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Night Drive: Travels With My Brother
From the back cover:
"So, here it is folks.
Stories about how Stan and I grew up together, discovered music together, and learned to play in a band and travel together. How the songs got written and recorded. What life was like on the road before there was an independent music scene.
And nearly every stupid, inexplicable and bizarre thing that could happen to a pair of young idiots who were naive enough to think they could play folk music for a living back in the mid- 70’s and early 80’s.
The bar fights and the bike gangs, The police chases and the arrests. And a thousand gigs in every corner of North America. It’s all here. At least most of it..."
"So, here it is folks.
Stories about how Stan and I grew up together, discovered music together, and learned to play in a band and travel together. How the songs got written and recorded. What life was like on the road before there was an independent music scene.
And nearly every stupid, inexplicable and bizarre thing that could happen to a pair of young idiots who were naive enough to think they could play folk music for a living back in the mid- 70’s and early 80’s.
The bar fights and the bike gangs, The police chases and the arrests. And a thousand gigs in every corner of North America. It’s all here. At least most of it..."
- GenresMusicNonfictionCanada
735 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 17, 2017
Yes it’s heavy to hold, at 731 pages, and my thumbs wrestled at times to hold those pages comfortably in place on my lap. But I loved every one of them and I would have read more.
This book by Garnet Rogers is funny and entertaining and tender and it made me laugh out loud so many times. I made a nuisance of myself telling other people about some of the scenarios that brothers Stan and Garnet Rogers went through as they travelled to their folksinging performances.
I attended Saltfleet high school in the 70’s and Garnet and Stan performed there and once I heard them I was hooked on their music and voices immediately. I bought their music and I went to the Knight II coffeehouse on Augusta to hear them and Doug McArthur, John Allan Cameron and other performers. And I went to many Festival of Friends concerts to see them perform as well as Noel Harrison and Valdy, so reading this book with its warm casual style was a superb treat!.
This book by Garnet Rogers is funny and entertaining and tender and it made me laugh out loud so many times. I made a nuisance of myself telling other people about some of the scenarios that brothers Stan and Garnet Rogers went through as they travelled to their folksinging performances.
I attended Saltfleet high school in the 70’s and Garnet and Stan performed there and once I heard them I was hooked on their music and voices immediately. I bought their music and I went to the Knight II coffeehouse on Augusta to hear them and Doug McArthur, John Allan Cameron and other performers. And I went to many Festival of Friends concerts to see them perform as well as Noel Harrison and Valdy, so reading this book with its warm casual style was a superb treat!.
August 3, 2017
When I first saw this book, I was taken aback by the length -- over 700 pages. And Stan only lived to be 33.
But I started in and was immediately captivated. Garnet has an engaging way with words, a dry wit and an amazing memory for all the years he and Stan spent on the road: the performances, the drinking, the rivalries, the hole-in-wall venues. And the cameraderie and the long long night drives from gig to gig.
Stan was an amazing and enigmatic man, and I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply personal and candid story of his life.
But I started in and was immediately captivated. Garnet has an engaging way with words, a dry wit and an amazing memory for all the years he and Stan spent on the road: the performances, the drinking, the rivalries, the hole-in-wall venues. And the cameraderie and the long long night drives from gig to gig.
Stan was an amazing and enigmatic man, and I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply personal and candid story of his life.
February 6, 2019
Hilarious, enlightening, emotive, and full of great music recommendations - really all I want from the expose of a '70s folk band. I grew up with Stan Rogers' music and later Garnet's as well. As a kid I just appreciated the tunes with no questions asked, as an adult I love hearing the stories behind the songs, all the shenanigans and struggles of life on the road, and the stories of so many of the folk that contributed to this bands legacy. I know it's a brick, but had it been longer I would have kept reading.
September 4, 2021
Night Drive "Travels with my Brother" by Garnet Rogers.
Folk music afficiandos and many Canadians will know Garnet Rogers as the brother of legendary folk singer, Stan Rogers. One of Stan's better songs, 'Northwest Passage', was voted as the best Canadian song of all-time in a CBC Radio listener poll of some years ago.
