Infinity Blues

by Ryan Adams

Book Overview

"Ryan Adams, one of America's most consistently interesting singer-songwriters, has written a passionate, arresting, and entertaining book of verse. Fans are going to love it, and newcomers will be pleased and startled by his intensity and originality. The images are vivid and the voice is honest and powerful."--Stephen King, author of The Shining

Ryan Adams may be known primarily for acclaimed albums such as Heartbreaker, Gold (which includes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933354747
• ISBN13: 9781933354743
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Infinity Blues

I did buy this originally because I am a big fan of Ryan Adams' music, but I've read it through, and reread parts, and think it is definitely worth reading even if you aren't a fan, or don't know his music. Most of the poems are long, and there is quite a bit of obscenities, though they didn't see gratuitous to me. But people should know that, in case it offends them. I started to list some of my favorite of the poems--Papaw Special (for his grandfather), You Will Not Miss Me When I'm Gone, For My Father the Drunk, Electric Blue--but the list got too long. Not every poem in here works, but I found much to savor and I hope it isn't dismissed as just another vanity project by someone famous in another field--it's much better than that.

Brilliant book for anyone who loves how Ryan Adams writes his songs

I think this move to books was a flawless move for Ryan Adams. This book is an enchanting journey through the many worlds that Ryan is able to create with his words. His songs are merely a slight glimpse into a world that he can describe beautifully in this book. I read the whole book in one day and found myself coming back to phrases or lines coined in some of the poems and thinking how apt and revealing they are. Ryan is such a master at hitting the mark and writing that are so close to the bone. Some songs for me are too close that I couldn't even listen to them after a break up. Just too much. This book is very much like that in that so much has seemed to happen to this guy and so much was said, it's hard to grasp it all in the first read. Many multiple readings are required to really fully grasp how much is revealed in this debut. I can only say bravo! I look forward to more releases such as this.

Blues

Ryan Adams takes on a very free, lingering form in this book. If anything, it is similar to Bukowski's form, but I don't think there is a poem in it as good as "So you want to be a writer." There is a good amount of profanity which I find a bit intriguing. I also find the flow of the poems pretty intriguing; a somewhat choppy stab at being in someone's own world, with less interesting character development which doesn't necessarily "spit in your face." Take for example the edited poem which was 32 pages long, but was cut down to less than 10 lines. I think there are some sparks of good ideas in these poems, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars, but compared to the Black Goat series, I think it doesn't compare.