Hardcore Troubadour [Paperback]

Lauren St John (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2003

A biography of a legendary singer and song-writer, written with his exclusive and unfettered cooperation, this is the life behind the award-winning and bestselling albums of Steve Earle, rebel, rocker, Nashville legend. 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 (and 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This biography of country rocker Earle begins with him skipping a 1992 meeting with record execs to sign a potentially career-reviving, multimillion-dollar record contract. Instead, he sold his airplane ticket for $100 and went to score crack in the slums of Nashville, beginning what Earle calls his four-year "vacation in the ghetto." It's a brilliant opening hook, and St. John (Walkin' After Midnight) never lets the reader go, breezily guiding through Earle's wild childhood (he dropped out of school after the eighth grade and was living on his own by 16), his five tumultuous marriages, his many run-ins with the law, his restless wanderings through the American South and Mexico-and a quarter-century of addiction to booze, cocaine and heroin that finally ended after some jail time in the mid-1990s. By talking to many of Earle's closest friends, family and former wives, 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). She interprets Earle's death wish simply as an attempt to break away from his middle-class upbringing. Like his literary heroes Hemingway and Kerouac, he courts disaster to fuel his writing. As St. John writes, "It was no accident that his life was a series of belief-beggaring dramas; quite often he was the cause of them. Consciously or unconsciously, he cultivated his own legend." Springsteen may have been the "consummate chronicler of welfare-line blues," she writes, "but Steve had lived the life."
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Earle granted St. John, a frequent contributor to the London Sunday Times, unrestricted access to write this unfliching portrait. Drawing on interviews with Earle as well as his friends and family (including six ex-wives), she traces the songwriter's life in gritty detail, from his childhood in rural Texas through his addictions, arrests, and breakups to his most recent triumphs. St. John also chronicles Earle's diverse musical influences, which range from Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark to Gram Parsons and Bruce Springsteen. When Earle's debut, Guitar Town, was released in 1986, he achieved success by reviving the pure sounds of legendary country musicians and combining it with the bluesy strains of rockabilly. Not long after the album's release, though, Earle began his slow descent into an inferno of drug abuse that nearly ended his life. After a four-year rut, Earle came roaring back to life with two flawless albums: El Corazon (1997) and Transcendental Blues (2000). 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. Recommended for all collections.
Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb (November 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841156116
• ISBN-13: 978-1841156118
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not always a pretty picture, April 20, 2003

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle (Hardcover)

Steve Earle chose to dive into the fires of hell at a young age. Before the age of 30 he had tried just about every drug under the sun and was a hardcore heroin addict. What's amazing is that Steve managed to do all this, still write amazing albums and perform and tick off everyone who cared for him in the process. Such is the life of a drug addict.

St. John's often unflattering biography (written with Earle's co-operation and input from friends, family members and former friends and business associates)captures this dynamo in action; he knew from the start what type of songs he wanted to write and record. It was always a matter of finding someone that would let him do it. The same thing goes for his drug abuse. He managed to go down for the third time and still save himself. He also managed to alienate just about anyone that cared for him without any insight into his immoral and reckless behavior.

Luckily, the same insight that allows him to inhabit the characters of his often heartbreaking songs, eventually allowed him to see himself for what he was; a junkie wielding his needle like a bulldozer and rolling everyone and everything he cared about. He still disagrees with some of his former associates, lovers, wives (he's been married 4 times and had two children out of wedlock)but he's just as apt to turn that critical eye on himself and attack his own behavior in the past.

He's still an amazing writer and performer. Unlike his mentor Townes Van Zant, Earle managed to recapture his life before his self destructive behavior took too much of a physical toll (the best quote from Earle--"If I thought I'd live this long I would have taken better care of myself" applies to him as much as to Van Zant). He just managed to finally capture the demons driving him, bottle them up and put them on the shelf for display in his songs. They'll always threaten to break out but at least he has a place to put them where they'll do less harm to him and others.

He could be (and sometime still is) an awful person to those he loves. Fortunately, he recognizes the addictive behavior that drove him for so long and drove those around him away. Hardcore Troubador is a harrowing but irrestible read--just like the very drugs that almost destroyed Earle.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardcore indeed, February 23, 2004

By 

James Nelson (Portland OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle (Hardcover)

By now, anyone with even a passing interest in "alternative country" has heard of Steve Earle and his womanizing, heroin shooting, crack smoking past. What people may not have heard about are the details. Lauren St. John lays them bare in this book, courtesy of the people who have befriended him, loved him, supported him and in most cases been thrown by the wayside by him. Earle recounts his past with the sheepish humor of a kid who's just been caught stealing the neighbor kid's bike. Personally, I'm a huge fan of his music and like many, think he is one of the most brilliant American songwriters ever. His knack for lyrical detail, gritty melodies and broad musical range are the stuff of legend. Having said that, he just doesn't sound like a real nice guy. But hey, how many of your heroes are? One could argue that nobody is a nice guy in the grip of crack and heroin addiction, and at times, Earle most certainly was not. The thing that disturbed me, however, was that even after recovery Earle still did not seem very remorseful about his treatment of former business associates, not to mention wives and family members. Again, one could argue that the past is the past, as Earle himself is inclined to do, but it seemed that some of the people who tried to help him even as he destroyed himself, such as John Dotson, were not given proper credit or respect. Earle's assertion that he "doesn't buy into" sister Stacey's version of events in the last days of his addiction just smacks of arrogance and unfairness. Besides, who are you going to believe, the crackhead or the sweet caretaking sister? Nonetheless, Hardcore Troubadour is a fascinating, well written biography . Despite all the misery, such as the gut-wrenching "Vacation in the Ghetto" sequence, many of Earle's antics are downright hysterical. One particular Christmas "homecoming" comes to mind. With or without drugs though, Earle obviously has a kind heart and is extremely generous to those he loves, especially in the area of finances. He is immensely talented, super intelligent and kind of bonkers in an endearing sort of way. Like myself, you may come away from this book all the more impressed that he is currently making the best music of his career, and not so impressed at how many people had to suffer for it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honesty and Talent, February 16, 2003

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D. Sean Brickell (gorgeous Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle (Hardcover)

Steve Earle is emerging as the talent many critics and fellow musicians predicted he would become years ago, before his battle with The Big H almost killed him. I, for one, am glad to see Earle's continued evolution through songs and books. This book's only flaw is one I can forgive if not completely overlook: the author's obviously deep love for her subject. Her praise for Earle is a little over-the-top, albeit she does temper it with detailed reporting about his failures as a father and husband (hell, for that matter as a boyfriend!), as a performer and a bandleader. If you like your stories told with honesty and truth, you'll love this book. I did.