No doubt fans of Stan Rogers will be interested in this book, but may be put off by its length of 735 pages, which places it squarely in the 'door stop' category. And the book is long, but certainly not too long.
Full disclosure: I admire Stan Rogers' music, but his work is nowhere near my first choice as a singer-songwriter. I've been listening to his albums more recently, mainly because my adult son places Rogers in the upper echelon of career songwriters, along with Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, John Prine and Leonard Cohen. (My son and I agree on four of the choices. My own fifth choice is Joni Mitchell, to replace his choice of Stan Rogers.) Stan Rogers did establish a very significant and unique ouevre in songwriting, with one foot in the intimate singer-songwriter world of the 1970s and one in traditional Irish and Celtic folk movement inhabited by the likes of Makem and Clancy, and the Irish Rovers, at worst, and Christy Moore, the Pogues and the Chieftains, at its best.
So all that being said, I found Garnet Rogers' book to be of much broader appeal, than an insight into the life of Stan Rogers, although it certainly works well on that basis alone. In fact, I can think of no work which chronicles ordinary life in the 1970s in Canada, in the way that this book does.
The 1970s was a time when the entire Canadian population fit into one of two groups: the young and the ignored. The decade saw a tremendous outpouring of human energy, and much of that entirely misspent, whether in the form of cheap gasoline and listless travel on the country's highways, or booze and dope and partying on campuses and pubs across the country. And many of these events, of which this book provides ample evidence, are more enjoyable to reminisce and recount, than they were to experience.
The Rogers' criss-crossed this country and the northern USA, playing wherever they could. They had no clue, really. Why, oh, why, did they play at university taverns and sleazy bars in the mining and logging communities of this country?
As a music listener who attended dozens of concerts during that decade, I quickly learned to avoid pubs and bars as musical venues. I recall that Jesse Winchester, one of my favourites of the time, played at the University of Waterloo pub. Nope, not going, I said to my schoolmates. One of them later recounted how frustrated Winchester became at the lack of attention and poor manners. So why did the Rogers' do it?
(Correct answer: clueless folkies booked by clueless agents, in whatever desparate attempt might keep peanut butter, and margarine in a good week, on the table.)
The various early booking misadventures do make for some great stories now. Only later, when the Rogers began to play the folk club circuit and various music festivals did they obtain the respect and listener attention they deserved.
While the Rogers' experience as a band is a narrative running across this memoir, the book is more a compendium of 85 individual stories on a wide variety of subjects. So you need not read them all, or read them in stages. I would prefer to call this book,'The Canadian Nights', not dissimilar to the classic 'Arabian Nights'. Had my working title been put into use, I'm sure the book would have yielded no sales at all, so I understand the Stan Rogers cover treatment. But I think mine is a fairer description of the contents of the book.
Garnet Rogers is not a literary writer; most of the paragraphs are single sentence, and here and there the book is in want of a bit more close editing. But make no mistake, Rogers is a good, natural storyteller, in command of a fairly broad vocabulary, and decent grammar. His great strength is an exceptionally sharp memory for details that enrich the stories, as well as a good sense of pace and comic timing in the telling. He does tend to bend to exaggerated hyperbole, although in most cases this adds to the humour.
The stories are often very funny, and by turns, touching and deeply moving. They are also baudacious, irreverent, indecorous and vulgar. Lots of profanity; I give you fair warning.
Some reviewers recommend reading the stories over an extended period of time, but I had no problem reading all 735 pages from cover to cover.
