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Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America
“Whatever Tom Piazza writes is touched with magic." —Douglas Brinkley
Acclaimed author Tom Piazza follows his prize-winning novelÌýCity of RefugeÌýand the post-Katrina classicÌýWhy New Orleans MattersÌýwith a dynamic collection of essays and journalism about American music and American character, inÌýDevil Sent the Rain.
“Tom Piazza’s writing is filled with energy, and with tender, insightful words for the brilliant and irascible, from Jimmy Martin to Norman Mailer. Time and time again, Piazza identifies the unlikely, precious connections between recent events, art, letters, and music; through his words, these byways of popular culture provide an unexpected measure of the times.� —Elvis Costello
Acclaimed author Tom Piazza follows his prize-winning novelÌýCity of RefugeÌýand the post-Katrina classicÌýWhy New Orleans MattersÌýwith a dynamic collection of essays and journalism about American music and American character, inÌýDevil Sent the Rain.
“Tom Piazza’s writing is filled with energy, and with tender, insightful words for the brilliant and irascible, from Jimmy Martin to Norman Mailer. Time and time again, Piazza identifies the unlikely, precious connections between recent events, art, letters, and music; through his words, these byways of popular culture provide an unexpected measure of the times.� —Elvis Costello
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 16, 2019
"[Jimmy Rodgers] assembled, in a sense, a personification of the growing nation itself, and he involved the individual listener in that drama of growing up: the tension between the lust for change and travel, adventure, mobility for its own sake, violence even, and at the same time a profound and occasionally corrosive sense of nostalgia for The Way Things Were Back Home- either back in the cabin, or Down South below the Mason-Dixon Line- somewhere back, back, before it all got industrialized and built up, before the innocence was lost. The endless American dynamic: Strain at the leash, transform yourself into something unrecognizable, burn off the old, claim every possibly for yourself- contain, as Whitman suggested, multitudes- then memorialize the past that you have killed to pay for all that possibility. The more resolutely you have murdered it, in fact, the more sentimental you will be about it."
AMEN.
Finally, someone has explained something I've always wanted to say about America.
February 21, 2015
“The endless American dynamic: Strain at the leash, transform yourself into something unrecognizable, burn off the old, claim every possibility for yourself—contain, as Whitman suggested, multitudes—then memorialize the past that you have killed to pay for all that possibility. The more resolutely you have murdered it, in fact, the more sentimental you will be about it.�
I noticed before that several reviewers commented on the disjointedness of this book and its guts, and I will agree that perhaps a suitable sub-subtitle could have been something like “A collection of reflections,� but I also thought “From poverty to pop� would also fit since the originators of the Blues all basically died in poverty while other genres co-opted and banked on it. Nevertheless, Devil Sent the Rain is an enjoyable read in which I learned a bunch from, most especially the literary voice of the author. This collection of previously-published essays is welded together with brief reflections and focused on the author’s twin loves: New Orleans & southern Louisiana, and the Blues as an historical genre. Part history lesson, part memoir, part literary criticism, part social commentary over time, this book might have many of you scratching names down on paper to seek out in your favorite music-streaming service. I know for a fact Spotify has most.
I noticed before that several reviewers commented on the disjointedness of this book and its guts, and I will agree that perhaps a suitable sub-subtitle could have been something like “A collection of reflections,� but I also thought “From poverty to pop� would also fit since the originators of the Blues all basically died in poverty while other genres co-opted and banked on it. Nevertheless, Devil Sent the Rain is an enjoyable read in which I learned a bunch from, most especially the literary voice of the author. This collection of previously-published essays is welded together with brief reflections and focused on the author’s twin loves: New Orleans & southern Louisiana, and the Blues as an historical genre. Part history lesson, part memoir, part literary criticism, part social commentary over time, this book might have many of you scratching names down on paper to seek out in your favorite music-streaming service. I know for a fact Spotify has most.
September 13, 2011
Good books lead the reader to the next book (Dave Eggers "Zeitoun" led me to this book), and there are many next books and music that follow from "Devil Sent the Rain."
