. Eggers talked to Lone Star Lit via email…<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: Mr. Eggers, what do you think Townes Van Zandt would say about this book?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nHAROLD EGGERS, JR.: I think Townes would say, “H,\u202fyou did the book I wanted you to do, telling the truth and not white washing anything, including all my extreme bipolar intensities of\u202fmy\u202fgood, bad, and\u202fmaddening ways.\u202fYou experienced\u202fall this\u202fwith me over a span of twenty years, as we toured and traveled the highways of the world together.\u202fAlso,\u202fyou told the story of your own life with no\u202freservations.”\u202fMy professional and personal relationship with Townes was\u202ffilled with constant,\u202fbrutal honesty\u2014something\u202fthat only true friends would do for one another.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIf your readers could remember one thing about this story, what would it be and why would that be so important? \u202f\u202f\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nTownes was not only a great singer\/songwriter\/poet,\u202fhe was\u202fthe grandest person I have ever known. He\u202fspent his whole life pursuing his music dreams no matter what that entailed,\u202ffrom the brightest of days to the darkest of nights, right\u202funtil the day he died. Most importantly,\u202fI hope readers realize how important it is to\u202fnever stop listening to their heart and inner voice and always pursue their dreams,\u202fevery day of their lives. Townes would often say to me, “H,\u202ftoday is all we really have.\u202fLive each day like it is your last,” and “Drink a full cup of life each day you are alive,\u202fH.”\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhen did you decide to write this book, and what was the major influence in that decision?\u202f <\/strong>
\n\u202f
\nFor years I tried to persuade\u202fTownes\u202fto collaborate with me on\u202fa book\u202fabout\u202fhis life and music career. He always said,\u202f”Why do a book on me when my life’s story would\u202fonly take up one page?\u201d\u202fI replied,\u202f”Yeah, but we could do a hell of a packaging job on the book!”\u202fTownes laughed and said,\u202f”Okay,\u202flet’s do it.” Years before this,\u202fTownes\u202fsaw me being involved in and securing several book deals: Willie Nelson<\/em>\u202fby Susie Nelson,\u202fStevie Ray Vaughan<\/em>\u202fby Keri Leigh, and\u202fThe Nashville Family\u202fAlbum<\/em>\u202fby Music Row’s renowned photographer Alan Mayor.\u202fI could sense that in some form, Townes was\u202fwondering\u202fwhen I was\u202fgoing to do a book on him.\u202fEach time I would bring it up with him, he declined. My main\u202freason for writing\u202fthis book was\u202fso that for the rest of my life, I would not feel as though there was something I was meant to accomplish but never did.\u202fTownes\u2019s\u202flife and music\u202fwere\u202fso unique\u202fand special compared to anything I had known or done before; how could I not do it?\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nYou co-authored this book with L.E. McCullough; how did that come about and tell me about any challenges or unexpected outcomes of that process.\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nI had known L.E. since 1987 when he did an article on my music business intentions when I first moved to Austin, Texas. He was the music writer for the\u202fAustin Chronicle<\/em>.\u202fWe started working on this Townes book many years ago. We both tried for years to get a publishing deal for this book, with no luck at all\u2014 didn’t seem like it was\u202fever going to happen. Just by chance,\u202fL.E.\u202fconnected with Bernadette\u202fMalavarca\u202fwho was an editor for Hal Leonard’s Backbeat Books. She was also an artist herself,\u202fa\u202fsinger\/songwriter who was performing with her band near where L.E. lived.\u202fHe approached her with this book proposal; she was very receptive and knowledgeable about Townes\u202fVan\u202fZandt’s music. Bernadette presented the manuscript to Hal Leonard for consideration, they\u202fapproved,\u202fand a deal was secured. Under the guidance of Bernadette\u2014from the content, layout, photographs,\u202fto the\u202fbook jacket\u2014our publishing process could not have been any better. The\u202ffinished product is excellent\u2014beyond L.E.\u2019s and my expectations!\u202f
\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhen you analyzed your memories in preparing to write this story, what was that experience like? Did you have to double-check your memories?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nI started working on this book with Townes in 1996, a year before he died. Townes told me in detail all the aspects of his life and music career, then and collectively during the twenty-year span\u202fI toured and traveled with him. I had all the notes that I wrote down from 1996 right up to\u202factually writing\u202fthe book with my co-writer L.E. McCullough in\u202f2017 and 2018.\u202fI went through all these ongoing\u202fnotes as the years passed, constantly trying to put\u202fthem in some order, condensing and updating. I say of doing the book,\u202f”I gave L.E. scrambled eggs, and he made an omelet.” <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nI did\u202fdouble-check my memories, from the ones I wrote down and\u202fthose that\u202fwere still in my head,\u202fbut not yet committed to\u202fpaper. As the manuscript got closer to\u202fcompletion,\u202fI kept coming up with more and\u202fmore stories to include.