Here are some of my favourite stories from the book, which will give you a taste of what is in store. I've removed any spoilers.
ch. 6 Bob Dylan "[This] was the sound of an artist who simply didn't care what people expected him to do or be. ... It was the sound of that most precious thing in the world, someone telling the truth." (And if Bob could do that, why couldn't Stan and Garnet Rogers, and they did.)
ch. 7 The Predators, in which Stan Rogers is kicked out of his first band ... by his mother, for not keeping up with his homework.
ch. 9 Port Dover, in which a motorcycle gang accosts Rogers at a campfire sing, and ... [spoiler removed].
ch. 12 Jackie Washington. "Old Jackie is gone now. We lost him about two years ago, as I write this. How to begin? He was possibly the kindest and gentlest man I have ever met".
ch. 23 Feelings. Remember the 70s song Feelings? Man I hate that song, along with Jim Croce, Barry Manilow and all the other schlock on AM radio at the time. Remember how Curly Joe used to go beserk when he heard "Pop Goes the Weasel". Here we learn about Stan's phenomenal strength and temper, the warning signs that he is about to explode, his tremendous brute strength, and to never mention the song "Feelings" in his presence.
ch. 36 Chicago. Great description of the street scene around the Chicago blues clubs featuring the likes of Buddy Guy and Etta James.
Includes a humorous account of some 'Born Again' Christians petitioning Stan to change the "God damn them all" of Barrett's Privateers to, get this, [spoiler removed]
ch. 40 Winnipeg Folk Festival. An account of the first festival in that city, with Steve Goodman, Colleen Peterson, Willie P. Bennett, and here is why I insist this is not a book exclusively for folkies, but one to be enjoyed by all Canadians. "Eddie Shack, yes, Eddie [profanity removed] Shack."
ch. 51 Jasper. This is just a very good story, featuring a tavern, an unruly audience of rig pigs and lumberjacks, a brawl with hospital casualties, and a twist ending. One of the best in the book.
ch. 58 Peter Bellamy. A brief account of the career of a phenomenal talent, a man who brought audiences to their feet for an ovation, but then fell out of temper with the times, succumbed to substance abuse and met a tragic end.
ch. 85 Night Drive. The last chapter and a summing up of some special memories.
There is no account of Stan Roger's untimely end and its aftermath in this memoir.
This book is self-published and you can purchase the book in hard copy or as a PDF download.
https://garnetrogers.com/?page_id=1013
Folk music afficiandos and many Canadians will know Garnet Rogers as the brother of legendary folk singer, Stan Rogers. One of Stan's better songs, 'Northwest Passage', was voted as the best Canadian song of all-time in a CBC Radio listener poll of some years ago.
No doubt fans of Stan Rogers will be interested in this book, but may be put off by its length of 735 pages, which places it squarely in the 'door stop' category. And the book is long, but certainly not too long.
Full disclosure: I admire Stan Rogers' music, but his work is nowhere near my first choice as a singer-songwriter. I've been listening to his albums more recently, mainly because my adult son places Rogers in the upper echelon of career songwriters, along with Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, John Prine and Leonard Cohen. (My son and I agree on four of the choices. My own fifth choice is Joni Mitchell, to replace his choice of Stan Rogers.) Stan Rogers did establish a very significant and unique ouevre in songwriting, with one foot in the intimate singer-songwriter world of the 1970s and one in traditional Irish and Celtic folk movement inhabited by the likes of Makem and Clancy, and the Irish Rovers, at worst, and Christy Moore, the Pogues and the Chieftains, at its best.
So all that being said, I found Garnet Rogers' book to be of much broader appeal, than an insight into the life of Stan Rogers, although it certainly works well on that basis alone. In fact, I can think of no work which chronicles ordinary life in the 1970s in Canada, in the way that this book does.
The 1970s was a time when the entire Canadian population fit into one of two groups: the young and the ignored. The decade saw a tremendous outpouring of human energy, and much of that entirely misspent, whether in the form of cheap gasoline and listless travel on the country's highways, or booze and dope and partying on campuses and pubs across the country. And many of these events, of which this book provides ample evidence, are more enjoyable to reminisce and recount, than they were to experience.
The Rogers' criss-crossed this country and the northern USA, playing wherever they could. They had no clue, really. Why, oh, why, did they play at university taverns and sleazy bars in the mining and logging communities of this country?
