What do you think?
Rate this book
Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs
The former Uncle Tupelo and current Son Volt musician presents snapshots of the people and places he encountered during his decades-long touring career.
In this collection of beautifully crafted autobiographical vignettes, Jay Farrar visits the places he’s journeyed to during his more than twenty years as a traveling musician. While recollections of Farrar’s parents and his formative childhood in the Missouri Ozarks are prominent throughout the stories, it is music and musicians that are given the most space and the final word, since music has been his creative impetus and driving force.
In writing these stories, Farrar found a natural inclination to focus on very specific experiences; a method analogous to the songwriting process. The highlights and pivotal experiences from that musical journey are all represented as the binding thread in these stories, illustrated throughout with photography from his life. If life is a movie, then these stories are the still frames.
“ Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs extends Farrar’s talents as he exhibits an eye for detail and a grasp of the human condition that proceeds directly from his own introspective nature.” — All About Jazz
“Provides some illumination of the creative mind of a very private artist.” — Kirkus Reviews
In this collection of beautifully crafted autobiographical vignettes, Jay Farrar visits the places he’s journeyed to during his more than twenty years as a traveling musician. While recollections of Farrar’s parents and his formative childhood in the Missouri Ozarks are prominent throughout the stories, it is music and musicians that are given the most space and the final word, since music has been his creative impetus and driving force.
In writing these stories, Farrar found a natural inclination to focus on very specific experiences; a method analogous to the songwriting process. The highlights and pivotal experiences from that musical journey are all represented as the binding thread in these stories, illustrated throughout with photography from his life. If life is a movie, then these stories are the still frames.
“ Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs extends Farrar’s talents as he exhibits an eye for detail and a grasp of the human condition that proceeds directly from his own introspective nature.” — All About Jazz
“Provides some illumination of the creative mind of a very private artist.” — Kirkus Reviews
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
20 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 1, 2018
Farrar was a brilliant singer/songwriter. However, this book suffers from the same malady that his later music does. He was ordained as the mantle-bearer for a musical movement - alt.country - and heralded as a talented wordsmith, and taking these accolades to heart, seems to be trying just a bit too hard to meet those expectations. He wrote "everyman" songs as an anything-but 19 year old and it seems authentic. Now older and supposedly more mature and experienced his work comes across not as authentic, but as pretentious and contrived. Also, no matter how terrible the breakup of Uncle Tupelo was, refusing to refer to Jeff Tweedy as anything other than "the bass player" seems petty and does nothing but lend credence to speculation that the band's demise was less about a girl and more about Farrar's unwillingness to view Tweedy's contribution to the band as anything more than playing bass. It's sad and disappointing that it's turned out this way, because the first 3 Son Volt albums were so much better than just about anything else put out at that time. This book, like Farrar's more recent music, highlight just how far he's fallen.
March 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't a traditional memoir, but really more of a series of snapshots/snippets of memorable things that happened to him. These things ranged from his life in music (in mostly vague recountings), his eccentric father, Pops Farrar, family history, life in rural Missouri, and life-changing events, with some pretty funny stories thrown in too. I had almost given up hope that he would talk about his relationship with Jeff Tweedy when he referred to him as "the bass player" in a 2-3 paragraph summary of the end of Uncle Tupelo. It was a pretty powerful, unexpected exclamation point describing an event that still lives in the mythology of how Wilco and Son Volt came to be. That was far from the focus of the book though. I think that The purpose of Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs was to brush off the stoic, brooding persona that Farrar has Intentionally or unintentionally presented over his career. If this was the case, these reflections succeed on every level. A must read for any real Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, or Wilco fan.
September 16, 2023
Perfect portrait.
