Night Drive: Travels With My Brother.A memoir by Garnet RogersThe brother is Stan, a Canadian folk legend, author of such timeless now-traditional tracks like "Barrett's Privateers" and Canada's auxiliary national anthem, "Northwest Passage". Dead at the young age of 33 from an on-board plane fire, his legacy has long been curated by his widow, Ariel, long time producer Paul Mills, and a long list of National radio personalities.
Younger brother Garnet felt that this well-curated legend was missing the grit, the struggle, a surprising amount of violence, and a whole lot of drinking. And driving.
As well as growing up in the same family, Garnet played in Stan's trio for basically his whole folk career, and has carried on a long and successful career as a singer/songwriter and occasional producer and sideman. So he has a wealth of insight into the evolution and creative process of Stan's work, as well as the musical development of the storied trio that toured North America for 10 years (Stan, Garnet, and a string of bass players named Jim, Dave, David, and Jim) (and their manager, Jim). It is a look into the nascent North American folk scene of the 1970s and early 80s: the performers, organizers, and fans. It is also of course a heartfelt remembrance of growing up as a family, and again into adulthood out on the road, in a complicated relationship, ultimately ruled by love, with his brother.
This is a memoir, not a biography, so it's not chronological, and there are times it repeats itself or jumps around unexpectedly. As the photo indicates, this thing is huge: about 780 pages. These are not criticisms, just observations - I tore through it in about a week, and would consider it essential reading for any fans of the North American folk music, and without a doubt anybody who has enjoyed Stan's work over the years.
The book is available in paper or electronic form direct from Garnet's site:
http://garnetrogers.com/site/?page_id=1013
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:28 pm