As a music listener who attended dozens of concerts during that decade, I quickly learned to avoid pubs and bars as musical venues. I recall that Jesse Winchester, one of my favourites of the time, played at the University of Waterloo pub. Nope, not going, I said to my schoolmates. One of them later recounted how frustrated Winchester became at the lack of attention and poor manners. So why did the Rogers' do it?
(Correct answer: clueless folkies booked by clueless agents, in whatever desparate attempt might keep peanut butter, and margarine in a good week, on the table.)
The various early booking misadventures do make for some great stories now. Only later, when the Rogers began to play the folk club circuit and various music festivals did they obtain the respect and listener attention they deserved.
While the Rogers' experience as a band is a narrative running across this memoir, the book is more a compendium of 85 individual stories on a wide variety of subjects. So you need not read them all, or read them in stages. I would prefer to call this book,'The Canadian Nights', not dissimilar to the classic 'Arabian Nights'. Had my working title been put into use, I'm sure the book would have yielded no sales at all, so I understand the Stan Rogers cover treatment. But I think mine is a fairer description of the contents of the book.
Garnet Rogers is not a literary writer; most of the paragraphs are single sentence, and here and there the book is in want of a bit more close editing. But make no mistake, Rogers is a good, natural storyteller, in command of a fairly broad vocabulary, and decent grammar. His great strength is an exceptionally sharp memory for details that enrich the stories, as well as a good sense of pace and comic timing in the telling. He does tend to bend to exaggerated hyperbole, although in most cases this adds to the humour.
The stories are often very funny, and by turns, touching and deeply moving. They are also baudacious, irreverent, indecorous and vulgar. Lots of profanity; I give you fair warning.
Some reviewers recommend reading the stories over an extended period of time, but I had no problem reading all 735 pages from cover to cover.
Here are some of my favourite stories from the book, which will give you a taste of what is in store. I've removed any spoilers.
ch. 6 Bob Dylan "[This] was the sound of an artist who simply didn't care what people expected him to do or be. ... It was the sound of that most precious thing in the world, someone telling the truth." (And if Bob could do that, why couldn't Stan and Garnet Rogers, and they did.)
ch. 7 The Predators, in which Stan Rogers is kicked out of his first band ... by his mother, for not keeping up with his homework.
ch. 9 Port Dover, in which a motorcycle gang accosts Rogers at a campfire sing, and ... [spoiler removed].
ch. 12 Jackie Washington. "Old Jackie is gone now. We lost him about two years ago, as I write this. How to begin? He was possibly the kindest and gentlest man I have ever met".
ch. 23 Feelings. Remember the 70s song Feelings? Man I hate that song, along with Jim Croce, Barry Manilow and all the other schlock on AM radio at the time. Remember how Curly Joe used to go beserk when he heard "Pop Goes the Weasel". Here we learn about Stan's phenomenal strength and temper, the warning signs that he is about to explode, his tremendous brute strength, and to never mention the song "Feelings" in his presence.
ch. 36 Chicago. Great description of the street scene around the Chicago blues clubs featuring the likes of Buddy Guy and Etta James.
Includes a humorous account of some 'Born Again' Christians petitioning Stan to change the "God damn them all" of Barrett's Privateers to, get this, [spoiler removed]
ch. 40 Winnipeg Folk Festival. An account of the first festival in that city, with Steve Goodman, Colleen Peterson, Willie P. Bennett, and here is why I insist this is not a book exclusively for folkies, but one to be enjoyed by all Canadians. "Eddie Shack, yes, Eddie [profanity removed] Shack."
ch. 51 Jasper. This is just a very good story, featuring a tavern, an unruly audience of rig pigs and lumberjacks, a brawl with hospital casualties, and a twist ending. One of the best in the book.
ch. 58 Peter Bellamy. A brief account of the career of a phenomenal talent, a man who brought audiences to their feet for an ovation, but then fell out of temper with the times, succumbed to substance abuse and met a tragic end.
ch. 85 Night Drive. The last chapter and a summing up of some special memories.