July 24, 2020
Gary’s cousin left this profound bit of wisdom to all the nascent artists in the world: “If you’re going to work at Disney World, sooner or later you’re going to have to put on the bear suit. “
October 8, 2019
Bought a signed copy along with at a Sun Volt show in Joshua Tree. I’ve been an ardent listener of Jay Farrar for (holy shit!) 20 years but found this book, after a first read that took just over one hour to finish, a bit thin. I wanted a little more than I got from it at first, but maybe that’s how a vignette style is supposed to work. The story comes back to you in memories, not in the initial reading. Each chapter is just a couple of paragraphs that conjure up a sense of Farrar’s personal journey. But they pale in comparison to his songwriting. Jay Farrar is a master songwriter and not an author. No doubt, I’d love this book if it were an audio book read or sung by him. His songs all have a finely crafted feel as if they’ve been worked on by a master mechanic (which Farrar’s father was), but this writing comes off to me as too casual, like it needs the pedal steel and three layered guitar lines to complete it. I think it works as a book, maybe just barely, and I’m grateful to learn just a little bit about this otherwise reclusive favorite songwriter, but the reader in me would have liked to see the tiny vignettes in a more developed form.
If you’re into Sun Volt and if you just read it with an open mind and no expectations you won’t be disappointed. I can say the same for his music: if you can listen without trying to place Farrar within all the hype that defines him historically, you’ll find some damn good music.
If you’re into Sun Volt and if you just read it with an open mind and no expectations you won’t be disappointed. I can say the same for his music: if you can listen without trying to place Farrar within all the hype that defines him historically, you’ll find some damn good music.
June 27, 2013
There was no way that I wasn't going to love this book.
I've been a fan of Jay Farrar's since the first Son Volt album came out in 1995 (when I was 14). Much later I got really into Uncle Tupelo, Jay's previous band. Just a few weeks ago, after all these years, I finally got to see Son Volt play at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. They closed out the festival and finished up just as the sun was setting. It was perfect.
A few days later I stumbled upon this book. Great little, honest, personal stories, rendered in such a way that the ending to each one feels as if you were there as well.
My favorite tale involved Jay's first band practicing and his father saying that he'd rather have them at home making noise than somewhere else making trouble. This is almost the exact same thing that my dad used to say to me when my first band was creating chaos in the garage. This just exemplified the connection I feel with Jay Farrar, his music, and now his writing as well.
Love this guy. Loved this book.
I've been a fan of Jay Farrar's since the first Son Volt album came out in 1995 (when I was 14). Much later I got really into Uncle Tupelo, Jay's previous band. Just a few weeks ago, after all these years, I finally got to see Son Volt play at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. They closed out the festival and finished up just as the sun was setting. It was perfect.
A few days later I stumbled upon this book. Great little, honest, personal stories, rendered in such a way that the ending to each one feels as if you were there as well.
My favorite tale involved Jay's first band practicing and his father saying that he'd rather have them at home making noise than somewhere else making trouble. This is almost the exact same thing that my dad used to say to me when my first band was creating chaos in the garage. This just exemplified the connection I feel with Jay Farrar, his music, and now his writing as well.
Love this guy. Loved this book.
January 20, 2016
I've enjoyed Jay Farrar and all of his projects as a musician from Uncle Tupelo to Son Volt, as a solo artist and his collaborations. His foray into prose is engaging as well.
He injects these bite size nuggets with the same cinematic scope and quick turns of thought that seed his songs. Jay quickly brings you into the moment and scene of whatever experience he is describing. If you're a son or father and/or a musician and performer or a fan and traveler you can't help but relate to these vignettes.
This little book works as a sort devotional for the traveling musician who knows he is just a
regular person trying to maintain relationships and sanity while traveling with a circus.
I'm looking forward to more.
He injects these bite size nuggets with the same cinematic scope and quick turns of thought that seed his songs. Jay quickly brings you into the moment and scene of whatever experience he is describing. If you're a son or father and/or a musician and performer or a fan and traveler you can't help but relate to these vignettes.
This little book works as a sort devotional for the traveling musician who knows he is just a
regular person trying to maintain relationships and sanity while traveling with a circus.
I'm looking forward to more.
