over the last 10 years or so interviewing many of those closely connected with Townes. His research, also, has been very comprehensive. The book is laid out in an orderly chronological manner, with a lot of information that even avid Townes Van Zandt fans would not have known (me included). Mr Hardy has an excellent free-flowing writing style and he tells the story very well. The book (270 pages) also has good background notes on sources of comment/interviews and a comprehensive album discography. Highly recommended.