I sat listening to Jimmie Rodgers as I read the first two essays, then as I read Piazza's essay that accompanied the PBS series on the Blues and his essay on Charley Patton, I listened to recordings from early American rural music from the 1920's.
This collection contains a brilliant essay that accompanied the DVD "The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965." I recommend that you read the essay, then watch the DVD.
Piazza's rememberance of Norman Mailer has caused me to put "Armies of the Night" on my reading list, and I just picked up Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" based upon another essay.
There is a whole lot in 262 pages!
I sat listening to Jimmie Rodgers as I read the first two essays, then as I read Piazza's essay that accompanied the PBS series on the Blues and his essay on Charley Patton, I listened to recordings from early American rural music from the 1920's.
This collection contains a brilliant essay that accompanied the DVD "The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965." I recommend that you read the essay, then watch the DVD.
Piazza's rememberance of Norman Mailer has caused me to put "Armies of the Night" on my reading list, and I just picked up Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" based upon another essay.
There is a whole lot in 262 pages!
July 10, 2019
This book could easily be split into two as the first half only battles the author's own ego to reep the benefit of his accounts of famous blues and bluegrass performers and masters of the development of American music.
The second half is tinged with grief, trauma and aftershock effects of Hurricane Katrina...
It is impossible to separate an artist from his art, to draw a line where one stops and the other begins. In many cases of this book, it felt ad if it might very well have helped if these fragmented tales were reworked from their original publishing to produce a true anthology of the personas the author had set out to touch upon.
The second half is tinged with grief, trauma and aftershock effects of Hurricane Katrina...
It is impossible to separate an artist from his art, to draw a line where one stops and the other begins. In many cases of this book, it felt ad if it might very well have helped if these fragmented tales were reworked from their original publishing to produce a true anthology of the personas the author had set out to touch upon.
August 12, 2024
Mr. Piazza includes essays from late 90's and early aughts. The desperate America in the title includes post Katrina New Orleans a city Mr. Piazza loves and lives in. Many of the musicians he essays are my favorites also including Bob Dylan, Gillian Welch, Jelly Roll Morton, Jimmy Rodgers Charlie Patton (and the Blues) and I found his other choices to be fun also. He is steadfast in his love of NO and belief in the need to protect it's residents and rebuild and includes several articles on this subject. The material is a little dated now but fun and interesting read.
October 5, 2019
A collection of essays about music in New Orleans before and after Katrina. Well written and insightful; it took longer to finish simply because I had to go find and listen to some of the music he was referencing. But then, that's usually a worthwhile diversion too. The discovery of Charlie Patton itself was worth the read.
December 9, 2019
Any author that recognizes the genius of Charley Patton and Bob Dylan in the same book, not to mention referencing the former in the title, deserves 5 stars.
The book is a bit dated as Katrina drifts from the rearview mirror, but the writing is superb and Piazza captures the essence of the America that I hold dear.
The book is a bit dated as Katrina drifts from the rearview mirror, but the writing is superb and Piazza captures the essence of the America that I hold dear.
February 10, 2022
Otrolig bok. Jag läste den pga min nyfikenhet inför New Orleans, och visste inte att jag skulle bli fängslad av texter om bluesartister. Vill läsa mera. Författaren skriver mycket vackert och det gjorde inte ens något att jag måste hoppa över vissa segment som jag inte fick grepp av.
June 23, 2023
Good book of essays about some of our most forgotten? blues artists. Homage to Dylan and then on to Hurricane Katrina and the devastating effects that it had on New Orleans residents and the disrespect that our own government shown. All in all Tom Piazza is an important and excellent writer
July 22, 2018
Impressive set of essays, memoir bits, and current affairs essays concerning roots music on the one hand, and New Orleans post-Katrina. Despite initial reservations, the two topics melded well together. Piazza makes a strong case for advocating on behalf of marginalized communities displaced from the Katrina flooding and for maintaining keeping New Orleans' social fabric robust, despite outsiders' recommendations to relocate to higher ground, miles and miles far away from the city.