May 25, 2013
Enjoyable read. Short. You could read the while thing in one hour. I tried to read slow, savor every story. Kind of like a twitter memoir; each story short and to the point. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys reading music memoirs.
March 23, 2013
Approach this like a series of Polaroids and you won't be disappointed.
May 2, 2023
A Laconic and Cloistered Memoir
The title of Farrar’s memoir comes from the eponymous vignette about the practice of “junk-yarding”; a warning from “Pops Farrar” concerning the impending dangers awaiting oblivious youngsters who wander aimlessly about in the junkyard.
The book, a laconic memoir, is an enjoyable (and quick) read and I gave the book five stars with the following caveat: In order to truly enjoy it, one must be at the very least familiar (if not intimately so!) with Farrar’s music in either (or both) Uncle Tupelo or/and Son Volt. Full disclosure: I am a fan of Son Volt and all of Farrar’s solo work, but I stopped purchasing his music after the 2005 release Okemah and the Melody Riot. I was left uninspired by the follow-up album, The Search (2007) and all subsequent releases to date (I may be an outlier here, and indeed, members of Farrar’s ardently devoted fanbase will disagree with my assessment of the music).
The book consists of extremely short vignettes - “pericopes” or “short cuts from a life” - spanning his birth to (approximately) Son Volt’s storied recording of Trace (1995). Some vignettes are as short as a single paragraph, e.g., “Pops Farrar,” “Palace Hotel, “Bennie’s Blues,” et al. The most interesting aspect of the book, from my perspective, is learning about Farrar’s musical influences, which explains how his “roots” have grown to fully blossom in his expressive and moving music (UT and SV), e.g., his solo country, or “grass roots,” release Gob Iron (2006) is a living testament to the early influences discussed in the book.
Guitar players will be interested in some of the early guitars he inherited, owned, and played, in particular I was intrigued with his tantalizing (and brief) description of the guitar he inherited from his brother, a 1960 Gibson SG Special, nicknamed “rubberneck,” for the inability to hold its tuning (pictured in a stage shot of Farrar on page 47) - but this “tuning” problem/issue is inherent to many Gibson guitars in the Les Paul series, but I digress…
There are also some interesting historical insights into his parents and ancestry, however, as related to these stories, much like all of the author’s descriptions, they are not deeply revelatory, from a psychological perspective, and one gets the undeniable impression that Farrar doesn’t do “confessional writing.” Indeed, one could say, without exaggeration, Farrar is a guarded, even cloistered, author, e.g., “Falling Cars” relates the breakup of Uncle Tupelo in terms that can only be described as scant and even ambiguous. Only readers familiar with the musical and personal history between Farrar and ”the bass player” will connect the scant dots or even care to venture an inferential attempt. Although it is a scant account, it is to my knowledge the only medium within which Farrar has written/spoken on the breakup (if I’m incorrect about this, I apologize - and I ask someone to kindly point me in the direction of the Farrar interview that discusses this topic in any detail).
The book contains an impressive gallery of vintage photos, some of which could serve as the perfect cover for a forthcoming Jay Farrar release. These photos might be said to serve as the mise-en-scène of the memoir into which readers might imaginatively insert themselves.
What is missing, however, and sadly so, is any description (detailed or otherwise) about the song writing process, save for a passing reference to the attempted and aborted collaboration between Farrar and Doug Sahm. For I do believe, and have proclaimed on many occasions, that Farrar is one of the premier lyricists in contemporary music, despite coming off as somewhat pretentious, as one reviewer of the book put it.
Well worth the investment.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Philosophy/College of Dupage
NCIS
The title of Farrar’s memoir comes from the eponymous vignette about the practice of “junk-yarding”; a warning from “Pops Farrar” concerning the impending dangers awaiting oblivious youngsters who wander aimlessly about in the junkyard.