There is no account of Stan Roger's untimely end and its aftermath in this memoir.
This book is self-published and you can purchase the book in hard copy or as a PDF download.
https://garnetrogers.com/?page_id=1013
September 27, 2021
"Night Drive: Travels with My Brother" by Garnett Roger is entertaining funny fly-on-the-wall account of life on the road with his brother legendary late folksinger Stan Rogers. I didn’t know until recently that Garnet Rogers wrote a book about his life and travels with his brother, Stan Rogers, one of our Canadian great folk singer/song-writer who tragically died in 1983 from smoke inhalation at the tender ago of 33. Stan Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes.
People were encouraging Garnett to tell his story and “write it all down” about their life on the road trying to make it as folk musicians back in the early 70’s and beyond. In Roger's visceral almost cinematic style, "Night Drive" chronicles two young musicians who grew up together, discovered music, learned instruments, and then created a band, naively setting off into the trenches of music touring. They played folk music in the mid '70s and early '80s swimming in an ocean of booze and surviving in squalid accommodations while enduring thankless gigs and vacuous club owners. They bravely battled through bar brawls, bikers, police chases, and arrests, all set to their timeless songs. Let’s say for the sake of argument that it was quite a ride!
One of the reasons why Rogers wrote this book was that he was trying to basically show people how extraordinary it was that they actually got to make this music. “Stan Rogers wrote these extraordinary songs and I wanted people to understand that this beautiful thing got created in the midst of phenomenal chaos, squalor and real danger. We all had serious anger issues and Stan ended up in jail at least once charged with attempted murder. We were not sane. We were not nice people," writes Garnett Rogers.
What surprised me about this book was 3 things:
1) Garnet Rogers is a phenomenal writer with great story-telling skills and this book just emphasizes that talent. Great wit, narrative- very funny, I believed that I laughed on practically every page
2) Life on the road is extremely hard: The main narrative about young men on an adventure, long periods of boredom, short periods of activity and terror, then long periods of boredom. For so many long lonely hours, they were just contained in a fetid little stinking tin can that was a van. They would put it in park, do their gig and then get back in and drive to the next horrendous gig.
3) The stories are touching, funny, risqué and at some points terrifying. But all are very revealing and honest.
I believe that I first heard Stan Rogers was somewhere in the 70’s when I was living and working in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was a big fan of Ryan’s Fancy at that time and attended as many of their shows as I could. Yes, I was in the pub and folk festival scene at the time. I was pleased to read that Garnett Rogers had kind words to say about Ryan’s Fancy and how they helped Stan and Garnett to get better gigs and hone their act. Stan would often play with Ryan’s Fancy events in the Maritimes and his music certainly resonates with Maritimers. I was at the Rebecca Cohen a number of times and attended all the Atlantic Folk Festival where apparently, Stan and Garnett had a pretty rough experience.
It was sad and tragic that Stan passed when he was on his way in realizing the dream of becoming the musician songwriter dear to all our Canadian hearts. But I was also pleased to read that Garnett has moved on in becoming a talented and successful songwriter / musician / story-teller with a wicket sense of humor and happiness in his life.
People were encouraging Garnett to tell his story and “write it all down” about their life on the road trying to make it as folk musicians back in the early 70’s and beyond. In Roger's visceral almost cinematic style, "Night Drive" chronicles two young musicians who grew up together, discovered music, learned instruments, and then created a band, naively setting off into the trenches of music touring. They played folk music in the mid '70s and early '80s swimming in an ocean of booze and surviving in squalid accommodations while enduring thankless gigs and vacuous club owners. They bravely battled through bar brawls, bikers, police chases, and arrests, all set to their timeless songs. Let’s say for the sake of argument that it was quite a ride!
One of the reasons why Rogers wrote this book was that he was trying to basically show people how extraordinary it was that they actually got to make this music. “Stan Rogers wrote these extraordinary songs and I wanted people to understand that this beautiful thing got created in the midst of phenomenal chaos, squalor and real danger. We all had serious anger issues and Stan ended up in jail at least once charged with attempted murder. We were not sane. We were not nice people," writes Garnett Rogers.