July 27, 2014
This book is a mess...it is broken down into three sections, which all vary greatly in subject matter, so it's difficult to know that you'll be reading next, if you sit down and read more than just one essay at a time. Having said that, I really enjoyed it. I really like the author's style of writing (although I felt at times that he came off as full of himself). I found myself very interested in subjects (such as 1920's blues music) that I have never before had any interest in reading or learning about. This was a fun and interesting read, whether or not I felt that the author just wanted to find a way to bring together any of his writing that could fit nicely into a 250ish-page book.
November 7, 2016
This is a book about music and literature from the 20th century. The subjects range from Jimmie Rodgers to Bob Dylan and from Gustave Flaubert to Norman Mailer. It is a book about some of our most important artists and how they express the contradictory elements of the American culture. Currently living in NOLA, there is also a pre and post New Orleans perspective. (I highly recommend his post Katrina novel, City of Refuge.) My favorite chapter was about The King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin. Never heard of him before but inspired to check him out now. Piazza is a good writer with a bent to try and understand what makes us all tick and what is, and isn't, important in life.
January 3, 2017
Tom Piazza is a wonderful and living American author. He is an intelligent, observant reporter of topics that I enjoy -- music, writing and New Orleans. This book of essays succeeds in capturing the spirit of a variety of musicians, from broken-down country singers to Dylan. He documents pre and post-Katrina New Orleans. He writes well about Norman Mailer, the literary figure that dominated my youth yet seems almost forgotten now, and, in one of the best essays on writing, writing. I don't read essays or republished magazine articles in collections much, but I would any collection of Tom Piazza.
August 24, 2014
the essays and profiles in this book have been revelations. charley patton and jimmie rodgers sing in between the lines, and the profiles on bluegrass hellion jimmy martin and rocker carl perkins are incisive and touching.
''I never envied Elvis his mansion and all that. All these boys -- Elvis, Jerry Lee, Roy Orbison -- they all lost their wives, their families. People say, 'What happened to you, Carl? All of them went on to superstardom. Where'd you go?' I say, 'I went home.' And that's a good place to be.'' -Carl Perkins
''I never envied Elvis his mansion and all that. All these boys -- Elvis, Jerry Lee, Roy Orbison -- they all lost their wives, their families. People say, 'What happened to you, Carl? All of them went on to superstardom. Where'd you go?' I say, 'I went home.' And that's a good place to be.'' -Carl Perkins
May 13, 2013
I loved this book. I saw it as an anthology of sorts - spanning some of his great feature articles on jazz and bluesgrass in the 1920s and 30's, all the way to his political pieces detailing the many failings of the US government during (and proceeding) Hurricane Katrina. His personality permeates every sentence, his prose is excellent, his stories bring you nose-to-nose with the world he lives in.
August 14, 2011
Informative read on music and writing. A good history of bluegrass and its musicians, a genre of music I am not familiar with but have a new found appreciation after reading this. Great insight into New Orleans, Katrina and more importantly the people. This makes me want to read City of Refuge.
June 1, 2012
Devil Sent the Rain is an excellent book. One does not have to be a big fan of the blues or “rural� music to find value within its pages, for Piazza writes in an informative way that's moving and honest.
(My full review can be found on .)
(My full review can be found on .)
December 21, 2011
A terrific collection of essays written by a guy you've read before, but never realized it. Tom Piazza has written for numerous music mags, and has quite a career writing liner notes for CD's/albums. He's even won Grammies.
May 26, 2012
Very nice collection of essays on an array of topics. With Music and New Orleans both being of great interest to me, there are a number of great pieces here. I particularly liked the insight into the life of Jimmy Rodgers in Nashville and the piece about finding classic 78s at a flea market.
November 3, 2017
Though I have yet to make a coherent sense of this book, I found it enjoyable. Perhaps since it is parsed out in small pieces of usually less than 6 pages each, it made a feast of common subjects that relate on multiple levels.
November 7, 2011
A very nice collection: stellar pieces on Jimmy Martin, Jelly Roll Morton's Library of Congress recordings, Charlie Chan movies--and some fiery pieces on Katrina.
January 25, 2014
This is a very wonderful book to spend time with.
August 31, 2015
Really interesting and unstinting essays about music, New Orleans, and the state of post-Katrina America.
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