The book, a laconic memoir, is an enjoyable (and quick) read and I gave the book five stars with the following caveat: In order to truly enjoy it, one must be at the very least familiar (if not intimately so!) with Farrar’s music in either (or both) Uncle Tupelo or/and Son Volt. Full disclosure: I am a fan of Son Volt and all of Farrar’s solo work, but I stopped purchasing his music after the 2005 release Okemah and the Melody Riot. I was left uninspired by the follow-up album, The Search (2007) and all subsequent releases to date (I may be an outlier here, and indeed, members of Farrar’s ardently devoted fanbase will disagree with my assessment of the music).
The book consists of extremely short vignettes - “pericopes” or “short cuts from a life” - spanning his birth to (approximately) Son Volt’s storied recording of Trace (1995). Some vignettes are as short as a single paragraph, e.g., “Pops Farrar,” “Palace Hotel, “Bennie’s Blues,” et al. The most interesting aspect of the book, from my perspective, is learning about Farrar’s musical influences, which explains how his “roots” have grown to fully blossom in his expressive and moving music (UT and SV), e.g., his solo country, or “grass roots,” release Gob Iron (2006) is a living testament to the early influences discussed in the book.
Guitar players will be interested in some of the early guitars he inherited, owned, and played, in particular I was intrigued with his tantalizing (and brief) description of the guitar he inherited from his brother, a 1960 Gibson SG Special, nicknamed “rubberneck,” for the inability to hold its tuning (pictured in a stage shot of Farrar on page 47) - but this “tuning” problem/issue is inherent to many Gibson guitars in the Les Paul series, but I digress…
There are also some interesting historical insights into his parents and ancestry, however, as related to these stories, much like all of the author’s descriptions, they are not deeply revelatory, from a psychological perspective, and one gets the undeniable impression that Farrar doesn’t do “confessional writing.” Indeed, one could say, without exaggeration, Farrar is a guarded, even cloistered, author, e.g., “Falling Cars” relates the breakup of Uncle Tupelo in terms that can only be described as scant and even ambiguous. Only readers familiar with the musical and personal history between Farrar and ”the bass player” will connect the scant dots or even care to venture an inferential attempt. Although it is a scant account, it is to my knowledge the only medium within which Farrar has written/spoken on the breakup (if I’m incorrect about this, I apologize - and I ask someone to kindly point me in the direction of the Farrar interview that discusses this topic in any detail).
The book contains an impressive gallery of vintage photos, some of which could serve as the perfect cover for a forthcoming Jay Farrar release. These photos might be said to serve as the mise-en-scène of the memoir into which readers might imaginatively insert themselves.
What is missing, however, and sadly so, is any description (detailed or otherwise) about the song writing process, save for a passing reference to the attempted and aborted collaboration between Farrar and Doug Sahm. For I do believe, and have proclaimed on many occasions, that Farrar is one of the premier lyricists in contemporary music, despite coming off as somewhat pretentious, as one reviewer of the book put it.
Well worth the investment.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Philosophy/College of Dupage
NCIS
February 12, 2021
(This review originally appeared on my personal Good Reads page: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9...)
There was no way that I wasn't going to love this book.
I've been a fan of Jay Farrar's since the first Son Volt album came out in 1995 (when I was 14). Much later I got really into Uncle Tupelo, Jay's previous band. Just a few weeks ago, after all these years, I finally got to see Son Volt play at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. They closed out the festival and finished up just as the sun was setting. It was perfect.
A few days later I stumbled upon this book. Great little, honest, personal stories, rendered in such a way that the ending to each one feels as if you were there as well.
My favorite tale involved Jay's first band practicing and his father saying that he'd rather have them at home making noise than somewhere else making trouble. This is almost the exact same thing that my dad used to say to me when my first band was creating chaos in the garage. This just exemplified the connection I feel with Jay Farrar, his music, and now his writing as well.
Love this guy. Loved this book.
-Jeff
There was no way that I wasn't going to love this book.