What surprised me about this book was 3 things:
1) Garnet Rogers is a phenomenal writer with great story-telling skills and this book just emphasizes that talent. Great wit, narrative- very funny, I believed that I laughed on practically every page
2) Life on the road is extremely hard: The main narrative about young men on an adventure, long periods of boredom, short periods of activity and terror, then long periods of boredom. For so many long lonely hours, they were just contained in a fetid little stinking tin can that was a van. They would put it in park, do their gig and then get back in and drive to the next horrendous gig.
3) The stories are touching, funny, risqué and at some points terrifying. But all are very revealing and honest.
I believe that I first heard Stan Rogers was somewhere in the 70’s when I was living and working in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was a big fan of Ryan’s Fancy at that time and attended as many of their shows as I could. Yes, I was in the pub and folk festival scene at the time. I was pleased to read that Garnett Rogers had kind words to say about Ryan’s Fancy and how they helped Stan and Garnett to get better gigs and hone their act. Stan would often play with Ryan’s Fancy events in the Maritimes and his music certainly resonates with Maritimers. I was at the Rebecca Cohen a number of times and attended all the Atlantic Folk Festival where apparently, Stan and Garnett had a pretty rough experience.
It was sad and tragic that Stan passed when he was on his way in realizing the dream of becoming the musician songwriter dear to all our Canadian hearts. But I was also pleased to read that Garnett has moved on in becoming a talented and successful songwriter / musician / story-teller with a wicket sense of humor and happiness in his life.
April 6, 2019
Thick and perhaps in need of one more tiny copy edit (a few spelling mistakes and one repeated story) this is nonetheless an amazing book about life on the road for a band in the 70’s/early 80’s, full of humorous stories, spinal tap level calamities, and often jaw dropping insanities. You’ll get an unvarnished look at Stan Rogers, stripping away the myth to leave a complicated person behind. You’ll
learn about the recording process and wish you were at some of the live shows mentioned. Despite its size, I found myself wanting more. I wanted to hear about the tragic end and how Garnet dealt with it, how he moved on, etc but I understand that this is specifically about their travels as brothers in a band and with Stan’s death that all ended. Overall a long and rewarding read.
learn about the recording process and wish you were at some of the live shows mentioned. Despite its size, I found myself wanting more. I wanted to hear about the tragic end and how Garnet dealt with it, how he moved on, etc but I understand that this is specifically about their travels as brothers in a band and with Stan’s death that all ended. Overall a long and rewarding read.
May 29, 2017
I was in and out of this book for months, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The stories are touching, funny, risque and at some points terrifying. But all are very revealing. And honest.
And it's such a cross-section of the history of Canadian folk music that I needed to sometimes read it with my browser open so I could look up the various artists he speaks so fondly of.
And it's such a cross-section of the history of Canadian folk music that I needed to sometimes read it with my browser open so I could look up the various artists he speaks so fondly of.
July 18, 2018
This was a funny, rather poignant book. The life on the road, the drive to perform, the brotherly relationship, are all outlined in a story-tellers manner. Funny in parts, sad (because you knew the end), all captured wonderfully here.
November 17, 2022
So many interesting stories to pull out of this big book, love the stories about the journey and the inspiration behind the songs. A recommended book for Canadian music lovers.
January 16, 2025
The last few pages of Garnet Rogers's Night Drive: Travels With My Brother constitute some of the most evocative descriptions of nature's beauty interwoven with poignant reminiscences from times long gone...well, suffice it to say it was moving. I hated to finish the book.
What I wish Night Drive had was an index. People, places, and events appear and reappear throughout the 735 pages, and finding, say, Mose Scarlett again, after leaving him a few hundred pages behind would be a daunting task, should I choose to tackle it.
I remember Mose from early '80s open mic nights at Smokey Joe's Café, downstairs at the 519 Church Street Community Centre in Toronto. It was at Smokey Joe's that we learned of Stan's death.
