Author: Kevin Avery

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

Back when I first approached Paul Nelson about our working together to anthologize his best writing — before I knew whether or not he was interested in the project or whether he’d even received my proposal — I’d imagine the two of us sitting across a table, working long into his beloved night while we agreeably disagree which pieces to include and which ones to set aside for perhaps a different collection.

When Paul died, over a year ago now, leaving me to decide which pieces qualified as his best, I knew of less than 100 of his articles, reviews, and essays. Now I’ve collected more than three times that many, making the decision that much more difficult.

One thing was sure from the start, however: that my book would contain all of Paul’s writings about Jackson Browne. Arguably more than any other artist about whose work he wrote, the pieces Paul penned about Browne and his music are among his most passionate, his most autobiographical. He wrote as if he completely understood Browne — because Browne seemingly completely understood him.

Paul’s review of Running on Empty is available online. Along with everything else he wrote about Browne (including some previously unpublished material), it will be included in Everything Is an Afterthought.

When I interviewed Browne early this year, he had this to say about Paul: “I was always very grateful that he wrote what he wrote; and I don’t want to give it a name or diminish it by encapsulating it with some sort of description of what that was. But it made me feel that I was being received, that I was being heard, by people who really got it.” 

Indeed he was.

Copyright 2007 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.

I’ve done a poor, poor, pitiful job of updating this blog as of late, but, for what it’s worth, the time has been well spent and yielded not only funding that allows me to continue concentrating on the book but also a wealth of additional research material. Mea culpa, mea culpa…

Back on June 2nd at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble, where Crystal Zevon was joined by Dave Barry and a couple of members of the Rock Bottom Remainders to promote her biography of Warren Zevon (much more to follow about the Zevons and their relationship with Paul), I had the opportunity to meet the talented illustrator Jeff Wong. Paul was a dear friend of Jeff’s. The two of them shared, among other interests, a love of Ross Macdonald books (more to follow, too, about the role that Macdonald, aka Ken Millar, played in Paul’s life). And, because the universe is sometimes a wonderful and just place, Jeff will be illustrating the cover of Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson.

He graciously mentions the project in his answer to the final question of an interview posted over at Duane Swierczynski’s Secret Dead Blog.

I’ve done a poor, poor, pitiful job of updating this blog as of late, but, for what it’s worth, the time has been well spent and yielded not only funding that allows me to continue concentrating on the book but also a wealth of additional research material. Mea culpa, mea culpa…

Back on June 2nd at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble, where Crystal Zevon was joined by Dave Barry and a couple of members of the Rock Bottom Remainders to promote her biography of Warren Zevon (much more to follow about the Zevons and their relationship with Paul), I had the opportunity to meet the talented illustrator Jeff Wong. Paul was a dear friend of Jeff’s. The two of them shared, among other interests, a love of Ross Macdonald books (more to follow, too, about the role that Macdonald, aka Ken Millar, played in Paul’s life). And, because the universe is sometimes a wonderful and just place, Jeff will be illustrating the cover of Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson.

He graciously mentions the project in his answer to the final question of an interview posted over at Duane Swierczynski’s Secret Dead Blog.