I've been a fan of Jay Farrar's since the first Son Volt album came out in 1995 (when I was 14). Much later I got really into Uncle Tupelo, Jay's previous band. Just a few weeks ago, after all these years, I finally got to see Son Volt play at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. They closed out the festival and finished up just as the sun was setting. It was perfect.
A few days later I stumbled upon this book. Great little, honest, personal stories, rendered in such a way that the ending to each one feels as if you were there as well.
My favorite tale involved Jay's first band practicing and his father saying that he'd rather have them at home making noise than somewhere else making trouble. This is almost the exact same thing that my dad used to say to me when my first band was creating chaos in the garage. This just exemplified the connection I feel with Jay Farrar, his music, and now his writing as well.
Love this guy. Loved this book.
-Jeff
November 8, 2022
The rating for this one was rough. This wasn't so much a book as it was almost a series of writing exercises bound together. I enjoyed reading it, but it took about 3 hours combined to finish the book, if that. I read half before going to bed one night and the other half before going to bed the next.
For someone as tightlipped as Jay Farrar, this is pretty insightful as I don't recall much information on his family coming up in interviews. However, compared to even the most sparse of autobiographies, this one comes off rather skeletal. I would have like to have seen this take the course of My Damage by Keith Morris, where the stories are more fleshed out and had some details. This just read like a treatment for a book to be written in the future.
That said, this review solely states what I wanted as an Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt/Jay Farrar fan and, obviously, not what Farrar wanted to put out in the world, so take my complaints with a grain of salt.
3 stars feels fair for a book that was entertaining as a far, but was short and sparse on details.
For someone as tightlipped as Jay Farrar, this is pretty insightful as I don't recall much information on his family coming up in interviews. However, compared to even the most sparse of autobiographies, this one comes off rather skeletal. I would have like to have seen this take the course of My Damage by Keith Morris, where the stories are more fleshed out and had some details. This just read like a treatment for a book to be written in the future.
That said, this review solely states what I wanted as an Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt/Jay Farrar fan and, obviously, not what Farrar wanted to put out in the world, so take my complaints with a grain of salt.
3 stars feels fair for a book that was entertaining as a far, but was short and sparse on details.
March 4, 2024
Beautiful pastoral book to read at any pace replete with pictures in black and white from Jay's childhood and his own fatherhood and around his awesome career.
Bears leaving around the coffee table or what have you.
The prose you love from his lyrics is on display and is American full on splendor.
Bears leaving around the coffee table or what have you.
The prose you love from his lyrics is on display and is American full on splendor.
March 18, 2020
I really enjoyed the vignette style of this memoir; always loved Farrar's songwriting and music and he's a very handy memoirist - shades of Willy Vlautin and John Steinbeck.
August 7, 2024
This book is series of vignettes that are mildly amusing. As I read the book, I asked myself "what's the point?" And there is none.
September 8, 2024
First of all, I really like Country music, like A LOT, and all of its subgenres; be it Bluegrass, Folk, or pure Honky Tonk Americana sound - but discovering Son Volt and Jay Farrar's music for the first time back in the day was like a revelation to me. My first introduction to Son Volt was with their album "Honky Tonk” (2013) and that should say a lot! Though I was a bit late to the party finding about these extremely talented guys, nevertheless it was a major discovery for me and it changed me as a person. Years later, after listening to all of their albums countless of times, plus Jay's solo records, and soaking in the heart-warming, soul-nourishing and genuine lyrics and sounds, I can beyond a shadow of a doubt say, that I love no other band and musician more than Jay Farrar and Son Volt. (To be fair, I am a HUGE, HUGE Wilco and Jeff Tweedy fan, but above all else when Jay and Jeff were in Uncle Tupelo, life was good). So imagine what it was like for me to discover that Jay Farrar had written an autobiography book of sorts, and I was late to the party...again. Duh! So I immediately bought the book in mid-2021 and read it three times, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I have enjoyed it, and how much wisdom I extracted from it. It didn't matter to me that the book was short, or that he didn't go deeper into his experiences and adventures in his past with Uncle Tupelo and Jeff, and with other bands and people. I liked and enjoyed his compact, sincere and no-bullshit type of writing style, and it can be felt in his songwriting as well. Jay is a quiet person, and If you are trying to find him talking on YouTube extensively, that's not going to happen. The guy just doesn't like to give interviews, be in front of a camera, or to talk about himself, his personal life and his music all that much, and that's fine. Not everyone has to be ultra-extraverted and spill out their entire lives, experiences, history and secrets to the entire goddamn world! Thank god he isn't like that at all.
