Rolling Stone 12/7/00 Pop/Shyamalan/Clem Snide/Ang Lee/Nick Drake/Hank Williams

Singer-songwriter Eef Barzelay, known as the creative force and former frontman for the critically-acclaimed band Clem Snide, was once described as a cross between Hank Williams and Nick Drake. As Rolling Stone puts it, "Lyrically, he can be as cool as jazz, as earnest as folk, as sorrowful as country, as goofy as pop and as ironic as indie rock, sometimes all in one song." Recently, Eef has toured with Ben Folds showcasing new material from Lose Big The multi-talented Barzelay has also enjoyed success as a film composer with his mesmerizing musical score for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Award-winning film Rocket Science, which features the song I Love The Unknown which is included on Lose Big. Eef s most current project, the score for The Yellow Handkerchief, came about when legendary movie producer Arthur Cohn asked Eef to compose the film s music.

Singer-songwriter Eef Barzelay, known as the creative force and former frontman for the critically-acclaimed band Clem Snide, was once described as a cross between Hank Williams and Nick Drake. As Rolling Stone puts it, "Lyrically, he can be as cool as jazz, as earnest as folk, as sorrowful as country, as goofy as pop and as ironic as indie rock, sometimes all in one song." Recently, Eef has toured with Ben Folds showcasing new material from Lose Big The multi-talented Barzelay has also enjoyed success as a film composer with his mesmerizing musical score for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Award-winning film Rocket Science, which features the song I Love The Unknown which is included on Lose Big. Eef s most current project, the score for The Yellow Handkerchief, came about when legendary movie producer Arthur Cohn asked Eef to compose the film s music.

Hank Williams (1923--1953) is revered in the top tier of the country-music pantheon, and his forlorn ballads are classics in the country songbook. An inspired, natural genius, Williams was the complete country balladeer. Though he knew almost nothing about the technicalities of music, his plaintive songs--"Cold, Cold Heart, " "Your Cheatin' Heart, " and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"--affirm that he knew everything about its heart. Williams was to country music what Elvis Presley was to rock 'n' roll. With his legend already firmly established, he was only twenty-nine when he died on New Year's Day 1953 (or, perhaps, New Year's Eve 1952) in the back seat of his baby-blue Cadillac on the way to a concert in Canton, Ohio. Interest in Williams is unflagging, and myths and tall tales about his life and death continue to grow with every passing year. Although the fascinating trail of Williams's career has been a favorite subject for biographers, Hank Williams, So Lonesome winnows away the myths and hearsay while recounting this Alabama boy's blazing rise to stardom. This close look at Williams moves beyond other books by providing new research, evaluations, and interviews with friends, family, and band members. Of the many biographies this one comes closest to being truly accurate. It focuses also upon the music itself, confirming that Williams was a natural songwriter and performer like none other. This new assessment analyzes the Williams legacy by reviewing both the printed and recorded music and by thorough exploration of the Williams bibliography and discography. Bill Koon, a professor of English at Clemson University, is the editor of Classic Southern Humor.

Hank Williams (1923--1953) is revered in the top tier of the country-music pantheon, and his forlorn ballads are classics in the country songbook. An inspired, natural genius, Williams was the complete country balladeer. Though he knew almost nothing about the technicalities of music, his plaintive songs--"Cold, Cold Heart, " "Your Cheatin' Heart, " and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"--affirm that he knew everything about its heart. Williams was to country music what Elvis Presley was to rock 'n' roll. With his legend already firmly established, he was only twenty-nine when he died on New Year's Day 1953 (or, perhaps, New Year's Eve 1952) in the back seat of his baby-blue Cadillac on the way to a concert in Canton, Ohio. Interest in Williams is unflagging, and myths and tall tales about his life and death continue to grow with every passing year. Although the fascinating trail of Williams's career has been a favorite subject for biographers, Hank Williams, So Lonesome winnows away the myths and hearsay while recounting this Alabama boy's blazing rise to stardom. This close look at Williams moves beyond other books by providing new research, evaluations, and interviews with friends, family, and band members. Of the many biographies this one comes closest to being truly accurate. It focuses also upon the music itself, confirming that Williams was a natural songwriter and performer like none other. This new assessment analyzes the Williams legacy by reviewing both the printed and recorded music and by thorough exploration of the Williams bibliography and discography. Bill Koon, a professor of English at Clemson University, is the editor of Classic Southern Humor.