LOWSIDE OF THE ROAD: A LIFE OF TOM WAITS FREE DOWNLOAD Barney Hoskyns | 640 pages | 12 Oct 2010 | FABER & FABER | 9780571235537 | English | London, United Kingdom Independent culture newsletter And of course the quotes from Waits himself, many of them from interviews with the author from years ago, are always well turned. May 08, Tim rated it liked it Shelves: Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waitsmusic. Please enter a valid password. It's a career biography of the highest class, full of considered judgment, wise contextualisation and detailed analysis: read it and you will have nothing less than a firm grasp of what "Tom Waits" means. I'm going to come clean and say upfront that I haven't read many biographies I really loved and I don't read that many biographies period. But although his songs can seem deeply personal and somewhat autobiographical, fans still know very little about the man himself. One bit of inaccuracy I have to take the Hoskyns to task for: the character Waits played in the superhero film Mystery Men did not invent the "Psycho- fraculator" the machine that Casanova Frankenstein was going to use to enter the city. There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. It seems like the author collected every detail he could Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits - and then crammed then in the book. Vote Are you sure you want to submit this vote? Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues. But I do believe it would be kind to include Howe in his life as his contribution to Tom's evolution is very large. Personally, whilst I enjoy Waits early albums, I feel he only began to show his true greatness with 'Swordfishtrombones', when he began to develop his sound in more unconventional directions. Oct 28, Eugene rated it it was ok. Thanks for subscribing! When Tom's first albums came out he was a reaction against arena rock as it was developing and the California country rock sound. Cod psychology about the influence of his parents and alcoholism. And I did. Brennan, who would take firm control over his career. Hoskyns has great respect for Mr. His experimental music Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits be as expected and comforting as a Beatles wig-out, but you feel like an acolyte. US Edition. A great read! Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits son of two teachers, Waits spent an unremarkable childhood in the humdrum Los Angeles suburb of Whittier. For music to mean anything to me it has to reach me on an emotional level and few singer-songwriters have managed to do that. Hoskyns does not seem to see this and appears to take Waits' cold shoulder very personally. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Log in using your social network account. Cancel Post. Waits had to yell to be heard, and that, Mr. A biography that failed to note Waits's feints and masks would be incomplete and incorrect. US sports. This can put a person at odds with their fans. He opens the book with this gripe and includes an appendix of e-mails from friends of Waits who have turned down his requests for interviews. According to Hoskyns, you like the Bukowski Waits, the crooner and faux-lowlife of the Asylum years, OR the screaming, metal-clanging carney-barker of recent times. I think that says a lot about the man - and mor This book was sort of a guilty pleasure for me. Sign up to Faber Members to be first to know when we're reopening. Yet, in terms of personal revelation and disclosure, small change rains. However I think that word 'persona' is key. Apr 16, Tiffany rated it really liked it Shelves: pop-culturebiographynon-fictionmusicartists. I sort of enjoyed the book, because by the time it came out I was a huge fan. Sign up. This guy has a chip on his shoulder--he interviewed Waits before and he thinks that means he should have full access in all areas--when treated like any other journalist--he gets mad. I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits criticize this book because it's "unauthorized. And since I am a big Rickie Lee Jones fan, although she's not featured much in this book I was heartened to see that Barney handled their relationship with tact. Because he can't enjoy a concert fully because it's not a greatest hits collection from the seventies really only reflects on him as a music writer--he should be much more open minded than he is if he is going to attempt to write a book. He was the antihippie, a saloon singer who wore greasy ties and pointed shoes, anything but laid back. It's her ghostly passage through the fringes of the story that makes for the most compelling and frustrating aspect of the narrative. I've read and enjoyed biographies of George Washington and Michel de Montaigne, I remember, and the authors labored without the benefits of cooperation from the dead subjects. Related Articles. Well, this is going to be an odd review--by virtue of it's subject, I suppose that makes sense. Waits, and is a great fan of his music. Not both. .