I had not heard of Terry Allen before. I'm interested in checking out his art and music. The twist in the tale of the review was that he was married at nineteen....and it lasted! And that he comes across as a thoroughly decent guy. He seems to have compartmentalized his artistic demons from the other parts of his life. He comes across as a thoroughly admirable man.
Henry, many thanks for this very thoughtful and perceptive review—the first to mention "Mechanization Takes Command," one of my favorite of many discoveries about the genesis of JUAREZ. It means a lot to know that folks are still reading this (extremely long) book carefully, almost a year after publication, and learning more about Terry's work. I really appreciate you taking the time, and I know Terry does too. And I'm glad to discover your own writing and The Metropolitan Review.
As a native of Lubbock, I need to check out Terry Allen’s work. Lubbock is the hometown of more artists than people realize, including Buddy Holly and Natalie Maines of The (Dixie) Chicks. Apparently Allen went to the same high school as I did (Monterey) where my dad coached basketball for 20+ years.
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that, even though his oeuvre seems right up my alley and intersects with both David Byrne and Joe Ely, I've never heard of Terry Allen before reading this. (A casualty of "high" culture being dictated by the cities on the coasts, where country music is seen as uncouth?) Appreciate all the links to his (extremely cool!) artwork.
I had not heard of Terry Allen before. I'm interested in checking out his art and music. The twist in the tale of the review was that he was married at nineteen....and it lasted! And that he comes across as a thoroughly decent guy. He seems to have compartmentalized his artistic demons from the other parts of his life. He comes across as a thoroughly admirable man.
Henry, many thanks for this very thoughtful and perceptive review—the first to mention "Mechanization Takes Command," one of my favorite of many discoveries about the genesis of JUAREZ. It means a lot to know that folks are still reading this (extremely long) book carefully, almost a year after publication, and learning more about Terry's work. I really appreciate you taking the time, and I know Terry does too. And I'm glad to discover your own writing and The Metropolitan Review.
You're very welcome! I'm glad it reached you and am grateful for the opportunity to expound upon Terry at length -- he's one of the greats.
As a native of Lubbock, I need to check out Terry Allen’s work. Lubbock is the hometown of more artists than people realize, including Buddy Holly and Natalie Maines of The (Dixie) Chicks. Apparently Allen went to the same high school as I did (Monterey) where my dad coached basketball for 20+ years.
Thanks for shedding some light on my hometown!
Been following Terry Allen since the seventies. He’s elusive but a treasure. This is how to live the life of an artist
Thanks for flagging this guy. I've been playing him this morning.
I love Terry Allen!
Great review! It actually makes me want to read the book.
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that, even though his oeuvre seems right up my alley and intersects with both David Byrne and Joe Ely, I've never heard of Terry Allen before reading this. (A casualty of "high" culture being dictated by the cities on the coasts, where country music is seen as uncouth?) Appreciate all the links to his (extremely cool!) artwork.
A new name for me. This requires further investigation ...