DIRTBAG: I'd just finished John Hiatt's biography Have A Little Faith which I found incredible, but it's a biography. Last Chance is an autobiography and Rickie's creativity, quirks, and personality shine through on every page.
It's a fun read.
United States on Nov 11, 2023
Mike Cohn: I grew up listening to Rickie Lee Jones’s music and being able to read her autobiography gave me a whole new perspective on her life and career. I knew little about it aside from the lyrics to her songs and the old Rolling Stone articles that this book helped me recall. But hearing in her own words about the many challenges she faced as a young girl and woman coming of age gives a more complete picture of this talented artist. It’s so nice to rediscover Rickie and her words and music and read this very personal account of her fascinating and inspiring life.
United States on Sep 02, 2023
C. G: Spannend, lebendig, echt
Germany on Jan 21, 2023
Austin reader: (2.5 Stars)
I am a fan of RLJ's music, from way back. As soon as I learned of this book's existence, I ordered it. Possibly, that was a mistake.
I know of her troubled past. She was known to totally foul up her onstage performances, at times, because she was so strung out. That always saddened me.
This book also saddened me, but I read it in its entirety.
RLJ gives a long narrative concerning her family tree, and that just wasn't what I was interested in. She could have simply done a few pages with numbered ancestors, and a couple of brief paragraphs about each one. Instead, she devotes page after confusing page to her grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc., to the point where it's very tough to figure out where they all sat in her lineage.
Yeah, her messed up life seems to have a genetic basis, as judged by how messed up her ancestors were, but she can't seem to decide if all of what went on, before her, was horrible, or a triumph of human spirit, eventually. It's very confusing to read.
She doesn't seem to take much blame for her troubles. She had no sense of discipline as a kid, didn't stick with any regular job, that I...
United States on May 30, 2022
Amazon Customer: This is one of the best musician autobiographies I've read. Her memories are vivid and described poetically, effortlessly blending and mixing metaphors. Usually, I skip through the childhood memories to get to the meat of the story, but Ricki's childhood IS the story here. You're two-thirds through the book before she's making music professionally, and usually, this would bore me to tears, but she had one of the most colorful upbringings ever.
Canada on Nov 30, 2021
Michael King: Rickie Lee Jones' no-holds-barred account of her life and musical career pulls no punches. The chapters of the book are separated into four sections. The first section, entitled "The Back Seat," chronicles her nomadic childhood with a dysfunctional family in great detail. I also like how each chapter includes a photo of Rickie Lee and/or her family from the period in time being written about. She raves about seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. To quote her; "Unlike other girls my age, I didn't want to be a girl singer or the Beatles' girlfriend. I wanted to be a Beatle." The "Riding Shotgun" section lists her firsts - her first French kiss, her first song on guitar, her first rock performance, her first love, her first stolen car, her first night in juvy (juvenile detention), her first time, her first bad acid, her first beating, and her first time taking heroin. In the "Driver's Seat" section, Rickie begins writing songs, starting with "Easy Money." She got a gig performing with the oldies act, Little Caesar and the Romans. She met Tom Waits at the Troubadour and began an on-and off relationship with him. She met Lowell George, who recorded a version of "Easy Money" on...
United States on Apr 08, 2021
| Chronicles of an American Troubadour: A Last Chance Texaco Story | Last Chance Texaco: The Story of an American Troubadour's Journey | Sip & Spin: A Guide to Great Music and Delicious Cocktails | |
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| B2B Rating |
96
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97
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95
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| Sale off | $8 OFF | $13 OFF | $10 OFF |
| Total Reviews | 106 reviews | 106 reviews | 71 reviews |
| Rock Band Biographies | Rock Band Biographies | Rock Band Biographies | |
| Dimensions | 5.75 x 1 x 8.5 inches | 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches | 8.38 x 1 x 8.38 inches |
| Language | English | English | English |
| Paperback | 384 pages | ||
| ISBN-13 | 978-0802159854 | 978-0802127129 | 978-0762463473 |
| Rich & Famous Biographies | Rich & Famous Biographies | ||
| Actor & Entertainer Biographies | Actor & Entertainer Biographies | Actor & Entertainer Biographies | |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6/5 stars of 1,198 ratings | 4.6/5 stars of 1,198 ratings | 4.9/5 stars of 3,106 ratings |
| Publisher | Grove Press | Grove Pr | Running Press Adult; Illustrated edition |
| ISBN-10 | 0802159850 | 0802127126 | 0762463473 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #698 in Rock Band Biographies#894 in Rich & Famous Biographies#2,100 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies | #636 in Rock Band Biographies#1,951 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies#2,092 in Women's Biographies | #2 in Alcoholic Spirits#4 in Cocktails & Mixed Drinks#7 in Rock Music |
| Item Weight | 13.6 ounces | 1.34 pounds | 1.72 pounds |
A no compromises musician & person, this book confirms what I thought I knew about Rickie Lee Jones & adds to my love for her.
She writes here as beautifully as her songs and her tales are honest which is all I could ever want from anyone.
United States on Nov 12, 2023