Stan died on Thursday, June 2, 1983, and walking down the stairs into Smokey Joe's the evening of Friday, June 3, 1983, was like walking into a morgue, which in a way it was. You could have cut the shock and grief with a knife. It was visible, a dark pall; it was palpable.
What's up, we said. We had heard about the plane--it was all over the news--but we had not known who was on it.
Most of the sad people in Smokey Joe's that night are probably dead by now. Even the host, Joel Merzetti--also known as J.P. Harrison--who was only a few years older than we were, is gone. He died in 2023.
What I wish Night Drive had was an index. People, places, and events appear and reappear throughout the 735 pages, and finding, say, Mose Scarlett again, after leaving him a few hundred pages behind would be a daunting task, should I choose to tackle it.
I remember Mose from early '80s open mic nights at Smokey Joe's Café, downstairs at the 519 Church Street Community Centre in Toronto. It was at Smokey Joe's that we learned of Stan's death.
Stan died on Thursday, June 2, 1983, and walking down the stairs into Smokey Joe's the evening of Friday, June 3, 1983, was like walking into a morgue, which in a way it was. You could have cut the shock and grief with a knife. It was visible, a dark pall; it was palpable.
What's up, we said. We had heard about the plane--it was all over the news--but we had not known who was on it.
Most of the sad people in Smokey Joe's that night are probably dead by now. Even the host, Joel Merzetti--also known as J.P. Harrison--who was only a few years older than we were, is gone. He died in 2023.
November 19, 2017
At his concerts you wish you could take him home and gather a crowd by the fireplace to hear more stories. Well, now you can with "Night Drive".
Long book, yes. So kept me company during my own travels. Just discovered Garnet Rogers last year about the same time the book was published. Kicking myself for having missed this talent for all these years. Am also another who had to run to the computer to google the names of many. But you want to know as you go along on their adventures.
Garnet Rogers is a phenomenal writer of both music and words - his lyrics as well as the song. And this book just emphasizes that talent. Great wit, narrative.
The best compliment is that even after having long finished it, one can return to this book, read a chapter (each chapter being a tale unto itself), and be happily entertained and drawn back into those days.
Still hasn't been put back on my shelf.
Long book, yes. So kept me company during my own travels. Just discovered Garnet Rogers last year about the same time the book was published. Kicking myself for having missed this talent for all these years. Am also another who had to run to the computer to google the names of many. But you want to know as you go along on their adventures.
Garnet Rogers is a phenomenal writer of both music and words - his lyrics as well as the song. And this book just emphasizes that talent. Great wit, narrative.
The best compliment is that even after having long finished it, one can return to this book, read a chapter (each chapter being a tale unto itself), and be happily entertained and drawn back into those days.
Still hasn't been put back on my shelf.
April 24, 2024
This book is in dire need of copyediting--numerous typos, extra random spaces, and the lack of paragraph indenting is hard on the eyes--and I'm sure its length would scare away any traditional publisher, but Garnet Rogers is such a natural storyteller with an inexhaustible source of witty turns of phrase and rich (often difficult but hilarious) life experiences that it's an enormous pleasure to read nonetheless.
Lots of insight into both Garnet and Stan; only about 5% of the text discusses Garnet's life and musical career after his brother's passing, and that part is interspersed here and there as asides that break the chronological trajectory. Far from perfect, but very rewarding--much the way I now feel about this book's all-too-human subjects. As for the wonderful music they've given us, that's much closer to perfect.
Lots of insight into both Garnet and Stan; only about 5% of the text discusses Garnet's life and musical career after his brother's passing, and that part is interspersed here and there as asides that break the chronological trajectory. Far from perfect, but very rewarding--much the way I now feel about this book's all-too-human subjects. As for the wonderful music they've given us, that's much closer to perfect.
April 18, 2019
This is a book to buy, not borrow from the library. Since the library had to order it from another state, I have no option to renew, and this book is 735 pages long, plus another half dozen pages of pictures! It could stand a little editing, although it is delightful to read. There is a little too much drinking, smoking, swearing and drunk driving to read very much at one sitting. Also, there is no index.
