Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Henry Holt & Company Inc (1999), Edition: First Edition First Printing, 408 pages
Description
Janis Joplin was the skyrocket chick of the sixties, the woman who broke into the boys' club of rock and out of the stifling good-girl femininity of postwar America. With her incredible wall-of-sound vocals, Joplin was the voice of a generation, and when she OD'd on heroin in October 1970, a generation's dreams crashed and burned with her. Alice Echols pushes past the legary Joplin-the red-hot mama of her own invention-as well as the familiar portrait of the screwed-up star victimized by the era she symbolized, to examine the roots of Joplin's muscianship and explore a generation's experiment with high-risk living and the terrible price it exacted. A deeply affecting biography of one of America's most brilliant and tormented stars, Scars of Sweet Paradise is also a vivid and incisive cultural history of an era that changed the world for us all.… (more)
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LibraryThing member Stbalbach
There are a whole bunch of biographies of Janis, including the well known 'Buried Alive', but this late comer published in 1999 appears to be the most even-handed, well-researched, and scholarly. In fact Alice Echols is a scholar of the 1960s (without any personal connection to Janis) so there is a
This is my first "rock-star biography", a genre I have avoided because of the groaning shelves of narcissistic "tell alls". I choose Janis to be my first (something she would have loved) after seeing a couple YouTube clips: one showing her singing "Ball and Chain" live, the other a TV interview at her Texas hometown high-school reunion. In these clips I saw a deep, complicated and obviously brilliant person, her charisma on stage was memorizing and off-stage equally so. For me she became more than a raspy-kinda-scary voice on the radio from another era, and I wanted to learn more about who she was, and why she had become so famous and died so young.
Joplin's personality was a wild horse who kept on the move, never finding but always seeking a new home and greener pastures, running from her personal demons while embracing her desire for living life in the moment to the fullest. She drank heavily (Southern Comfort), fucked thousands of guys and hundreds of women, got in fights with Hells Angels, shot heroin and was a mainlining speed freak. She was a vulnerable, loving and kind child from a well-off Middle Class suburban family. She was a walking enigma. Her origins are with the beatniks and folksie scene of the early 60s, she was never fully accepted in the San Francisco scene as a hippie, yet she is widely imagined as one of its founding mothers with her "Perl" costume of boa-feathers, clunky bracelets and lots of beads.
In the end her death was no surprise even to herself, she put her body on the front-line of the cultural revolution pushing the boundaries forward on many fronts. It is unfortunate she was largely forgotten in the 70s and 80s but I think with historical reflection on the 60s her life will find more prominence - if nothing else than an archetype of a generation, but also for being ahead of her time as a woman rock star in a male dominated industry.
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lot of contextual information to put the period in perspective - I've probably learned more about the 1960s San Francisco scene in this book than anywhere else, it's worth reading for that reason alone. This is my first "rock-star biography", a genre I have avoided because of the groaning shelves of narcissistic "tell alls". I choose Janis to be my first (something she would have loved) after seeing a couple YouTube clips: one showing her singing "Ball and Chain" live, the other a TV interview at her Texas hometown high-school reunion. In these clips I saw a deep, complicated and obviously brilliant person, her charisma on stage was memorizing and off-stage equally so. For me she became more than a raspy-kinda-scary voice on the radio from another era, and I wanted to learn more about who she was, and why she had become so famous and died so young.
Joplin's personality was a wild horse who kept on the move, never finding but always seeking a new home and greener pastures, running from her personal demons while embracing her desire for living life in the moment to the fullest. She drank heavily (Southern Comfort), fucked thousands of guys and hundreds of women, got in fights with Hells Angels, shot heroin and was a mainlining speed freak. She was a vulnerable, loving and kind child from a well-off Middle Class suburban family. She was a walking enigma. Her origins are with the beatniks and folksie scene of the early 60s, she was never fully accepted in the San Francisco scene as a hippie, yet she is widely imagined as one of its founding mothers with her "Perl" costume of boa-feathers, clunky bracelets and lots of beads.