\u202fFinally,\u202fL.E. said no more, we have more than enough and probably won’t be able to put in the\u202fmassive number of stories we already have. For me,\u202fthe experience of doing this book was\u202fa kind of\u202fpsychotherapy, remembering all of Townes\u2019s\u202fand my past experiences in our\u202ffriendship and working\u202ftogether\u202ffor twenty years, from the funniest, intense, scary, dangerous,\u202fbizarre, and all stops in between. The finished book is all I hoped\u202fit would be.\u202f\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nYou chose a \u201cwarts and all\u201d approach in what you shared in the book; did you ever consider sugar-coating the story? Did you?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nNo; right from the beginning when working on the book with Townes for a year before he died, he said it had\u202fto be inclusive, not withholding anything.\u202fHe wanted me to say it as it was. Townes\u202fwanted me to make the reader\u202ffeel his pain, including all the highs and lows of his life and music career.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nYou previously wrote the\u202fforeword\u202fto another author\u2019s story about Townes Van Zandt. \u202fHow did that influence this story, if at all?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nThe book is\u202fI’ll Be Here\u202fIn\u202fThe Morning<\/em>\u202fby Brian T. Atkinson. It is a book of interviews with people who knew Townes\u202fand others who were very aware of his influential music talents.\u202fIn doing the foreword for this book it helped me to become even more focused on the writing of this book. The foreword was an overview of my friendship and workings with Townes, giving\u202finsight to the Townes I knew.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIf this story was selected for a screen adaption, who do you think could play Townes Van Zandt, and why do you think so?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nJohnny Depp, who is also a performing music artist, could capture the extreme intensity, maddening ways, creativity, of Townes the singer\/songwriter and captivating performer he\u202fwas.\u202f
\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThis being your first published book, what were the highlights of that experience?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nI am honored that Townes\u2019s\u202flife and music career is finally being told as it actually\u202fwas and\u202fincluding my life story to show how entwined our lives were. I am humbled\u202fby all the attention\u202fthis book is now getting.\u202fI have always intentionally stayed in the shadows of the music and literary worlds. I\u202fhave\u202fenjoyed\u202frepresenting artists and writers over the\u202fyears, but\u202fbeing in the spotlight is difficult for me. I am\u202freally\u202fenjoying all\u202fthe book signings, interviews, and articles being done on the book.\u202fI wish\u202fTownes was still alive to experience this with me, and\u202fI\u2019m glad\u202fhis life and music is finally getting the recognition\u202fhe\u202fhas\u202falways deserved.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBring us up to speed\u2014what\u2019s next for you?\u202f <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nI have been busy doing book signings and interviews for the book. I have over 1,100 photographs\u202fof Townes I took over the two decades I worked with him. I am working on a Townes photobook with my son Harold F. Eggers-Soo,\u202fIII,\u202fwho is a very talented photographer, musician, and innovator.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u202f
\nAnd now for the Lightning Round of questions. <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s on your nightstand?<\/strong>\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/span>Photographs of my family <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFavorite book?<\/strong> \u202f\u202fThe Bible\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFavorite musical artist born after 1990?<\/strong> Peterson Brothers\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nMost under-rated musician?<\/strong>\u202fHector Ward, Richard Dobson,\u202fGurf\u202fMorlix, Michael Weston King\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nCDs or streaming music (or 8-Track or cassette if you\u2019re me)?<\/strong> CDs and records!\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nStrange habit?<\/strong> \u202fRechecking over and over if my home and car doors are locked.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFunniest flaw?<\/strong> Hearing sounds and voices that aren’t there.\u202f\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSuperstition?<\/strong> Walking on a crack in the sidewalk.\u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFavorite quote?<\/strong>\u202f”It’s the going not the getting there.”\u2014 Townes Van Zandt \u202f <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Music industry exec and author Harold Eggers, Jr. talks about twenty years on the road with Townes Van Zandt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[875,813,830,876,824],"class_list":["post-1462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-interview","tag-lone-star-literary-life","tag-lonestarliterarycom","tag-memoir","tag-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1462\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}