Waylon's mind seems to wander a lot, sort of like mine. Except his wandering was a lot more productive than mine. He talks about best friends who suddenly become, lets say, disappointments. Overall though we do learn about what made Waylon the controversial celebrity he was. And I'm sure the drugs did not help, but who am I to judge? A very good read and tells a lot about the music and the people I love (as entertainers). Even if I had the talent I wouldn't fit in, though I think it would have been fun (not because of the drugs, well not just the drugs.) Anyway, very informative and especially entertaining. ( )

A brilliant "with help" autobiography. It sounds as if Waylon is telling you the story over along night of whiskey, cigarettes, and song-swappin' on the guitar. He tells the stories of his life from his hardscrabble youth in the plains of the Texas Panhandle to a brush with stardom and death with Buddy Holly on to his hard years in the Nashville machine to his big break as an "outlaw" and beyond. His life-long drug habit is detailed poignantly and with aplomb. Unlike other big stars with drug problems, Waylon doesn't ever say he wished he never did drugs or that drugs are indeed "bad" and he doesn't say drugs really ever "ruined his life." This is sort of refreshing, and gives the whole book a ring of truth. I do wish that there were a million more pictures, and I wish he spent a bit more time discussing his trademark style or how he came about his songs and writing. But, these are minor quibbles. There is a selected discography, which is great, and, often in bios there isn't, an index. So kudos to whatever editor decided on this. ( )

This is a pretty good account written by the man himself. It covers Waylons days on the farm growing up, his short time with Buddy Holly, his career long battle with pills/drugs on the way to becoming a country legend, and his life after he kicked the habit by staying out in the desert for a month. This book is written by Waylon so the way he talks/writes is a reflection of the way that he actually talked and rembered things so the account can get a little confusing when the down home country accent bleeds through, also somtimes the narrative can jump decades and back in the same paragraph. That was my only complaint with this book. It does give good insight on how Waylon and the rest of the outlaws changed how country music sounded and how Waylon had to fight to get a fair contract that he could live with. If your interested in his music or how that era helped shape today's country music give it a read.
m.a.c ( )