Grievous Angel : An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons [Paperback]

Jessica Hundley (Author), Polly Parsons (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2005

There has never been a better time for a book on Gram Parsons. At the thirty-year anniversary of his death, his sound, a mix of country and rock 'n' roll, is absolutely everywhere. Popular musicians of today trace their inspiration to pick up a guitar to when they first heard his music. His songs and his style have had a lasting effect on the music of our time. Now, together with Parsons's daughter, Polly, Jessica Hundley has created an intimate and extensive biography that brings together never-before-seen photos and illustrations, unpublished letters, and in-depth interviews with some of the many artists whose work was shaped by Parsons, including Keith Richards, Emmylou Harris, Wilco, and Ryan Adams, among many others. Grievous Angel is the tribute that the legions of Parsons fans have been waiting for—a book that brings to life the story of the Southern boy who revolutionized the way music sounds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The psychedelic '60s had more than its share of excess, and nowhere was this truer than in the Los Angeles music scene. Parsons, one of the originators of country rock, was all too typical, rising to stardom and dead of a morphine overdose at age 26. In this fluffy, interview-packed biography, music journalist Hundley and Parsons's daughter, Polly, who was seven when Parsons died in 1973, chronicle his life, from his privileged but troubled Southern childhood to his cremation in the California desert. Born into a wealthy Florida family, Parsons was encouraged by his mother and stepfather to nurture his musical ambitions. Dropping out of Harvard, Parsons landed in L.A. in 1966 and charmed the hippie-resistant country crowd; joined the seminal band the Byrds; fathered a child (Polly); formed the Flying Burrito Brothers; befriended Keith Richards; and discovered Emmylou Harris, periodically returning to Florida to pick up his trust fund installments. Although the authors take considerable artistic license describing Parsons's thoughts, they fail to provide more than a superficial portrait. Heavy on atmosphere but frustratingly light on insight, this biography portrays an ambitious, charming, spoiled and self-destructive artist who might be better remembered through his music. Photos.
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About the Author

Jessica Hundley has been a freelance writer for the past decade, specializing in film and music journalism. She has interviewed numerous actors, directors, and musicians for a variety of publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Premiere, Blender, Mojo, Interview, BlackBook and The Guardian, among many others. She lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256737
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256731
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sad but intriguing tale, June 3, 2006

By 

Carolyn L. Carter "MadMom" (Centralia, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grievous Angel : An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book and found it the most user friendly of all the books written about country rock legend Gram Parsons. It presents him in a realistic light, warts and all. He was a remarkably talented young man who had it all. Unfotrunately the one thing he lacked was self-discipline and that ended up being the end of him. Nonetheless, the musical and social/personal journey he had in his short life make for great reading. I highly recommmend it. I found it fun to be playing some GP music softly in the background while I read it. This really made some cool ambience.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Work of Historical Fiction, January 9, 2009

By 

Paddy O'Hooligan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grievous Angel : An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons (Paperback)

Sadly, Gram Parsons becomes a fictional character in his own biography. I was really hoping this would be a better read then the Ben Fong-Torres bio, but boy was I wrong. I appreciate Jessica Hundley's effort, but this "bio" is made up at best and sheds no light on the Southern Gothic story that is Gram & the Snively clan. The writing and research are sloppy and lazy. She tends to use clunky, overly dramatic descriptions often ("Gram looked out at the upturned faces; a hundred eyes watched as his hands played and watched his face as he held a note in his throat. Something that had been inside him suddenly slipped together again. He felt his lungs and his cheeks go hot. He smiled, gazing into the pale face of a girl in front for just a moment too long, felt her surrender, saw the boys and their envy, and for the first time, felt whole.") Ugh. Gram says and thinks a lot of things in this book. He also winks, smiles, stares at himself in the mirror, thinks deeply about things, etc.

Important facts are downplayed or left out (we don't find out that Gram Connor is immediately adopted by his stepfather and becomes Gram "Parsons" until way into the book -- he's just Gram until the "oh yeah, forgot to mention" moment); the Connor clan and his relationship with them is barely mentioned, etc.

Also, editing is pretty terrible, especially in a book about a musician --we're treated to Arthur Conley's "That's Alright, Mama" & Bourdeleaux Bryant's "Love Hurts" (it's Arthur Crudup & Boudleaux Bryant). At one point, even Gram's little sister Avis ("Little Avis") becomes "Little Avril" on page 190. Some accepted facts are wrong -- in Fong-Torres' book, Bernie Leadon sings the hymn "Farther Along" at Clarence White's funeral, a very poignant and touching moment. In this book, it's not Bernie but Gram, who "sick in his guts and sad to the core" starts to sing "an old hymn" as others join in, "fill(ing) their lungs with their grief."

I really, really wanted to like this book. What I can't fathom is why Jessica Hundley decided to make most of it up. What this amounts to is a fairy-tale fanbook with only some basis in the truth. How about some interviews? The Snivelys are still in the citrus business in Florida. I'm sure there are some Connors still around in Tennessee. Emmylou, Road Mangler, Bernie Leadon, Hillman, McGuinn, James Burton, Roland White, Merle Haggard, are all still alive. Why not travel to Winter Haven, Jax, Waycross, Tennessee, etc., and get the feel for what Gram experienced? What's with all the "fan" interviews? Who cares?

Unfortunately, what this book does is turn Gram into a semi-fictional character who somehow became an influential musician. Simply making up words and thoughts for Gram does nothing to highlight the complex and troubled character he must have been. It only makes me wish Jessica Hundley had written an actual biography and not a book based on a true story. It hurts me to say this because I admire the fact that Ms. Hundley wanted to share a story and seems to truly love the subject, but the book is pretty terrible -- in many ways, it's her story, not Gram's. Get Ben Fong-Torres' book instead.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Making money off GP, February 14, 2007

By 

Karla "GRITS with Good Music" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grievous Angel : An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons (Paperback)

Save your money. There's nothing new here except the author's thoughts attributed to Gram as if she could read his mind. Buy the Ben Fong-Torres book and just look at the pictures in this one.