Shawn Colvin

Shawn Colvin is a favorite winger/songwriter, one I happened on during a Shoreline Benefit Concert in California solo acoustic set. I've seen her perform several more times, alone and with others, and collected up all her albums. Her lyrics are quite poetic and unique, and evocative. So, I was happy to find she'd written a memoir detailing most of her life.

The writing is mostly good, though it's clear she's sometimes out of her element in long-prose form. When the weakness shows, it's show more [passages when she devolves into a more conversational, informal tone with the writing. But this is a relatively minor quibble, as the story of her life is quite interesting. I wasn't terribly interested in her love-life, but how it fits into the larger context of her life-long mental health struggles made it quite relevant. And her recount of the back-story for most all of her songs is riveting.

4 bones!!!!
Recommended for Colvin or music lovers. show less

Interesting read by troubled soul. There is nothing starry eyed about this account of her life and career. It doesn't fall into the trap that many music biogs do and by presents her as an ordinary girl trying to get through life doing what she has a talent for. She talk of the highs quite modestly, of being star struck meeting her idols, and deals with the passages covering her depression, drugs and alcohol as an ordinary person. There is no self pitying "why me". As many of her songs are show more autobiographical I went back and re-listened to many of them and found new depth in them as a result.
You don't need to be a fan to read this but you may well be by the end. A good read, well written. show less

If you like memoirs to be a deep, insightful commentary that use one person's life in order to shed light on society as a whole, this is not the memoir for you. If you just like to read anecdotes from someone who has had an interesting life and is also unexpectedly amusing, this will suit just fine.

She seems to have had some success despite alcohol/drug addictions and depression. Even when she cleaned up her personal life stayed a mess. She likes men, but doesn't have the greatest taste. Her lack of fidelity didn't help. I think I'd classify her has "high maintenance".
I suppose if you were a big fan you might find more of interest here.