Lee Myself & I: Inside The Very Special World Of Lee Hazlewood

by Wyndham Wallace

‘If I had a name like Wyndham Wallace I would not associate or correspond with anyone with a simple name like mine. However, since you have lowered yourself to such depths, how can my old Indian heart (west not east) not respond favourably.’ Lee Hazlewood

In 1999, after years in the wilderness, Lee Hazlewood—the legendary but often neglected singer and songwriter best known for ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’’, the chart-topping hit he wrote and produced for Nancy Sinatra—launched a comeback that would last until his death in 2007. Lee, Myself & I offers an intimate portrait of how, during that time, Wyndham Wallace became Hazlewood’s confidante, manager, and even collaborator.

A lively and poignant account of their unlikely friendship, adventures, and conversations, Wallace’s unusual memoir tells the touching but true story of what it’s like to meet your hero, befriend him, and watch him die. Along the way, he captures the complex personality of a reclusive icon whose work helped shape the American pop-cultural landscape and continues to influence countless artists today.

Genres: Music, Biography, Music Biography

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2015

Reviews

[Mind the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh-hooh, Summer Wine.... och förstås These Boots Were Made for Walking och Some Velvet Morning.

Det var besöket på Brucebo, Gotland, som ledde till en flera veckor lång Lee Hazlewood-revival. Där på ägorna står två små gula stugor i en skogsdunge. I en av dem bodde Herr Hazlewood på 70-talet i en lite problematisk exil.

Precis som titeln anger är det här inte bara en biografi utan också en självbiografi. Aldeles för detaljerad, kan man tycka, mer som journalism. Vill vi verkligen veta vilken kompromisslös, hatfax-skickande surgubbe Lee var. Det är också en form av besvikelse att konstatera att han levde ett opoetiskt liv. Så hur kunde han skriva de där själfulla sångtexterna.

Ändå läste jag varje ord och varje rad i den här boken och gjorde många marginalnoteringar. Här ifrån min söndagshorisont på Caffè Nero i Putney befinner jag mig ett stenkast från den studio där ett mycket stelt möte skedde mellan Nick Cave och Hazlewood (sid 92-93). Ett annat scenario är när Lee klampar omkring i sina handsydda cowboyboots kring Covent Garden och letar efter en decent burger, så det blir till slut TGIF tillsammans med den hårt prövade managern. Tänk att vara ansvarig för en lynnig Chivas Regal-pimplande raconteur on the loose.

Tonen är trots allt kärleksfull och i andra källor har jag läst fina saker om Lee, som att han "took the 80s off" för att vara en närvarande pappa med sitt tredje barn. Eftersom det är valtider kan tilläggas att han var stolt över att aldrig ha röstat republikanskt.

Hur gick det i storyn om the silver spurs?
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/12859...

För den som önskar en introduktion till Lee Hazlewoods liv och verk finns mycket info och minst en podcast på Light in the Attic Records.

[Phil Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who is a fan of Lee Hazlewood should read this, but don't expect a full biography. This is a book written and approached with a music industry hand. Wallace is a music manager who was also a fan and happened to fall into Hazlewood in the late 1990s to promote a concert. What develops is a beautiful and special friendship. It is just as much a book about Wallace as it is about Lee, and it's done quite well. You really get the sense of an old man, a luminary, past his prime of stardom (not that he really sought that), a fellow that wrote tunes and made some money and hung out with some popular folks.This is not a maudlin story at all, however. It's really a delightful peek into a legend from the point of view of a fan, that turns into a lasting friendship. It also touches upon the relationships we have with our elders and folks preparing to die. It's funny too, I laughed out loud several times. Lee Hazlewood has been gone for many years now (he passed in 2007), but this book brings him right back to life again. Poignant and meaningful, a solid read for fans of the creator of "These boots...".

[Catherine Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

ee Hazlewood has passed into history with only a niche following, and that is such a shame because his influence on popular music is at least as great as many who are well lauded today. When he is remembered it is largely as the writer of hits such as These Boots Were Made for Walkin' and Sugar Town for Nancy Sinatra, and maybe his work with Duane Eddy. But his talents stretched far wider than that. He had a superb singing voice - a deep baritone that injected richness, emotion - and, on many occasions, a sardonic humour into his songs. He was a talented, highly demanding producer - one of his proteges was Phil Spector, who absorbed many of his mentor's ideas and used them to create the famous Wall of Sound. The author of this personal account, formed a real friendship with Lee and his third wife, Jeane, in the latter years of the musician's life, up until his death from renal cancer in 2007. This book is not so much a biography as a collection of Lee's anecdotes, told to the author during those years. It is told with love and respect while steadfastly avoiding becoming sycophantic. As such, I found it a worthy testimony to a man who deserves every accolade popular music can bestow - and has been overlooked for almost every one of them. Highly recommended

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of Lee Hazlewood's final years from a super fan/indie music manager name Wyndham Wallace. It's interesting to get to know Lee from an aging icon's perspective. There are stories interspersed that refer back to his 50's-70's heyday, but this was mostly rooted in the early 2000's. It may be impossible at this point, but I yearned to learn more about Lee's early recording years mentoring Phil Spector, honing his production and songwriting chops, and interactions with music people from the era. This wasn't that type of book though. Minimal nostalgia here. There were some pretty personal things that I feel Wallace should not have included, but overall this was pretty well done and may be the only window of what Lee was like at the end.

[Gary Fowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bit of a must for any fans of the great man. Wyndham Wallace, or Bubba as I now know him, only knew Lee for the last decade of his life, but during that time he managed to get close enough to be considered by Lee as a friend. As such he's a fountain of stories and proves what we already knew, that there was more to Lee than just being the writer behind These Boots Were Made For Walking.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and deeply personal look into the last few years of an incredibly important (if woefully unheralded) pop musical icon.

[Choz G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous account of a friendship between the great Lee Hazlewood and the author who was initially a fan, later a manager and collaborator. Highly recommended.

[Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice companion piece to the man’s catalog of music. Highly recommended for fans.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#58 of 120 books pledged to read during 2023

[Guilherme Salgado braga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt last years artist “love letter” point of view from a fan who also had the privilege to become a truthful friend (and manager). Great artists have great “last acts” and this is one of them. Knowing your idols isn’t always as rewarding as this author’s experience.

[Edwin Iglesias · Rating 3 out of 5]

mas o menos, le falta un poco más de la vida de LEE y menos del autor.