Storm large autobiography in five short

Life is good. December in Portland can be a dreary spectacle. Right around Halloween, a big chilly sog plops its fat ass over the Pacific Northwest and stays parked there until Independence Day. Hawthorne is a main thoroughfare in southeast Portland where, on one block, you can buy a latte, Indonesian end tables, pants for your cat, a vinyl corset, or a two-hundred-dollar T-shirt.

It was in a school Christmas play and was the first solo I ever took on stage. It was also one of the few times my mom saw me sing in front of a real audience. My mom had started beading and was taking it very seriously. I have a vision of getting her a badass assortment and putting them in a cool, funky box. Hey, Dad. My grandmother.

God, at Christmas we lose Neeny Cat? Ninety-four, lost her mind when her husband of sixty-odd years passed. Why the fuck is he sighing so much? Should I get out of the car? Your mom died last night. Should I still? My hand is on the door, my car is parked. I say no to this. My dad says something about having to call my brothers and will I be okay?

My mom didn't become a rock star or go through heroin addiction, so not exactly the same. I've actually never seen Storm Large perform, despite the fact she is a Portland star. I have bumped into her at events and she definitely possesses that "it" factor - tall at least 6' and blonde and beautiful. This book gave me insight into her own self-esteem issues and how she resisted becoming a musician for much of her early life.

Fun read overall. Having seen Storm perform live several times, including in her one-woman show, reading Crazy Enough felt like I imagine a long conversation with her would be: Fast paced, colorful, profane, funny and sad. Interesting that both of these Portland-based artists experienced great suffering because of their mothers -- Cheryl because her mother died and Storm because her mother lived - and both coped with those realities in part with sex and drugs heroin.

In Storm's case, of course, she added rock 'n roll. Talk about shock and awe! Storm doesn't have Cheryl Strayed's literary gifts but she knows how to tell a great story and, as on stage, she doesn't hold anything back. I know, I know. This is some super indulgent reading, which I kind of needed. It's an unequivocal case of schadenfreude. It was entertaining to say the least and a reminder that as crazy as I may think my parents might be, the grass is more often trampled on the other side.

I am a total sucker for memoirs involving mental illness, drugs and general indecency. Anne Earney. Recommended by the teacher of a memoir writing class I'm taking. I'd never heard of Storm Large, but my teacher knew of her from when she lived in Portland. I wasn't that into the first couple chapters, but my interest grew as it went on.

Mostly it's the story of growing up with a mother with mental health issues, who's in and out of mental hospitals. It couldn't have been easy to write. Laura Shea-clark. In preparation for playing trumpet with Santa Cruz Symphony I wanted to find out more about our guest artist, vocalist Storm Large. She grew up with a mother who was in and out of mental institutions.

This deeply affected her and drew her into a life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. As an adult she began to take stock of her life and ended up doing a one-woman show largely about her mother. The book is a memoir of her challenging life experiences. She is remarkably articulate and resilient. Just finished the first page and I love it already.

I'm in the mood for no holds barred humor telling it like it is. I'm relating. After finishing, I'm impressed with her willingness to be an "open book" with every aspect of her life and introspection. In your face? Hugely seeking her own audience? But she takes responsibility and holds herself accountable for her own life and actions also while questing for answers from her past.

Way yes. My life is nothing like hers. But I can take a page from what she has learned about herself and being true to her process and move forward more fully into my own life looking fear face on be doing it anyway. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "do one thing every day that scares you. What a ride! I just love her perspective and attitude, and she brings it.

I was lucky enough to see her live stage show of the same name in Portland, so was interested in seeing how she fleshed out in a book what couldn't be contained in an evening with songs. There's lots more detail about her history with her mentally ill mother, but it was the stuff about her father especially, and all he went through with his kids, that was heartbreaking.

The kinds of emotions she describes about her relationship to her mother - the love-hate, the exasperation at the button-pushing, and the regrets - are all very genuine. Yeah, there are grammatical issues and some typos. But having seen the stage show and a few YouTube video interviews, her voice is captured nicely.

Storm large autobiography in five short

It read like a book on tape playing in my head. Paul Warner. I knew Storm Large was a beautiful singer, but I didn't realize she was such an incredible writer too until I purchased her memoir "Crazy Enough" at a symphony concert in Portland. She was kind enough to sign it for my wife and I and get a photo with us. I started reading it that night and found myself very impressed by her words and descriptions, and very caught up in the emotional roller coaster of her life and the struggles with her mother's mental health.

Having read and adored all of Carrie Fisher's writing, I was reminded of that style and open vulnerability to just put it all out there and honestly share the experiences. I definitely recommend this book to her fans and to anyone who likes real, raw, well-written prose that will move you. I have enormous respect for Storm Large.

I think what she has overcome and her attitude toward life is admirable. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought. It was nice to have a little more insight into her background, but her show Crazy is fantastic. She has been singing and slinging inappropriate banter at audiences worldwide ever since. But her strength, charisma, and raw musical talent gave her the will to overcome it all.

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