No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is. [Paperback]

Grant Alden (Editor), Peter Blackstock (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The alternative country movement, which comprises cowpunkers, folkies, Bakersfield sound revivalists?anyone "too old, too loud or too eccentric for country radio"?is still waiting for a magazine to do for it what Rolling Stone did for rock and roll. In the interim, the jovially amateurish fanzine, No Depression, founded in 1995 by Seattle writers Alden and Blackstock and named after an A.P. Carter song, fills the gap. This smart, handsomely published selection from its first three years offers 35 interviews with some of the movement's most prominent poster children. Famously independent musicians like Steve Earle, Iris Dement, Cheri Knight and the Midwestern country-rock band, Wilco, are informative and earnest. More consistently entertaining are Alden's joint interview with old-timers Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver, who scrap over song-writing credits, and Allison Stewart's encounter with indie auteur Will Oldham (who likens himself to Judy Collins and clearly delights in leading his interviewer by the nose). For confirmed fans, however, it will be enough just to hear Earle explain what makes Shania Twain like Def Leppard, or to get an alt-country history lesson from Jason Ringenberg of the seminal Jason & the Scorchers. The editors supply discographies for the in-print albums of the artists, as well as a listing of the "101 most influential" alternative country music albums in print.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This enjoyable compilation of articles from the magazine of the same name looks at varied singers and artists who defy the Nashville commercial recording establishment to do it "their way." The writers capture the idiosyncratic approaches to what can be generally termed "country music" taken by musicians like former big-name country stars Waylon Jennings, Johnny Rodriguez, Steve Earle, and Charlie Louvin; more folk-oriented artists like Steve Forbert and Iris Dement; songwriters Chip Taylor and Mickey Newbury; and bands like Jason & the Scorchers. The numerous contributors capture the lives and worldviews of these performers with universal skill. As a bonus, the editors include a discographical primer of No Depression music (all titles still in print) and a list of "Travesties" (titles out of print). This excellent, reasonably priced look at non-schlock musicians and songwriters is a necessary addition to any library stocking a solid collection of popular music titles.?David M. Turkalo, Suffolk Univ. Law Sch. Lib., Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dowling Pr (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891847007
• ISBN-13: 978-1891847004
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is Not Depressing, January 3, 2001

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is. (Paperback)

"No Depression" the book is a collection of highlights from the first three years of "No Depression" magazine (roughly 1995-1997), which is the bible of the so-called "Alternative Country" music movement. Personally, I am a big fan of the music and own CDs by roughly half of the three dozen or so featured artists. The articles include written snapshots of such alt. country luminaries as Son Volt, Wilco, Blue Mountain, Steve Earle, Bottle Rockets and Whiskeytown. The articles are reprinted verbatum from the magazine and there are no updates for features written several years before the book was published. Unlike the magazine, there are unfortunately no photographs.

Overall, the writing and reporting are of high quality. "No Depression" allows you to get to know artists who the mainstream music press have largely ignored. That said, it is rather limited in its scope. I would also have enjoyed a CD review section, but all you get instead is a list of the best 101 alt. country CDs of all time as picked by the editors of the magazine. While the book isn't perfect, it is still a good read for those of us who love the music.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about country..., August 9, 2001

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is. (Paperback)

Like the magazine, this anthology of artist profiles is full of insights and fraught with distractions. I suppose I should start by coming out with my confession that I have always had, well, some slight **problems** with "No Depression"... To wit, I (and a few other people) have long regarded the magazine as more of a booster society for twangcore than as a vehicle for critical commentary... the reviews are generally non-critical and often adulatory of even the most marginally talented of bands. Such boosterism is all very well and fine -- it's a matter of preference, and in some ways is a refreshing change of pace from the snarkiness of say, "SPIN" or various indie-rock zines. But at the same time, there is something to be said for offering sincere criticism: if no one will point out the flaws in an artform, how can it be expected to grow? In a similar vein, the editorial slant at ND seems to encourage loose, personalized, expressive writing from its dozens of freelance contributors. Writers regularly interject themselves into their stories, or go out of their way to use quirky -- even show-offy -- phraseology and other purposefully-amatuerish techniques that come out of the 'zine ethos. At times this is rewarding to the reader. More often than not, though, I find it distracting and difficult to get around: if you're writing about Hank Williams, then tell me about Hank Williams; don't try to write a Homeric ode in his praise. The editorial hand seems light at "No Depression" -- perhaps they're just unwilling to offend contributors by offering actual guidance -- but they also seem to overvalue dense or lengthy prose as a way to persuade the reader of the gravity of what is being discussed. Ironically, in this regard "No Depression" has little to worry about -- it is clearly the leader of the pack in the current twang craze, so as music historians of the future look back at today's country-roots revival, ND will doubtless take on the authoritative stature that it tries so hard to project in the present day. For those of us in the here and now, we can amuse ourselves with the many insights into the artists we've come to know and love... For example, Allison Stewart's wry presentation of just what a pompous dweeb Will Oldham (of Palace/Brothers/Songs) actually is, or editor Grant Alden's hopelessly florid, but wonderfully informative, profile of alt-country legend Chip Taylor. For the very best of this beloved magazine, this is the book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars if you love the music, you'll love the book, November 30, 1998

By 

Rob Mulhearn - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is. (Paperback)

From the best source of ND music, this book has the best articles from over the years. Each article is suprisingly fresh because after reading interviews and articles in magazine after magazine, No Depression seems to present new information or present it in different ways, Its worth it man.