Woody Guthrie: A Life

One of the most touching stories I've ever read, this biography makes Woody Guthrie come alive as the fabulous, impossible, creative genius he was. In perfectly-tuned, lively prose, Klein covers Guthrie's amazing story, from his childhood in a temporarily well-to-do Southern family whose patriarch was smart and successful until he wasn't. The family fell into deep poverty, the mother succumbed to insanity and was confined to an insane asylum after years of erratic and dangerous behavior, and the children were left to fend for themselves.Woody Guthrie hit the road as a teenager, and hardly ever settled down, anywhere, thereafter. He was the genuine article, a wandering minstrel chronicling his living experience of the Dust Bowl, the Depression and World War, and all the travails of that time in our nation's history. We see Guthrie's political awakening; and once awakened, he never looked back, never compromised his grass-roots principles, never sold out. How does a person stay that pure when there's money to be made from his talent and popularity, and his children are living in poverty? By being completely uninterested in money--Woody Guthrie seemed to view it as something evil--and by being unconcerned with the way other people see him.The book is filled with sad and funny anecdotes about Guthrie's uncouth behavior and unwashed presence, causing dear friends and admirers (or their wives) to turn him out of their homes. He was clearly more at home *without* a home, riding the rails with hoboes, sleeping on people's couches, even enjoying the times (several) he spent in jail, where he felt right at home and made friends with inmates and guards alike. In one incident, when he was released just before Christmas, he was irate because he had promised to give a performance there and insisted on returning to sing for the inmates. Another telling anecdote: he was invited to dinner at a friend's home and insisted on eating his dinner standing at the kitchen sink. He just didn't conform to the norms of civilization, yet he seems to have had the most generous heart in the world.Even when his catastrophic illness forced him to live most of the time in mental hospitals, his overriding interest was the plight of his fellow patients, whose disturbances he observed with compassion.We read the story knowing all through what the outcome will be; and as the Huntington's chorea takes over more and more of his faculties, we grieve along with those who lived through it with him. A profound question, nicely articulated by the author, is how much of Woody Guthrie's art and lifestyle was shaped by the disease: "It was impossible to say where the disease left off and Woody began." Many of the symptoms coincide with Woody's own quirky rhyming and verbal cadences, his razor-sharp cleverness and silly excesses and uninhibited social behavior, his inability to stay in one place.So as I was finishing the book, I looked up the music of Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Leadbelly, and the other folk and blues artists whose stories are told here, and listening to them, I now recognize the difference between "authentic" and "commercial" folk music. It may be that the Kingston Trio and other groups popularized Guthrie's songs, but we wouldn't even know their names had they not had this material to work with. The original balladeers' music is funky, flawed (which adds to its charm), recorded with primitive equipment and often hard to make out, but it's exquisite. It's right there right then. Try listening to "Hobo's Lullaby" without being moved to tears. Or, listen to the music, then read the book, and then listen to the music again right afterward. You'll never hear it the same way again.Woody Guthrie was complex but simple: kindly and compassionate, childlike and innocent, crude and crazy and bawdy, brilliant, uncivilized, pure, and completely fearless.

I wonder how many people, like I did, felt compelled to read this book because of Springsteen’s mentioning of it before singing This Land Is Your Land?First of all, the author Joe Kline dove deep for information, to his credit. I’m a little unsettled with the fact that a man, Woody, can walk away from family during the worst of times, like no big deal, to satisfy his own whims. That did tell you how his mind worked. He didn’t think rationally most of the time and I couldn’t help but think…poetic genius? or lazy bum? Perhaps both. I do agree with Bruce, This Land is one of the greatest songs every written.

I finished this book this past summer. Did anyone else who read this great book cry their eyes out during the last 60 or so pages??I was getting my car fixed one day, waiting for the mechanics to finish, while reading this book in their lobby. Then I got to the part near the end where Klein describes Woody's stay in the hospital as he got sicker and sicker from Huntington's disease. The lobby was littered with folks waiting just like me and I read those passages, then my eyes started to swell and tear up. "Oh lord," I thought. "I'm gonna lose it."I set the book down and quickly ran into the bathroom where I had a good private sob. I haven't cried like that in years. The last book that did it to me was Cormac McCarthy's "The Road."Woody was such a blast to read about. Every time I picked up the book it was like hanging out with a friend. It was like, "hey I wonder what Woody's up to?" Then you pick up the book and find out. Quite a guy. Quite a life! A life full of high highs, and low lows. Highly recommended. There is a lot of humanity in this book. I'll probably pick it up again in the future when I want to visit my friend Woody once again.

Woody was born in Okemah, OK. 7/14/1912As an adult he moved to Calif. and was horrified byhow the migrant Okies were treated in the fields. Hebecame a communist originally because of this.Later he really started to believe in what they stoodfor. I always thought Woody was a hobo and neverworked but that is not true.He had a band, he drew cartoons, he had a radioshow and he wrote news paper articles. He was inthe merchant marines(2x) and the army. Woodywas such a simple person that some thought himmentally slow at times.He would marry 3 times and had 8 children but hewas never good at family life.In his later years he knew that he was starting toget the same disease that his mother had. It wouldeventually kill him.Was Woody a good man ?...Iam not sure....henever took care of his loved ones and woulddisappear from their lives for long periods of time.Was he a musical genius...YES.He became a folk hero at a time when he was tosick to be able to enjoy it.I must make a comment on the author--JOE KLEIN....what a great job he did. This is a fine piece ofwork. He can be proud.Woody died 10/3/1967. I was 18yrs old then--I knewwho he was because of Bob Dylan & he was a proudOkie.....Iam also a proud Okie.

Just finished 'A Life' What a weird, but very interesting ride. A lot more than I expected. The book is very well done and kudos to the author entirely. Among many other things we learn that perhaps it was his illness that drove much of Woody's creativity. Not sure I emerged understanding exactly what drove Woody but not sure it matters, probably no one does. A man who marched to his own drummer that much is for certain. I found it pitiful at times, how Woody and his silly compatriots extolled the virtues of Stalin's Russia. Yeah, Woody and his 'Okies' suffered some in the Dust Bowl and the westward trek, but in truth it was a vacation compared to the Ukraine in 1932-33. Under the leadership of their Red hero. Laughable if it wasn't so sad.

A fascinating insight into this massively influential musician and early poet. Going right through the dustbowl days and how he came to be an early superstar. One of Bruce Springsteen favourite books and I can understand why. If you're interested in researching this period and genre of music it's a must read book.

A brilliant book that was recommend to me by the boss,Bruce Springsteen.(in his own bio) This book is a case study in the evolution of modern music and particularly the development of ‘folk’. It subtle precise and very engaging. Better than Epstein’s bio of Dylan and miles better than the bosses own autobiography.

To be treasured.

A super book packaged and delivered impeccably.Many thanks.

Book arrived in excellent condition, took a little longer than i expected for delivery but it came from the USA.Was a gift for my father and must make for excellent reading as he's already nearly completed it.