In the end her death was no surprise even to herself, she put her body on the front-line of the cultural revolution pushing the boundaries forward on many fronts. It is unfortunate she was largely forgotten in the 70s and 80s but I think with historical reflection on the 60s her life will find more prominence - if nothing else than an archetype of a generation, but also for being ahead of her time as a woman rock star in a male dominated industry.
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LibraryThing member thedefinitefraggle
I'd never really had any interest in Janis Joplin before my mom shoved this into my hands. An excellent biography that situates Janis within the context of the '60s, showing how she was shaped by her time and place, and telling us about that time and place, while providing a full and insightful
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picture of a fascinating artist. (Full disclosure: Had Echols as a professor, but that was only after I'd read the book.) Show Less
LibraryThing member clark.hallman
This is an excellent biography of Janis Joplin. It is extremely well researched and written. It presents very interesting details about Janis, her family and friends. The author covers Janis's parents and their relationship with her and Janis's childhood and troubled teenage years in unenlightened
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Port Arthur, TX. Janis is described as very popular during her childhood, but beginning at age 14 she lost her popularity. She was very insecure and angry during high school and joined other outcasts (beats) in outrageous dress and behavior. After high school her parents persuaded her to begin Lamar College where she also banded together with other rebel kids, but she only lasted a semester or so. She then moved back with her parents but moved to Los Angeles to live with an Aunt in 1961. That only lasted a short time until she moved to an apartment in Venice where she continued her outreagious behavior. She returned to her parents for a short time before moving to Austin, where she took some classes for a semester or so. While there she became part of a group of folk music enthusiasts (folkies). She began singing folk songs in Austin, especially at Threadgils. From there she moved to San Franscisco where she continued her drinking and her drug use got out of control. She returned to her parents for about a year to clean herself up. However, she was asked to return to San Francisco to become part of Big Brother and the Holding Company. Big Brother was very popular in the bay area and this move was very good for her singing career. However, other members of Big Brother were heavily into drugs and Janis did not remain clean very long. This book not only reveals Janis's troubled life in detail, but it put her life in perspective with the times and the places she was living in. It also reveals much about the music business. Janis used her Pearl persona to shelter inferiority and sensitivity that was within her, but the persona was not good far her because she could not control it. She was courageous in her behavior and on stage she gave everything. She had no role model or mentors to help her and she could not control her addictions. She used sex to make her feel good about herself. It was a sad book, but very revealing. Show Less
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
I read this back when it first came out & really enjoyed it, but my copy wandered away somewhere so when I saw it at Half-Price books in the U-District in Seattle I knew I wanted to read it again.
I love Janis Joplin - both her music & her spirit. I've read Myra Friedman's Buried Alive: The
I remembered that this biography had more information about the Haight-Ashbury scene than it did, but other than that it was pretty true to my memory. I like the somewhat dispassionate voice of Ms. Echols - it provides a nice counterpoint to the general chaos & excess of its subject & time. I also appreciate that Ms. Echols doesn't try to pigeonhole Joplin, but rather explores her life & her impulses.
There is much to admire in Janis Joplin & much that I relate to in her story. It's hard to be different in a small town & to want acceptance, but be unable or unwilling to become the person who might be accepted. I get her insecurities that coexist with her confidence in herself. I admire her drive & ambition & her overarching talent & I get why she anesthetized herself with alcohol & heroin. It's sad that she overdosed before she could live long enough to figure out that acceptance from the kind of people who require you to be someone you're not isn't really acceptance at all. I like to think she would've grown into her voice, into her abilities, & into herself.
I love Janis Joplin - both her music & her spirit. I've read Myra Friedman's Buried Alive: The
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Biography of Janis Joplin several times, as well. This book offers a somewhat different perspective as it is striving to place Joplin within her cultural context.I remembered that this biography had more information about the Haight-Ashbury scene than it did, but other than that it was pretty true to my memory. I like the somewhat dispassionate voice of Ms. Echols - it provides a nice counterpoint to the general chaos & excess of its subject & time. I also appreciate that Ms. Echols doesn't try to pigeonhole Joplin, but rather explores her life & her impulses.
