Changes

by Al Neil

A Canadian underground classic written between 1958 and 1962. An unredeemedly raw tale of sex, drugs and booze in the life of a Vancouver jazz musician in the early 1960s.

Paperback

Published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Denis Maile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into Vancouver past through the eyes of a heroin junkie jazz pianist. While the main character’s name is Seamus, I’m pretty the book is autobiographical and I’m pretty sure written in the 60s.

While the sketchiness of copping heroin plays a role in the book, the lifestyle of shooting it plays a much more prominent role. Partying, girls and drugs with a side of jazz piano and writing is exactly what you’re gonna get here with a side of prostitution, visits to clinics and brushes with the law.

Being from Vancouver I enjoyed all the parts that took place at beaches or parks that I had been too and could therefore picture vividly in my mind. I probably just forgot to place it back in the 60s though. What can I say? I wasn’t even born yet.

I’m glad my Mum’s partner told me about Al Neil as I did enjoy this book. I could see myself revisiting it in a few years and enjoying it again too.

[Andrea Demers · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because it functions as a glimpse into Vancouver past, and as a record showing attitudes towards addiction and drug use. I enjoyed those aspects of it. Some of the early chapters were written pretty stylistically, some of the descriptions of the character's sense of self while using drugs were somewhat novel and certainly would have been so at the time as well. But much of it was actually quite tedious, and at times seemed grotesque for the sake of provocation. It seems that the character (the narrator) was going through it, but ultimately the resulting text felt a bit scattered and dull. It makes sense to learn this was released chapter by chapter.