To Live's to Fly: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt

by John Kruth

Book Overview

At last, the authorized biography of Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997), who wrote such unforgettable songs as "Pancho & Lefty" and "If I Needed You." Born to a wealthy oil family in Ft. Worth, Texas, hounded by alcoholism and depression, Van Zandt pursued a nomadic existence following his muse, whatever the cost to himself, friends, and relatives. Based on exclusive interviews with those close to Van Zandt, including his best friend Guy Clark and colleagues...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306816040
• ISBN13: 9780306816048
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Greatness comes at a price.

Most of these reviews were written in 2007. I read this book in 2019 after finding it on a shelf in a Goodwill store. It is not an easy book to find except for new paperback versions. It is a fascinating, wicked-scary story of a singer-songwriter who is arguably the best that the state of Texas has ever produced. The writing is excellent and style somewhat unique in that you feel you are there for many of the events even though the book is posthumous. The first half is a standard rise to greatness tale, with the second half a disturbing descent into hell by a talent who refuses to back off from what he feels to be his destiny and artistic responsibility. Most friends and colleagues elect to bail out of following his lead, although his intimate association with Guy and Susana Clark carries them along. Having lived in Austin and having the opportunity to see TVZ on several occasions, although long after the early Houston days, and living on the Texas coast where Guy grew up with friends who know his story, this book fleshes out the skeleton of the person I saw. It is a great book of a tremendously talented and troubled soul who is too soon gone. Highly recommended.

TVZ - A Life of Demons

This book is a must for any songwriter, TVZ fan, or listener of country music. TVZ led the life that Willie, Waylon and Kris led - except they lived through it.

A bumpy ride, but worth the fare.

Hang in there with this one. Kruth gets off to a shaky start, with one early chapter consisting entirely of an account of a drunken Guy Clark essentially telling the author to go to hell. But the narrative acquires power and tragic beauty as one of the most talented songwriters of all time slowly destroys himself with alcohol and drugs. The end of Van Zandt's life will look all too familiar to anyone who's ever watched an alcoholic ride the disease to the end of the line - the sheer horror of reaching the point where he can't continue to drink, and can't quit drinking, either. If you haven't already done so, you may want to steep yourself in Van Zandt's music before you read To Live's to Fly. Besides being required for anyone who gives a damn about the art of songwriting, I'm pretty sure this is a prerequisite to sticking out this tale to the bitter end.

A Fascinating Account

This book is a fascinating account of the life of a musician and songwriter whose importance and influence on American music is only beginning to be felt. I was immediately struck by the fluidity and color in Kruth's writing. He has a distinctive voice which, while informal at times, is perfect for a biography of Townes, who never dwelled on formalities. As for chronology, I suspect that many of the people Kruth interviewed could not remember which year certain events occurred, let let alone perfectly accurate details, which aren't necessary anyway. Kruth gives us something far more valuable than a timeline, he provides the reader with a feel for the poetic craziness of Townes' life. He relies on interviews with those who really knew Townes. His friends, family and fellow musicians speak for themselves, the author doesn't get in the way with the arbitrary editorializing and artificial structure that so many more traditional biographers feel obliged to provide. Finally, Kruth avoids the cliche of Townes as just another misunderstood and drug-addicted artist who pleads for our sympathy (a major problem with Margaret Brown's recent documentary). While Townes' problems are evident, so is his wit, intelligence, humor and charisma, all qualities which contributed to his art and were obvious to anyone who ever met the man, even in the last year of his life.

Couldn't have been better

I think most of the other reviewers expected to read an in depth look into the sould of Townes Van Zandt. What you need to understand is that even the people closest to Townes didn't truly KNOW him. He was a complicated man and a mysterious man, that is half of the allure. I think Kruth did a great job, it is very fitting that the book is full of anecdotes and tales from Townes' peers and family, that seems to be all that we have. We got as close as we could to knowing Van Zandt without destroying the mystery behind the man. Overall this was a great read. I couldn't put the book down. Any other biographer would have simply dwelled on Townes' alcohol and drug abuse, Kruth stayed as far away from that as possible, none of the stories or insights were condemning, maybe that is what you all wanted???

Townes Van Zandt: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt

I LOVED this book! I'm from Texas and Townes is beloved there and I've been a fan forever. This book was a roller coaster ride, much like the turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt. I really like the way Kruth makes you feel like you are there, kinda like a fly on the wall. I laughed out loud and also cried at times. Being around Townes must have been exausting, but who wouldn't give an arm and a leg to be one of those that knew him. Thank you Mr. Kruth for writing this book for us!