There is much to admire in Janis Joplin & much that I relate to in her story. It's hard to be different in a small town & to want acceptance, but be unable or unwilling to become the person who might be accepted. I get her insecurities that coexist with her confidence in herself. I admire her drive & ambition & her overarching talent & I get why she anesthetized herself with alcohol & heroin. It's sad that she overdosed before she could live long enough to figure out that acceptance from the kind of people who require you to be someone you're not isn't really acceptance at all. I like to think she would've grown into her voice, into her abilities, & into herself.
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LibraryThing member amydross
This portrait of Joplin strives to find something to say that any casual fan wouldn't already know, but only manages occasionally. Still, it does show the importance of revisiting and reconsidering eras of history (like the 60s) that you think you know everything about. Echols is particularly
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sensitive to the complex relationship between white 60s rockers and the black blues and soul artists who inspired them, only to be usurped by them. Show Less
LibraryThing member TurtleCreekBooks
Very well written, very scholarly, and also rather sedate and dry - which is a complete contrast with the life laid out here by Alice Echols. It's a calm walk alongside Janis' turbulent life, unlike other Janis bios that tend towards scandal and sensation. Echols reports her findings almost
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clinically and more like a historical journal. Almost the antithesis of the 60s.... and this seems to be where the strength lies in this book. Not your regular "sex drugs and rock and roll" scandal bio. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lauraborealis
I feel like this book was a musical education for me. By completion, I had streamed at least 33 new artists that were mentioned briefly or in-depth in the book. (My favorites, if you’re curious, would be Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, Lead Belly, The Byrds, and Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry.) It
To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really held an opinion about Janis Joplin, other than people occasionally telling me I looked like her when I was in high school. Apparently, that was meant as a sort of insult, as people—including Janis herself—often remarked that she was unattractive. To me, though, she never looked bad. I thought she looked natural and pretty, actually. But whatever. I found myself relating hardcore to a lot of Janis’ perceptions on life and school. Growing up, I never really fit in, and even now, I find it easier to hang out with a group of dudes than women. I’ve always been supremely self-conscious, and I’m the first person to talk crap about myself to anyone who will listen. I also felt jilted by the unfair treatment of my classmates growing up, who perceived me as weird and strange. It was interesting to read about her life’s experiences, and how a lot of that isolation shaped her and made her demand that people listen to her, as she gained fame.
SPOILERS (SORT OF):
Things I learned while reading this book:
-About the first light shows and how they came about in the 60s.
-How the charming hippie lifestyle that is so waxed so poetically about was not nearly as gender equitable as people would have you believe.
-Everyone knows about Woodstock, but Monetary Pop Festival was actually the landmark festival that is known for starting off “The Summer of Love,” and inspiring Woodstock and countless other rock festivals.
-“Cheap Thrills,” with Janis and Big Brother, was made to sound like a live album—complete with staged whistling and glass-breaking. This was because it was believed their raw, unpolished sound was at its best when it was live. All those little “mistakes,” and when her voices breaks, could be simply attributed to the “live” nature of the album, not the unpolished way they actually sounded.
-Janis’ favorite liquor was Southern Comfort. Kind of funny, since that was definitely the kind of liquor everyone drank in college.
THE VERDICT:
This book is very frank, very poignant, and very well-written. It includes first-person accounts from Janis’ friends and family (through a few quotes), and writes very logically and factually about incidents that took place during her life. Of course, the author presupposes things, the way Janis might have felt about things, but she backs up a lot of these logically, so it doesn’t seem to crazy that Janis was thinking those things. I think anyone could potentially enjoy this book. It’s meticulously written, informative, fascinating, and it really immerses you in the counterculture of the 60s. As someone who never really any special interest in Janis, I am now thoroughly fascinated.
