Artists on themselves / art

Originally posted by Iron Monkey
i guess you're looking for reading material more than video, but you might find Let's Get Lost interesting - it's a doco on the life of jazz trumpeter and drug addict Chet Baker - you migt be able to find it on DVD somewhere.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095515/

Actually I'm open to video. I saw "Let's Get Lost" some years back and found it interesting. Good recommendation.

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
I like reading about how artists think about art and the lives that shape that thinking. Hoping to get some reading recommendations.

I'll start with a powerful autobiography.

"Straight Life - The Story of Art Pepper" Art and Laurie Pepper.
An unvarnished look at the life of a jazz great and seriously flawed human being. From an abusive childhood th ...[text shortened]... nd recovery via Synanon, Pepper manages to be alternately insightful and clueless about life.

Straight Life is a great book about truly one of my favorite artists of all time.

I was blessed to see him play one time. He was sitting in with a college jazz orchestra in St Paul. His playing was captivating. One bad spot was that during an intermission a few of the band members were mocking Pepper's back and forth rocking while he played. The dummies had no idea about Pepper. I wanted to scream at them, and should have.

Another terrific and honest book is Beneath the Underdog. An autobiography written by Charles Mingus.

Miles Davis wrote an autobiography as well that was somewhat enlightening.

Originally posted by badmoon
Straight Life is a great book about truly one of my favorite artists of all time.

I was blessed to see him play one time. He was sitting in with a college jazz orchestra in St Paul. His playing was captivating. One bad spot was that during an intermission a few of the band members were mocking Pepper's back and forth rocking while he played. The dummi ...[text shortened]... y Charles Mingus.

Miles Davis wrote an autobiography as well that was somewhat enlightening.

Thanks for sharing the story about Pepper. I would have liked to have seen him.

I had mixed feelings about the Mingus book. There were a few profound moments like when his personal psychiatrist asked him if he was angry about the way he was treated at Bellevue and he replied, "No. Anger is an emotion that has some hope in it." But there were a lot of stories that seemed to have been made up to sell more copies. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Mingus admitted as much.

Miles' autobiography could have been about 2/3 as long if they'd edited out all the swearing.

If you like Pepper, you should step up (or back) to some Rimbaud. Or, check out the books on www.nowpublishingnow.com for some real-life turn-of-the-millennium reality.

Originally posted by leandeo
If you like Pepper, you should step up (or back) to some Rimbaud. Or, check out the books on www.nowpublishingnow.com for some real-life turn-of-the-millennium reality.

Can you recommend a title based on the criteria I have set forth?

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Can you recommend a title based on the criteria I have set forth?

Handshakingly Sinister Pleasantries - but I'm biased of course. It's a quick read and s/b entertaining I would say for you based on the criteria you put forth.

Originally posted by leandeo
Handshakingly Sinister Pleasantries - but I'm biased of course. It's a quick read and s/b entertaining I would say for you based on the criteria you put forth.

lol. Actually I was inquiring about Rimbaud.

I take it this book was written by you. Is it fiction or autobiographical?

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
lol. Actually I was inquiring about Rimbaud.

I take it this book was written by you. Is it fiction or autobiographical?

Funny. Couldn't help myself. It is a creative non-fiction work. On Rimbaud, definitely get the Complete Works. What an inspiration that is. Oh, and have you read Alan Watts: The Wisdom of Insecurity .. ? It encapsulates my philosophy on life. Squares and Wiggly people. He breaks it down so well.

Originally posted by leandeo
Funny. Couldn't help myself. It is a creative non-fiction work. On Rimbaud, definitely get the Complete Works. What an inspiration that is. Oh, and have you read Alan Watts: The Wisdom of Insecurity .. ? It encapsulates my philosophy on life. Squares and Wiggly people. He breaks it down so well.

My library has both the Rimbaud and the Watts. I'll put them on my list. However they didn't have the Vera. What's up with that? Evidently my library is substandard.