As I reflect on the Hank Williams book I just read, I've been thinking about my own life. The Waylon Jennings song "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" keeps playing in my head. Those of you who've read my books know how close I came to entering music as my profession.

I'm lucky I didn't.

I have a strong premonition that I would've ended up much like Hank. I have many of the same demons. Where we got them, only God knows. I've always felt the same things Hank did, though. I listened to Hank Williams as I fell asleep as a kindergartener. I know what he felt when he wrote those songs. I wouldn't have made it.

I think Uncle Sam saved me from his fate.

Just thoughts running through my head as I reflect on the biography I just read. I'm sure Hank done it that way. I'm also lucky I didn't or I wouldn't have survived my twenties.

Review of "Hank Williams: The Biography" by Colin Escott

As a child, I listened to old 78s of Hank Williams that I carefully pulled out of my dad's old cedar chest. Later, I got my very own 8-track player and fell asleep listening to Hank every night. All I can say after reading this book is,"Wow." I bought it at the Ryman Auditorium during a recent trip to Nashville and started reading it immediately. This is a very thorough look at Hank's short, sad life. Mr. Escott has included direct quotes from many of the people who knew Hank personally or were associated with him and has put together what might be the most comprehensive picture of his life yet.

I was particularly impressed with how well Hank's childhood and early life were covered. I had absolutely no idea prior to this book how far back his problems went. I was constantly doing math in my head as different incidents of Hank's drinking causing problems appeared to find dates that placed him in his mid-teens.

His meteoric rise and abrupt fall are covered quite skillfully. It even includes his earnings each year. A peek into the psychology of who Hank Williams was as a person is granted through quotes from his friends and associates. Learning the sad details of his last few months was horrifying to me, but it's the truth. I appreciate the truth. We also get a summary of the extensive aftermath following Hank's sudden death and the outcome for the people involved including his children.

I can't say I'm happy after finishing this book. I do feel like I know Hank Williams better than I did prior to reading it, though. This is the best Hank Williams biography I've read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in country music.

Hank Williams: The Biography

Review of "America's Unknown Wars" by William S. Shepard

I just finished "America's Unknown Wars" late last night. William Shepard has done a great job in compiling a bit of history that barely anybody talks about in this easy-to-read collection of essays. I've been a history teacher for going on twenty years, and I learned new things in his book. Little discussed history has always interested me the most, so I was eager to dig into this book. It didn't disappoint.

I enjoyed all four of the sections. The Spanish-American War has always been of particular interest to me, and it's covered quite nicely. That's been called a "splendid little war", but it had a tremendous impact on both US and world history. It was nice to see Mr. Shepard discuss it.

This isn't an in depth text book. It's a relatively light read that moves along at a good clip. It's an overview. I'd recommend this book to anybody with an interest in US history.

 

America's Unknown Wars

Beautiful review of "SAT & BAF! Memories of a Tower Rat"

Here is a lovely review of SAT & BAF! Memories of a Tower Rat by Joanne Mazzotta.

Doug Depew stepped off a 747 after it landed in Germany. It was to be the most powerfully memorable annex of his life. Often it is said in written reviews, "This is not the sort of book I usually read." I must say it now. I have not experienced the armed forces. Though I am pleased and proud to be an American and have given due respect to our military men and woman, I would have not read this book if I did not meet Doug Depew on a writer's discussion group. His personality doesn't reveal the jolting experiences he tells of in SAT&BAF. He is likable and has a pleasant friendliness about him.

He takes you with him to Germany and introduces you to his platoon, a family of new "brothers" while your mouth hangs open in shock at some of their shenanigans. Aligning himself with the perimeters of a serious mission, he manages to preserve his passion for fun, sex, relationships with beautiful German girls, booze banquets and insane ideas while off base. SAT&BAF is written in a flowing conversational manner. He exhibits a style of his own while he describes the years he spent in West Germany. He goes on to explain in detail his nightlife in the military and his responsibilities as a soldier commissioned to guard a nuclear storage station in a country where he was a foreigner. The menacing fight to keep himself alive while evolving from boy to man, his cohorts often risk that process with some ideas that could have cost him more than his luck had to give.

His experience during a time in American history few really know of will inform you and make you rethink the cold war. He had only been on earth for 18 years when he became a tower rat and reading Doug Depew's rendition of the trouble he and his beloved friends got into, I wasn't sure which mission was more dangerous, his outings in Germany or his tower responsibilities as a soldier.

Seeing it all from a mother's vantage point, it was hard not to worry about him, and yet harder not to crack up laughing at some of his escapades with the daily threat of death hovering over that tower. When he boarded that 747 for the last time, I exhaled.

Review of: "Rock & Roll Homicide" by RJ McDonnell

Music and detective work. What a great combination! This book combines two of my favorite subjects. RJ McDonnell introduces us to ex-muscician, private detective, Jason Duffy in this wonderfully written mystery. I found the combination of the music industry and detective/police work was a super mix. As one who's dabbled around the edges of the music industry most of my life and been in or around law enforcement even longer, I truly enjoyed this read. Mr. McDonnell does a tremendous job of building and developing his characters. There are a lot of them in this book, and I never had trouble keeping track of them. They were all developed so fully that I got to know them and care. The relationship with his retired policeman father is particularly interesting. This book takes us everywhere from a recording studio to the Russian mafia. There's even some old-world Ireland in it!