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sort of revived 60s-70s music on my playlist, and quite a few bands are now on my constant musical rotation. Not only is the amount of music mentioned mind-boggling, but the era the book takes place (50s-60s) is written with incredible detail. It talks about the culture, not just in terms of the counterculture, but the “squares” too, as well as gender and skin inequalities, and even pre-50s about the beginning stirrings of what would later be called rock and roll. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really held an opinion about Janis Joplin, other than people occasionally telling me I looked like her when I was in high school. Apparently, that was meant as a sort of insult, as people—including Janis herself—often remarked that she was unattractive. To me, though, she never looked bad. I thought she looked natural and pretty, actually. But whatever. I found myself relating hardcore to a lot of Janis’ perceptions on life and school. Growing up, I never really fit in, and even now, I find it easier to hang out with a group of dudes than women. I’ve always been supremely self-conscious, and I’m the first person to talk crap about myself to anyone who will listen. I also felt jilted by the unfair treatment of my classmates growing up, who perceived me as weird and strange. It was interesting to read about her life’s experiences, and how a lot of that isolation shaped her and made her demand that people listen to her, as she gained fame.
SPOILERS (SORT OF):
Things I learned while reading this book:
-About the first light shows and how they came about in the 60s.
-How the charming hippie lifestyle that is so waxed so poetically about was not nearly as gender equitable as people would have you believe.
-Everyone knows about Woodstock, but Monetary Pop Festival was actually the landmark festival that is known for starting off “The Summer of Love,” and inspiring Woodstock and countless other rock festivals.
-“Cheap Thrills,” with Janis and Big Brother, was made to sound like a live album—complete with staged whistling and glass-breaking. This was because it was believed their raw, unpolished sound was at its best when it was live. All those little “mistakes,” and when her voices breaks, could be simply attributed to the “live” nature of the album, not the unpolished way they actually sounded.
-Janis’ favorite liquor was Southern Comfort. Kind of funny, since that was definitely the kind of liquor everyone drank in college.
THE VERDICT:
This book is very frank, very poignant, and very well-written. It includes first-person accounts from Janis’ friends and family (through a few quotes), and writes very logically and factually about incidents that took place during her life. Of course, the author presupposes things, the way Janis might have felt about things, but she backs up a lot of these logically, so it doesn’t seem to crazy that Janis was thinking those things. I think anyone could potentially enjoy this book. It’s meticulously written, informative, fascinating, and it really immerses you in the counterculture of the 60s. As someone who never really any special interest in Janis, I am now thoroughly fascinated.
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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
I seem to be collecting the life stories of troubled singers at the moment! A tragic member of the 27 club, Janis Joplin was an incredible natural talent, her voice a 'powerful combination of intellect and spontaneous feeling' behind songs like 'Piece of My Heart', 'Me and Bobby McGee' and
Like her 'chameleon's voice' - the 'gravelly Bessie Smith voice' she was known for, but also her natural 'clear and pure' tones - Janis was a woman of contrasting personas. She was the foul-mouthed, cackling star who posed naked, drank and took drugs to excess, but also the intelligent, insecure 'little girl blue' who needed a mother figure and was vulnerable and far too trusting. She loved both men and women, but only wanted to find that 'white picket' life and didn't want to be claimed as a gay role model. And even though she knew she had a good voice, she never truly believed in herself, remembering how she was tormented at high school for her different appearance rather than making the most of her sudden rise to stardom. As I say, another troubled singer, but a fantastic one! Well worth reading about, too.
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'Mercedes Benz'. She released four albums, two of them with her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and embodied the San Francisco spirit of the 1960s, before sadly overdosing in 1970. There wouldn't seem to be enough of a life to write about, but Alice Echols does justice to her subject, without simpering or sniping (although her claim that 'this book is not a blow-by-blow account of Janis' every fuck and fix' is a bit of a stretch).Like her 'chameleon's voice' - the 'gravelly Bessie Smith voice' she was known for, but also her natural 'clear and pure' tones - Janis was a woman of contrasting personas. She was the foul-mouthed, cackling star who posed naked, drank and took drugs to excess, but also the intelligent, insecure 'little girl blue' who needed a mother figure and was vulnerable and far too trusting. She loved both men and women, but only wanted to find that 'white picket' life and didn't want to be claimed as a gay role model. And even though she knew she had a good voice, she never truly believed in herself, remembering how she was tormented at high school for her different appearance rather than making the most of her sudden rise to stardom. As I say, another troubled singer, but a fantastic one! Well worth reading about, too.
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Awards
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Biography — 1999)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0805053875 / 9780805053876