So, in "Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs" you will discover snippets and glimpses into the life and mind of a true American Country icon. An artist who's been doing this rollercoaster of a musical ride for more than 30 years now. He traveled with the best, he met legions and legends, he sort of invented an entire new genre (alt country), inspired countless of other Country, Rock and Metal musicians and bands, but in the end of the day, he is simply just a guy trying to get by. A guy like you and me, well, with the tiny exception that he is a very talented Rock N Roll musician and Country singer.
I gave the book five stars (goodreads), yes, and if I have to be honest with you, it deserves a whole lot more! A nebula or an entire constelation of stars perhaps!
Read it, and let it sink in like the heart-melting Rock and Country sounds coming from your speakers. It's great fun, I had a few good laughs, and there are some really incredibly funny stories in it, but also some sad and heart breaking ones. Overall it is a very optimistic book. A treasure to keep in my library and a dear companion to carry along with me in my backpack when I travel long distances. Cheers!
Much love to ya'll and peace out! :)
So, in "Falling Cars and Junkyard Dogs" you will discover snippets and glimpses into the life and mind of a true American Country icon. An artist who's been doing this rollercoaster of a musical ride for more than 30 years now. He traveled with the best, he met legions and legends, he sort of invented an entire new genre (alt country), inspired countless of other Country, Rock and Metal musicians and bands, but in the end of the day, he is simply just a guy trying to get by. A guy like you and me, well, with the tiny exception that he is a very talented Rock N Roll musician and Country singer.
I gave the book five stars (goodreads), yes, and if I have to be honest with you, it deserves a whole lot more! A nebula or an entire constelation of stars perhaps!
Read it, and let it sink in like the heart-melting Rock and Country sounds coming from your speakers. It's great fun, I had a few good laughs, and there are some really incredibly funny stories in it, but also some sad and heart breaking ones. Overall it is a very optimistic book. A treasure to keep in my library and a dear companion to carry along with me in my backpack when I travel long distances. Cheers!
Much love to ya'll and peace out! :)
April 4, 2013
My husband and I like all things Jay Farrar and his prose is no exception. Whether he's reminiscing about the "three foot high wooden sculpture of [his] father in Civil War uniform"--created by the father with chain saw and old log, describing hunting down an escaped gerbil in his living room with his family, or fondly remembering New Orleans and the many amazing musicians he's worked with, Farrar's vignettes are by turns moving, humorous, and subtly profound--just like his music. I spent this morning feeling an insight about his work that turned out to be perfectly articulated by Daniel Woodrell on the back cover: A witnessing of one's own existence. Family and music are the central subjects here, but Farrar often ends with these entries with surprise asides from an oblique angle--snappers that reconfigure the meaning of what we've just read. Thank you, Daniel Woodrell and thank you, Jay Farrar.