The pace is quick. The narrative is done in a lively, friendly voice. Humor is strewn thoughout the entire book. It kept me turning pages late into the night. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys music, investigative novels, or a fun read. I'm looking forward to another installment in the Rock & Roll Mystery series.
Rock & Roll Homicide

Heilbronn Stimme Article!

German Bestseller!!

At the urging of German fans on my Facebook fan page, I contacted the Heilbronn Stimme. It’s the newspaper in Heilbronn, Germany where my first book “SAT & BAF! Memories of a Tower Rat” happened. A month or two ago, an editor from the paper sent me a message to send him a book and he’d write about it. I put together a press packet and didn’t hear anything back for weeks. Then another reporter contacted me last week to send some pictures for the article! The original editor had the reporter read it because his English was better.

The article ran today! Several German fans contacted me this morning to let me know it was in the paper and mentioned on the front page! The reporter sent tear sheets to my e-mail, but I haven’t had a chance to translate them yet. The fans told me it’s a good article. Here it is if you’d like to take a peek.

http://www.stimme.de/heilbronn/nachrichten/region/Heisse-Erinnerungen-an-den-kalten-Krieg;art16305,2568817

 I’m on the front page of a major, German newspaper!! In case you wonder if print media still has any power, here are the rankings of “SAT & BAF!” on Amazon.de earlier today:

Amazon Bestseller-Rang: Nr. 161 in Englische Bücher (Siehe Top 100 in Englische Bücher)

·         Nr. 1 in Englische Bücher > Geschichte > Weltgeschichte > 20. Jahrhundert

·         Nr. 1 in Englische Bücher > Reise & Abenteuer > Europa > Deutschland

·         Nr. 1 in Englische Bücher > Geschichte > Militär > Waffen & Kriegsführung

 For the mono-lingually challenged among us, here’s an English translation of the ranks:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: # 161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
# 1> in Books> History> World History> 20th century
# 1 >in Books> Travel & Adventure> Europe> Germany
# 1> in Books> History> Military> Weapons & Warfare

Awesome! I’ve been waiting for word to get out in Germany. It has been rising all day. I knew there was a market in Germany! I’d like to thank the Heilbronn Stimme for expressing an interest in the book and for running the article. What a wonderful day!

Doug

Ghosts of the Past

Social media is amazing. I wrote a while back about an old, Army friend I ran into due to my book. He found me on Facebook. Well, a couple months ago I ran into an extremely old friend named Becky. We were the dearest of buddies in first, second, and third grade at a very tiny school. We were in the same class for all three grades because it was the same teacher. In a town with 47 people, friends take on a whole new meaning. We moved away suddenly in third grade and as Becky put it “disappeared”. She found me and sent a friend request. As soon as we became Facebook friends, she sent a message that said, “Where did you go?” We’ve caught up a bit in the last couple months, and she also became friends with my wife. We mostly talk about music.

Becky invited us up to see her sing last weekend. She’s been singing professionally since she was nineteen years old. It was something I felt like we should do, so we drove the three hours up to watch her in a theater show. We watched her in a country classics variety show where she sang lead on five or six songs. After the show, she invited us to see her, her mom, and her daughter sing karaoke. She wanted a chance to show us what she could do on songs she picked. She said the band that hired her for the show picks her outfits, songs, and everything. She wanted to be able to take requests. It was at a little VFW hall in my old hometown.

She is incredible!! Seriously, she’s among the best female singers I’ve ever heard live. I don’t know how she’s not a star. She’s an extremely talented singer. I suppose it had something to do with raising four kids. She’s still out there making money off her voice, though. We meant to go home after the show. Then we meant to go home about ten or eleven from karaoke. Then we were staying as long as Becky was willing to sing. She’s that good. What’s the hurry? Watching one of my oldest friends doing what she loves was the most important thing in the world this weekend.

It was also a lot of fun catching up. She has a whole lot in common with my wife, and I think they both found a new buddy. They were chattering all night long. Becky told all kinds of stories from the old days in Cherryville…population 47. She is so funny! She says things like, “I grew up so far out in the country that a two-lane road meant going to the city.” My wife told me on the way home that it feels like she’s known Becky their whole lives when she just met her. She’s such a sweet girl and incredibly funny! She had us rolling all night long. She’s also excited to collaborate on some songwriting. It meant a lot to her that we were willing to drive up there to watch her, but it was a pleasure. We had her autograph the show tickets before we went home, and she almost cried. She finished the night by performing Martina McBride’s “Broken Wing”, and it was unbelievable. When everybody fizzled out and it was time to say goodnight, everybody hugged. When she hugged me, she said, “I missed you so much!” It’s not every day that you get a chance to touch someone so deeply. It meant a whole lot to her that somebody would travel that far to hear her sing. It meant a lot to me, too.

All in all, it was a really fun weekend. Facebook is an incredible tool. Our friendship might have been frozen in time during the Ford administration if it hadn’t been for modern technology. Now my wife and I have a very dear new friend.

I don’t think it’ll be thirty-six years before we see Becky again. There’s some big book news, but I’ll save that for another post. This one is about my old friend. If you ever get a chance to hear her sing, I highly recommend it. She’s great! 

Doug