Doghouse Roses

Of course, a lot of this book is highly biographical. But then, when you've crammed the kind of life experiences that Earle has into his forty-some years the result is a collage of quasi-fiction which is delivered with convincing authority. I was afraid that Earle might try too hard in his prose and in fact he has been as spare and to the point as in his poetry. The title story, "Doghouse Roses" gives us an insight into how Earle must have felt as he spun further out of control in the grip of his addiction. Although it is possible to detect personal reference in the stories (as described in Lauren St John's excellent biography of Earle, 'Hardcore Troubadour'), Earle nevertheless demonstrates a tremendous scope of imagination in the breadth of his subjects, such as the heartrending "Jaguar Dance", about trying to cross from Mexico into the US, and the authoratative "Renunion", set in modern day Vitenam. There is a tremendous breadth of subjects in these short stories which leave the reader anxious for more of the same. Given the prolific nature of Earle's creative activities, hopefully we won't have to wait too long for his written release.

Gifted singer/songwriter, Steve Earle, is also a brilliant short story writer. These crafted tales of musicians, drifters and junkies are minimally, and beautifully, written, but pack a powerful emotional punch, and I cannot recommend them enough. There is no doubt that Earle is an outstanding writer, as well as an outstanding musician.

Some of the stories are more indepth versions of previous songs, Enjoyable read

Like his music, hard as nails, tells it how it is and leaves you wanting more. An excellent collection, just not enough of 'em....

All good...

I've been listening to Steve Earler since the late eighties, and the, 'Copperhead Road' album, and have seen him live through the many changes he's undergone. His road has been a long one, a tale that's reflected often in his songs. He is without doubt, one of the foremost songwriters of the times. It is, however, with some trepidation that I approached this book. It had been heralded with more than a few, 'rave' reviews (never a good sign), but having enjoyed his music for so long I gave him the benefit of the doubt. There's a range of short-story styles in the book, and a heavy emphasis, on drug-related tales (but don't let this put you off). His gift as a story-teller, passes well into the written word, as opposed to lyrics, and he has a sharp eye for observed detail which makes for colourful stories. I was most impressed, which is quite something, given the trepidation I approached the book with. It's not just an expansion of his lyrics, I certainly don't think he'd have been happy with that, it's a storyteller, giving a different slant on things. Quite refreshing really......

Having been a fan of Earles music for many years i was more than a little intrigued to find out what an actual book by the man himself would be like. I was not disapointed. Tales of love, sorrow, life, death, drugs and a little rock n roll thrown in for good measure.A couple of the stories obviously borrow quite heavily from his real life experiences and they are all the more poignant for that. "The American" is a character who spans three of the stories and is an almost Clint Eastwood/man with no name participant in the stories. A genuine anti-hero brought forward by Earles sharp, gritty imagination. I smiled, frowned, raised my eyebrows throughout. A short but satisfying read which i would recommend to anyone.

Excellent Read, Great storytelling

I came late to Mr. Earle. My musical tastes reeked of nights at the Fillmore and days chasing a California dream. Nashville town and country music history was a dusty museum of whiny hicks and sad hacks. When the music got schooled by some new creators, there was notice to be taken. This book was a pleasure to experience like catching a great set of that new music. Like discovering a piece of shiny silver in an old cigar-box of broken seashells, these stories gleam with the promise of being enjoyment to the unknowing. I collect books and was led to this one by a sly dog that smelled a classic and barked to get tossed a bone. Lately, I have acquired some of Mr. Earle's music, and find that his storytelling on the printed page, without the emotion of the instruments and the voice, reveals his experience more starkly and more pointedly personal. His music is crafted for the reward of the audience; his book is crafted for his own, and the solitary reader's, reward. We shall look forward to the days when Mr. Earle fashions another shining reward for us all.

My girlfriend and I saw Steve Earle @ Massey Hall in Toronto in Oct. w/ Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Daniel Lanois plus others on stage. It was the intimacy and warmth of Earle's anecdotes that made us recall that we need to read his short stories. This book was bought as a Christmas gift. We also saw Earle @ the Phoenix in Toronto for the 30th anniversary tour of Guitar Town. He continues to be political, forthright and outspoken, and it made me realize we need more artists like him today. Actually it is often in troubled times that deeply moving art is made, well, that makes sense for today!

Dieses meines Wissens erste literarische Werk des Rock-, Folk- und Countrymusikers, mittlerweile auch des Schauspielers Steve Earle (The Wire)erzählt Geschichten über das Leben der sogenannten einfachen und meistens armen Leute im US-amerikanischen Süden. Realistisch und deshalb oft grotesk. Außerordentlich eindrucksvoll erzählt. Warum hat das Werk bislang noch kein deutscher Verlag übersetzt? Steve Earles Buch hat mehr Leser_innen auch in Deutschland verdient.

After finishing "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," I decided to check out Steve's first book. This is a great set of short stories! I've always enjoyed his music. But music and writing are not necessarily similar art forms. It's a good thing that these are short stories because I'm finding it difficult to put the book down in the middle of one. The characters are like people I know and Steve's writing is heartfelt, genuine, frank and unapologetic. Delightful.

Amazing book by Steve Earle!