Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere (American Music Series)

A well written book about the greatest country singer past and present. Any Dwight fan will love this book,a must have.

Bought as a present, my dad loves it.

I am only half way through, but I am VERY impressed with this musical biography about Dwight Yoakam. I like how this is not just a chronology of Dwight's life, although it contains personal biographical information. It's a happy medium of thorough research, real life experiences by the author recounting Dwight shows he attended, comparing Dwight to other artists and shows he's attended, plus interviews he conducted with Dwight, Pete Anderson and others who impacted Dwight through the years. I never knew, for example, the extent of Dave Alvin's (The Blasters) contribution to helping Dwight get noticed in the 1980s by the rock/roots/punk crowd in L.A. And that going on a nationwide tour with The Blasters led to Dwight getting noticed and signed by a major record label, Warner in Nashville. Even though he wasn't Nashville's typical artist in the vacuous Urban Cowboy era. Other people were also influential in Dwight's career, of course, but this was cool to learn because I am also a Dave Alvin fan.The author seems to get inside Dwight's head and heart and has so far impressed me with Dwight's determination, TALENT, focus, professionalism, AUTHENTICITY and the HUGE impact he's had on popular music and American culture ever since his big breakthrough in 1986, encompassing both the rock and country music genres. The book help me to appreciate just how MUCH Dwight had to overcome to make it big in both mainstream commercial country music (without being a sellout to tradition and his unique style) and with rock fans like me. Nobody else has accomplished this to such an extent in my generation.The book helps me to understand (by references to specific songs, performances and albums) why I can enjoy music by AC/DC, Metallica and The Stray Cats (almost) as much as I LOVE Dwight's raw, hardcore, hillbilly twang and his rockabilly sensibilities. It highlights what I already instinctively know and cherish about Dwight: he's a hugely talented artist and performer who blesses us with heartfelt authenticity and is a uniquely AMERICAN creation of his time and culture. He epitomizes what's the best about my/our generation, not unlike the impact of Elvis Presley and Hank Williams in their era. It explains through cultural and musical context why Dwight is an American ICON.To me, this book makes a compelling argument why Dwight Yoakam should be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame post haste. And perhaps the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well. I can't wait to finish this book, but I'm taking it slow to savor it and let it sink in. It deserves a second read. I'll post an updated review later.Thank you Don!!

A+

It really is kind of surprising that for an artist as popular and critically lauded as Yoakam has been that there is so little written about him and his music. This is a solid first step in remedying that gulf. This is not, and not intended to be, a biography, but niether is it a full critical treatment of his work. It is a hybrid of sorts, rather like an extended magazine profile and overview of his career to this point (it ends with the promise of a new release, which turns out to be  3 Pears ).McLeese is unabashedly a fan and is mostly able to avoid gushing, but not entirely: he can lay the hyperbole on a little thick at times. I, too, am a fan, but I tended to squirm a little at the repeated assertions of Yoakam's greatness, brilliance, uniqueness and exalted place in coutnry music history. He is, indeed, a significant figure - probably the most significant popular artist in country music in the 80's and 90's - but a little of this goes a long way. And while I agree that it is a shame that the very fact of his popularity in the 90's tended to turn off the "cool kids" of the roots / alt-country / real-country schools, I think McLeese dips into this well a time or two too often. Did I mention he repeats himself a time or two?But these are my only real carping. As a while, this is a valuable book for both Yoakam appreciaters and those looking into the alternatives to whatever the heck it is passes for mainstream country music in the past 35 years. It really is remarkable that Yoakam was able to sell as many records as he did during his run at the top of the charts considering the climate(s) in mainstream country (Kenny Rogers, the "hat boys", Garth Brooks, various Shanias, etc.). It is remarkable that he has achieved and maintained a strong critical reputation despite the very real antagonism he has faced simply by having the audacity to actually WANT to be successful and then managing to pull it off. And it may be most remarkable that over what is now a long career, he has managed to maintain a consistently high quality of work.McLeese looks at all of these things and gives a tour through most of his albums, as well. It is not a song-by-song analysis by any means, but he does take a serious look at the work itself and what biographical material he intersperses tends to be used to illuminate the songs and their themes. It is nice, too, that we get to hear the voices of some of Yoakam's coworkers, too, most especially Pete Anderson, without whom this would likely be a very different story (or at least have a different soundtrack).In all, this is a solid first step in what may become the literature of Dwight Yoakam. Solid, but not spectacular; valuable but not quite essential. Well worth the time and money, and, considering how little is out there, very welcome. 3 Pears

Finally, a biography of Dwight Yoakam! I'm so glad that the first one, is a really good one. This is all about the music so if you're looking for girlfriend gossip you'll be disappointed. You won't be disappointed, however, about a fast-moving but well-told story of Dwight's musical career.Through interviews, research and his own experience, Mr. McLeese tells the story of why Dwight's first demo failed to excite people, how Pete Anderson sharpened the band's sound and allowed Dwight to focus on signing and songwriting, how Dave Alvin of The Blasters gave them an audience to hone their sound, and then with their enormous talent, great songs, exciting sound, steadfast professional, old-fashioned hard work and some good timing (coming between Urban Cowboy and Garth Brooks) they put "hillbilly" music back on country radio and went on to sell millions of albums. There's a good discussion here about Dwight and Pete's business strategy, how they were always aiming to be commercially successful and not an alternative act, and how they were not only planning for their first album but for their first three! McLeese also talks a lot about the music and devotes a chapter to each album. This book has got me pulling out old the CDs and listening to the entire albums again.A lot of the book also discusses the dynamic between Dwight and Pete and how they worked together for so long to craft great music. It also goes into quite a bit of detail of how that relationship ended. (I had no idea how financially disastrous Dwight's western was and how it ended up affecting his music career.) While their business and personal relationship is now over, it was good to know that both of them still appreciate and have a lot of respect for what they were able to accomplish together when they started out.The last chapter goes into what's next for Dwight as we sit here in the spring of 2012 hoping Dwight releases new music this year. (Beck. Kid Rock. Happy love songs.)I knew a lot of the details about Dwight's career, but McLeese has pulled them together for me and added lots of insight. It's a great read and provides lots of interesting material. Highly recommended. Here's to hoping that McLeese and the publisher, the University of Texas, make this a series. Who's next? Lucinda Williams? Steve Earle? Rodney Crowell? Lyle Lovett? Radney Foster?

I’ve listened to (and loved) the music. I’ve read the book. And yet I still don’t feel like I’ve grasped the essence of the artist. Maybe someone who is not such a fan might have lent more perspective.