Prisoner of Woodstock [Paperback]

Dallas Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

Dallas Taylor is the original drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Dallas Taylor is considered one of the greatest drummers in Rock and Roll history. This is the story of his life before, during and after the band. The book captures the "Real Sixties" during one of musics greats times. Prisoner Of Woodstock is a graffic depiction of Dallas' experience with success and it's excesses, and his spiral into the world of addiction, and remarkable return as one of the Nations leaders in helping alcoholics and addicts. In 1990 Don Henley helped organize a benefit concert to help Dallas get a Liver Transplant. The book has a wonderful since of the "Recovery Spirit ", and is an inspiration.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This autobiography-cum-cautionary tale candidly explores the "dark side" of the music industry. Taylor, former drummer of Crosby, Stills and Nash, recounts the excitements and the risks of life in the rock 'n' roll fast lane. He explains that it is very difficult for a young musician to separate the trappings of a successful career--fame, money, sexual debauchery and drugs--from music-making. Consequently, Taylor became one of many rockers to suffer repeated bouts of substance abuse and many broken relationships. Taylor's dream of harmony and freedom--symbolized by the 1969 Woodstock festival--soured as his heroine addiction began to cost him jobs, friends and self-respect. After several suicide attempts, he kicked the habit in 1985, with the help of a treatment program, but his body had suffered; in 1991 he needed a liver transplant. While vividly capturing his younger self's wide-eyed enthusiasm for rock 'n' roll, Taylor begins each chapter with a graphic account of a physical and/or mental pain he has suffered while he played. He presents a stark picture of himself as a rock 'n' roll casualty, while maintaining a belief in the most positive, idealistic aspects of the contemporary music scene. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Rock cognoscenti will immediately recognize the author's name: Taylor provided the backbeat for some of the brightest stars of the Sixties and Seventies, most notably Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, with whom he performed at Woodstock. Prisoner tells two tales: one of Taylor's successes and failures in the rock music business, and the other of his struggle with drug addiction. With the author recounting his associates' indulgences along with his own, this smoke-and-tell will draw readers looking for the lowdown on rock stars. As he tells his recovery story, Taylor's humor and sometimes painful insights will engage the reader's empathy; his casual prose, while less than substantial, is spirited and lively. David Crosby's autobiographical Long Time Gone (LJ 11/15/88) is a better chronicle of recovery by a more important figure in rock. Nonetheless, this is recommended for public libraries whose patrons have a strong interest in rock music and/or chemical abuse problems.
Bill Piekarski, Southwestern Coll. Lib., Chula Vista, Cal.
Copyright 1994 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: 242 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Pr (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560250879
• ISBN-13: 978-1560250876
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Dads Last Best Friend, February 28, 2000

By 

Robert R.(Bob) Moore (San Antonio,Texas...USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prisoner of Woodstock (Paperback)

I should begin this review with a little info for anyone who should read this.I read the name Dallas Taylor for the first time when I was about 10 years old,I was reading a name off an old 45 single of the songs Hitch Hike and Papas got a brand new bag.I always wanted to know who this guy was and how to get a hold of him. Well, now i know who he is,or was, but I still dont know how to get a hold of him. This book taught me a lot of the man who last knew my father before he died, and I even found a few pages dedicated to the last moments of his life.I thought I knew about the sixties but this book showed me how little I really knew.Many people who have had problems with drugs or alcohol in there lives will benifit greatly from this book.I hope you all will take the time to read this book.It will help you understand things a little bit better and introduce you to my dads last best friend.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars genuine, hilarious, tragic, hopeful, June 6, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prisoner of Woodstock (Paperback)

real life american story of a lost child who was swept up in the compelling 1960's. dallas taylor's honest, revealing story tells what it was like to be a part of history - to experience the tragic/ comical reality of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll -- to suffer and battle his personal daemons and to survive drug addiction and an organ transplant. God Bless Dallas Taylor.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two books in One!, May 23, 2007

By 

Robert Ronis "Roots Music" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prisoner of Woodstock (Paperback)

If you are a fan of CSNY, or just that era in California rock, this is a great inside look of how things went down. Dallas is very open, and up front about "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll". His words also give you an inside peak on the personalities of the musicians you listen to, most notably Stills and Young. The music and musicians are just ONE part of the book. This is the part that made me buy it. The intruige of what went down in the 60s, 70s, 80s.

HOWEVER, as the title reads on this review, it's two books in one. Dallas also did an amazing job describing his drug problems. What drugs were being done, how they made him feel, what they made him do, what he had to go through psychologically, and physically. It was a tale of his struggles ON drugs and getting over drugs. Hospitals, sugeries, friendships and relationships lost.

I've been fortunate enough to never dabble into drugs, but if you have a friend or loved one who is/has, they should read this book. It's a great resource, and could scare them straight.