There is no doubt that Gary P. Nunn played a pivotal role in the burgeoning country music scene in Austin, Texas. And it also apparent to this reader that Nunn desperately wants to prove it and wear you out in the process. Though a fairly interesting story of his life, Nunn should have had help in editing and cutting his verbosity down to a manageable size. His life isn’t THAT interesting.

Characters scattered throughout the long and drawn out affair included two of my early outlaw favorites of the seventies, those being Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. Nunn was an early member of the Lost Gonzo Band and instrumental in assisting Jerry Jeff Walker the level of country music fame he was destined to rise to. Near the two-thirds mark I was eager to quit this read and was looking for either the inspiration to continue on or a better reason to off myself. This is certainly not a well-written book. It is simply a literal reportage in exhausting saturation of every detail his memory might serve up. Something suspect at best, but nonetheless an inside view of that initial Armadillo scene.

Autobiography of a poor white boy growing up in rural Oklahoma and Texas in the 1950’s and 1960’s who became a Texas music icon.

That Is What I Like About Texas was written as a Lone Star Beer commercial.

London Homesick Blues (Home with the Armadillo) was written by the author when he was in London and homesick for Texas. Austin City Limits fans thank you.

Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning was written ten years before it became a hit by Willie Nelson in 1982.

The forward to the book was written by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

The story starts on December 4, 1945 and moves chronologically from that point. Because of the quality of songs written by the author, I had high expectations for this book. I did not find an editor listed anywhere in the book. I think a good editor might have pulled the words into an interesting story. I read this as an outline, (example: on this day this happened and then we did this on another day…).

The author’s parents were teachers/farmers/ranchers in Oklahoma. I got the impression that he was proud that his father worked himself to death, rather than be upset at a system that allowed this to happen. Disclaimer: I grew up in rural Texas and had relatives in Oklahoma. I guess we see things differently.
If you are going to proselytize, you have to make the story interesting. This book is not going to convert anyone.

2 stars
The book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I moved to Austin, TX in 1975 when Gary P. Nunn was playing with Michael Murphy and hung out in the local bars. It was a magical time, and Austin was still a small town and an affordable place to live.
This book brought back a lot of memories of those times, and the great music that was available for little or no money. The book is well-written for someone who is not a professional writer, and is a good tale for any aspiring musician. I don't know though if someone not familiar with the music scene in Texas would recognize all the names dropped. Steven Fromholz, for example, is not that well known. Anyway, good job Gary! I enjoyed reading the book and thanks for the ARC.