Don't Suck, Don't Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt (American Music Series)

Friend, asshole, angel, mutant, singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt came along and made us gross and broken people seem . . . I dunno, cooler, I guess. A quadriplegic who could play only simple chords on his guitar, Chesnutt recorded seventeen critically acclaimed albums before his death in 2009, including About to Choke , North Star Deserter , and At the Cut . In 2006, NPR placed him in the top five of the ten best living songwriters, along with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen. Chesnutts songs have also been covered by many prominent artists, including Madonna, the Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Sparklehorse, Fugazi, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Kristin Hersh toured with Chesnutt for nearly a decade and they became close friends, bonding over a love of songwriting and mutual struggles with mental health. In Dont Suck, Dont Die , she describes many seemingly small moments they shared, their free-ranging conversations, and his tragic death. More memoir than biography, Hershs book plumbs the sources of Chesnutts pain and creativity more deeply than any conventional account of his life and recordings ever could. Chesnutt was difficult to understand and frequently difficult to be with, but, as Hersh reveals him, he was also wickedly funny and painfully perceptive. This intimate memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the music or the artist. A haunting ode to a lost friend, this memoir by the acclaimed author of Rat Girl offers the most personal, empathetic look at the creative genius and often-tormented life of singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt that is ever likely to be written. Eat Candy -- Thickety Time -- Go Outside And Look At The Moon -- First, Give -- See You In My Dreams. Kristin Hersh ; Foreword By Amanda Petrusich. Discography: Pages 177-179. The author recalls her long friendship with Vic Chesnutt, recounting the moments they shared on tour and his tragic death