For posterity and those of you who have some familiarity with Tall Ships, Philadelphia and Gazela Primeiro (which he spells wrong), here is a brief index: New Hope, PA (p.236-); Rambling Jack Elliot (p.254); Scrapple at either the Continental or Snow White diner (p.390); Gazela (p.454); South Street & Jim's (p.466++)
For posterity and those of you who have some familiarity with Tall Ships, Philadelphia and Gazela Primeiro (which he spells wrong), here is a brief index: New Hope, PA (p.236-); Rambling Jack Elliot (p.254); Scrapple at either the Continental or Snow White diner (p.390); Gazela (p.454); South Street & Jim's (p.466++)
February 25, 2024
I finished 'Night Drive' last night. My wife had picked it up at the Victoria Library a couple of weeks ago and it sat in the pile of hooks on my desk for a week or two before I opened it. Once I did I couldn't put it down. In fact, I was concerned I might not finish before it was due back to the library so I followed the link on the back cover and ordered my own copy.
It's not a perfect book as literature - but it's about as honest, forthright and loving a portrait of friendship, family, music and the stupid and maddening and lovely country we call Canada as I have ever read. There are a few lines in the last short chapter - page 732 and 733 if you must know - that were more than worth the price of admission.
Thanks Garnet, thanks Stan and thanks for the music.
It's not a perfect book as literature - but it's about as honest, forthright and loving a portrait of friendship, family, music and the stupid and maddening and lovely country we call Canada as I have ever read. There are a few lines in the last short chapter - page 732 and 733 if you must know - that were more than worth the price of admission.
Thanks Garnet, thanks Stan and thanks for the music.
April 14, 2023
Here's the thing; Garnet Rogers tells a hell of a story. To me, reading this felt kind of like you had him there with you and he got to talking. That's...pretty great for the subject matter. Sometime's it's funny, he's a witty guy, sometimes a bit sad or poignant, but to me always enjoyable. Stan Rogers, not unreasonably, is kind of a legend in Canadian folk music...there's something uniquely satisfying about a book that doesn't undermine that but also tells you about dumbassery and trying to make a living from folk music. I, and this is just me, liked it enough on borrowing it from the library to order my own copy.
July 11, 2019
I bought the book at one of Garnet’s recent concerts and became so absorbed in the stories, made all the more enjoyable by hearing his deep baritone voice in my ear as I read. It’s a blessing to know that he has travelled so far in his life both literally and figuratively, crawling out from under the shadow of Stan. Stan was a folk music genius, but Garnet has more emotion and depth and this certainly comes out in his writing. I hope he continues writing (and that he considers hiring an editor next time—sorry!).
May 17, 2023
Just an utter, utter delight. I was very excited when I discovered there existed a memoir about Stan and the gang, then admittedly a bit apprehensive when I discovered it's 750 pages long. But I can honestly say this is one of the easiest long reads out there. Chock full of rollicking tales and great behind-the-scenes details, and always Garnet's genuine love for his brother and friends. And it is really truly funny. Unreservedly recommend for all Stan Rogers fans.
April 30, 2023
A must read for any aspiring folkie or struggling musician. I am a huge Stan Rogers fan, and Garnet captures their relationship beautifully. This book also has a wealth of suggestions for further listening. I've discovered so many new favorites!
February 7, 2024
This is a BIG book. Garnett Rogers gives us his story of growing up and then touring with is brother, Stan. It gives much insight into the life of a musician on the road - the struggles and successes.
August 31, 2019
Great to read on roadtrips
October 9, 2023
I am a Stan Rogers fan, and I loved this book. There was laugh out loud moments while reading - those Rogers brothers be crazy bastards.
January 8, 2025
A must read for any Stan Rogers or Folk fans. It changed the way I understand the folk scene in the 70s. Garnett is an excellent writer and shows the human side of fame.
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