August 3, 2013
"LIke Woody Guthrie says, "Let your plans come out of your mistakes"
"Through his music James brought clarity and an elevated spirit to those that came to see him play. No reciprocity in this world for James Crutchfield or countless other blues musicians who have died without a dollar or enough acclaim. James gave us the wisdom of his barrel house life in less than five minute segments of pathos and raw power"
"Strange Old St. Louis"
-St Paul Sandwich (egg foo young between two slices of white bread with mayonnaise, pickle and tomato)
-Slinger (Two eggs, one hamburger patty, hash browns, cheese and onions, with chili slung of all)
-Toasted Ravioli (deep fried meat-filled pasta)
-Mostaccioli (large tubular pasta, meat and red sauce)
-Provel Cheese (Local processed-cheese version of provolone)
-Brain Sandwich (sauteed cow brains"
"Through his music James brought clarity and an elevated spirit to those that came to see him play. No reciprocity in this world for James Crutchfield or countless other blues musicians who have died without a dollar or enough acclaim. James gave us the wisdom of his barrel house life in less than five minute segments of pathos and raw power"
"Strange Old St. Louis"
-St Paul Sandwich (egg foo young between two slices of white bread with mayonnaise, pickle and tomato)
-Slinger (Two eggs, one hamburger patty, hash browns, cheese and onions, with chili slung of all)
-Toasted Ravioli (deep fried meat-filled pasta)
-Mostaccioli (large tubular pasta, meat and red sauce)
-Provel Cheese (Local processed-cheese version of provolone)
-Brain Sandwich (sauteed cow brains"
April 11, 2013
It is not wholly unpleasant, but is totally unsubstantial exactly like Farrar’s book of vignettes. Farrar, for the uninitiated, is the lead singer of Son Volt and for a short time was in the band Uncle Tupelo with a fellow named Jeff Tweedy.
Now Farrar has written the kind of songs that make my entire body sigh in a sort of shivery resignation to the emotion his music provokes in me. I cannot hear the song “Windfall” and do anything besides listen to it. It’s a stop all the presses kind of song for me. Read More
Now Farrar has written the kind of songs that make my entire body sigh in a sort of shivery resignation to the emotion his music provokes in me. I cannot hear the song “Windfall” and do anything besides listen to it. It’s a stop all the presses kind of song for me. Read More
June 16, 2013
I guess my prevalent response to this book is how much he managed to pack into so few words and so few pages. A lot of the stories are amusing and the encounters with famous people are interesting, albeit short. On some level I have to wonder why he chose to write an autobiography, and since he did, I wonder why he didn't make it more full and detailed.
March 17, 2015
There were many opportunities for Farrar to be more engaging by going deeper into the story; instead he chose to remain elusive. Fortunately I've got his music to keep me busy but i was hoping for more in this book and felt like it came up short.
It was a quick read though and worth it for that reason. I wanted to want to spend more time with it and was shortchanged.
It was a quick read though and worth it for that reason. I wanted to want to spend more time with it and was shortchanged.
January 30, 2016
An interesting collection of vignettes from one of the best Americana artists there is. It's far short of anything like an autobiography, but it's autobiographical in nature and his take on some of the artists he's met along the way are entertaining and insightful. "If only there were more people in the world like June (Carter Cash)."
August 3, 2013
The singer, songwriter, and general all around kick ass musician known for his work with Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and solo efforts, pens a series of rambling vignettes that range from childhood to present day.
May 27, 2015
More people should write memoirs like this: don't try to tell me everything about yourself; instead, pick some of your best stories and tell them really well. I finished this in about 90 minutes. Themes include family history, geography, and of course music. Four and a half stars.
August 26, 2016
Jay Farrar was in the band Uncle Tupelo, originating in Belleville, Illinois, my old stomping grounds. This book is comprised of short 'snippets' of Jays life experiences, growing up in the midwest, and reflecting on his musical career. AND I love his band Sun Volt. Good stuff.
March 9, 2013
Compelling use of language and structure in this memoir -- think of it as an extended, prose Jay Farrar song. Lovely and thoughtful -- tho what's up with the ellipses...?
October 24, 2020
Jay Farrar is a national treasure! Love this book.
December 20, 2015
Too short by far but I liked this one. I hope for another chance to see Jay on stage again.
October 1, 2013
Not an indepth book. Just a few insights into a great artist (I am a big fan).
Read
January 20, 2014Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews