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Stevie Ray Vaughan : Caught in the Crossfire (Paperback)
by Joe Nick Patoski, Bill Crawford
| Category:
Teens, Biography & Memoirs |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
An very insightful and informative look into the life and career of Stevie Ray Vaughan; to any who loves Stevie Ray Vaughan, this book is a must read. |
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Author: Joe Nick Patoski, Bill Crawford
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Reprint edition
Pub. in: June, 1994
ISBN: 0316160695
Pages: 336
Measurements: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00302
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0316160698
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- Awards & Credential -
Patoski (a senior editor at Texas Monthly) and Crawford (writer/radio producer) did a strong job on Stevie Ray Vaughan, a guitar prodigy, his successful career as well as tragical life . |
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- MSL Picks -
I received Caught in the Crossfire as a gift, and I must admit I was skeptical at first. The ominous black cover featuring SRV's silouette seemed to serve as a warning of its content. I feared that the book would only undermine what every fan, indeed everyone who has ever heard of Stevie Ray Vaughan, already knows. That he was, for so long "caught" in a world of reckless drug abuse and alcoholism, but somehow managed to make it to the top.
What I found was a biography, mostly matter-of-fact, which left no stone unturned in its research. Every friend, colleague, artist; famous or infamous, who impacted Stevie's career and tragically short life finds their way onto the pages of this work. The bibliography of interviews, while not necessarily reading as a "who's who" in the world of blues, includes individuals who were closest to the guitar legend throughout his life. Paramount of these is his own brother Jimmy. Though not mentioned in the list of exclusive interviews conducted for the book, Jimmy Lee Vaughan's influential guidance in the life of his younger brother is well documented by Patosky.
As SRV's hero and kin, we learn where much of Stevie's love for blues music and guitar is rooted. Stevie's mentors in music, from blues legends Albert King and Albert Collins, to Jimi Hendrix and Bonnie Rait are uniquely enveloped in the carnival of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedys of his life. Though at times it tries to unnecessarily re-enact moments in an almost movie script-like format, Caught in the Crossfire is without question the most in depth biography to date of the life of one of the greatest guitar players of our time. It is very well written, and a must for any fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan's music.
(From quoting an American reader)
Target readers:
Teens.
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Joe Nick Patoski is in his fourth decade as a professional writer. The author and co-author of biographies on Selena and Stevie Ray Vaughan, both published by Little, Brown and Company and the coffeetable books Texas Mountains and Texas Coast, both published by University of Texas Press, he's been writing about Texas and Texans and other subjects since 1972. A former staff writer for Texas Monthly magazine for 18 years, his byline appeared in 2005 in the Texas Observer, No Depression, People magazine, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Field & Stream, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Big Bend Sentinel, Southwest Spirit, American Way, the Austin Chronicle, Harp, and the TimeOut New York, among many publications. He also contributed an essay to the photo book Conjunto by John Dyer, also published by University of Texas Press.
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From Publishers Weekly
Austin-based journalists Patoski and Crawford pen a rousing account of Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died at age 35 in a 1990 helicopter crash. The Dallas-born Vaughan began playing electric guitar in imitation of older brother Jimmie, who founded the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Both brothers were fixtures of the 1960s and '70s Austin scene, which spawned such rock acts as ZZ Top and allowed Stevie Ray to form his own band, Double Trouble. Vaughan's biggest break was playing on David Bowie's 1983 Let's Dance album; when he brazenly rejected Bowie's offer to tour, he garnered music-industry notice. Later, as his career skyrocketed, Vaughan abused cocaine and whiskey. He underwent treatment in 1986, a process which sealed his friendship with guitarist and recovered heroin addict Eric Clapton. Afterward, Vaughan became a preachy proponent of AA's 12-step program; he is reverently portrayed here as an inspiration to troubled fans. Backed up by plenty of blues history, this enthusiastic tribute ably succeeds as a narrative, adopting the down-home colloquialisms of its subject. Photos not seen by PW.
