"Part Kerouac, part Tom Robbins, it's a transcendental road trip down a lost highway that leads to the roots of the Americana music movement."—Jim White, musician, and writer. Set between 1965 and 1968, Breakfast in Nudie Suits follows Gram Parsons as he travels across America trying to establish country music in the era of rock. This is a road trip in the great American tradition and the events of the mid-sixties crackle off the page. Ian Dunlop , a close friend and fellow International Submarine Band member, in this book gives a glimpse into the Gram Parson's legend that has never been offered before.
This is a great read for anyone with an interest in 60s popular culture and the birth of country-rock, however the Gram Parsons photo and references on the cover are misleading and are there merely to aid sales. Although Gram is mentioned constantly through the book through the recollection of his friendship with Dunlop, this is the story of the author's roadtrip back to the East Coast from LA after quitting The International Submarine Band and the first incarnation of The Flying Burrito Brothers, with flashbacks to past episodes with both bands.
Ian Dunlop's story is interesting enough in itself and although the book could have done with better editing, especially with the abuse of written slang dialogues, I think it mostly just suffers from readers being let down expecting to find a Gram Parsons/ISB biography.
Read about a third of this before it was due back at the library, but it's very meandering and the issue I had was badly typeset so hard to read. I might go back to it again sometime, but what I read wasn't really interesting enough to rush back to!