(MSL quote)
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-06 00:00>
This was a better than average biography. The book was written very well with a nice even flow to the story. It depicted the life of Stevie the child(lonely, insecure, shy and wasted), straight through to Stevie the man(loving, outgoing, helpful and sober). All too often people pass away at a time in there lives when all the demons within them have been put to rest. SRV's style of the blues and his spirit will live on with us for a very long time. I don't usually give too many 5 stars. This one deserves it.
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Mills (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-06 00:00>
Very detailed. The author conducted what must have been hundreds of interviews with friends, acquaintances and family. He consulted as many newspaper and magazine articles and no doubt walked the streets of Austin and Oak Cliff. The result is a detailed description of his subject and the environment. Yet it's not a forest for the trees situation. The details do not drown out the overall story. Sometimes excessive details can make a book boring or hard to follow. Not in this case.
The author begins the story with the Vaughan's migration to Texas from Kentucky. He also describes the evolution of Dallas as a music town starting as early as Blind Lemon Jefferson. Stevie's years as a school boy in Dallas, his years playing small clubs in Austin, and his nonpublic life are described in as much detail perhaps more indepthly than his life as a famous blues superstar.
SRV lived his entire life the same way he played guitar: pedal to the metal. Drugs, girls, partying, jamming were all done fast and hard until he passed out from exhaustion. After 18 hours or more of sleep, it would start all over again.
After decades of life pedal to the metal it is amazing that he survivied. But he didn't just survive. He cleaned himself up and became a better person. It seems like he was a nice person. He spent a lot of effort helping other musicians especially underappreciated blues musicians. He insisted that his Double Trouble bandmates received the same salary as he even though clearly SRV was the only reason people came to see Double Trouble.
The book also explores the mystery of the 1982 Montreaux Jazz Festival performance where the band was booed. Besides a couple of freaked out hippies dancing in front, the rest of the crowd (probably arthouse goons) sat and watched the performance in contempt and booed enthusiastically in between songs. The book offers an explanation, but perhaps in some minds the crowd's behavior at that event will remain an enigma.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-06 00:00>
After much hype about this book, Caught in the Crossfire, I had to see for myself. I received this book as a gift and immediately picked it up to read it. I read 7 chapters in the first night.
Being an avid fan and well-read on Stevie and the blues, I was expecting to find something wrong or at least something to contradict what I had read before. Not in this book. One can see the research that Patoski put into this book and how much he cared about his work.
Patoski documented Stevie's life from the time he was born until the time of death. He included everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. After all, isn't that what life is all about? And isn't Stevie and his music about life? Patoski showed the reader that although Stevie was in a battle against himself, he also gave the optimistic feeling that Stevie would one day realize his problems and fix them. This gives the reader a feeling of hope, as in real life.
Caught in the Crossfire documents Stevie's childhood, his pain of being made fun of at school by the other kids, his constant living in brother, Jimmie's, shadow until later, his alcohol/drug abuse, and his triumph over his personal demons. Although Stevie went through so many harsh things in life, this book shows Stevie's sweet nature and how it stayed through all his troubles.
Although the book was great and the information was very accurate and precise, there were times when I thought I was reading pieces of poetry. Just one word here or a couple of words there that seemed a little too cliche or too expected. Possibly even overused.
However, this didn't affect the way the book afflicted my soul. Near the end, the author just tends to use the right way of wording and touch the reader's heart, almost as if one was feeling Stevie Ray right there reading along with them, giving them a Blues Oasis which will quench their soul.
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Chuck (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-06 00:00>
The life story of Stevie Ray is one of the most interesting I have had the opportunity to read. The book starts years before his birth until after his passing, and this book really clues you in to how he became such and intense player. His story is about a man following in his brothers foot steps who decided the only direction in his life was to play guitar wheather he lived in the gutter or lived rich and famous. It opens your eyes into the musician's life styles and how they got there.
The only drawback to the book was that sometimes the authors get side tracked into too much detail (history of Dallas, Austin, his Mother and Father...), and the language is pretty rough throughout the book. The story of Stevie Ray's life is written well enough that I read the book a second time as soon as I finished. Stevie Ray Vaughn had a unique life.
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