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lextypething's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Sony Music Publishing for this Advanced Review Copy
Me and Paul: Untold Tales of a Fabled Friendship by Willie Nelson with David Ritz is a wonderful portrait of a brotherhood spanning many decades. Willie is, of course, a natural storyteller, and I think this was a beautiful way to commemorate his friendship with the late Paul English.
This is not a biography and barely even a memoir, so if that’s what you were expecting this may not be the book for you. Me and Paul is a collection of short stories in a loose, chronological order depicting how Willie & Paul’s bond was so important to Willie Nelson + the Family’s success.
While I am a fan of country music, I am probably a casual-ish fan of Willie and maybe more of a fan of him than I am of his music. However, I would recommend this song to any music fan — whether you like country or not. I think it gives a really fun anecdotal snapshot of outlaw country culture that anyone vaguely familiar with the Willie and the state of Texas will appreciate and enjoy. Plus, who doesn’t love a story of friendship that has you crying at the end?
4 stars for Me and Paul!
Me and Paul: Untold Tales of a Fabled Friendship by Willie Nelson with David Ritz is a wonderful portrait of a brotherhood spanning many decades. Willie is, of course, a natural storyteller, and I think this was a beautiful way to commemorate his friendship with the late Paul English.
This is not a biography and barely even a memoir, so if that’s what you were expecting this may not be the book for you. Me and Paul is a collection of short stories in a loose, chronological order depicting how Willie & Paul’s bond was so important to Willie Nelson + the Family’s success.
While I am a fan of country music, I am probably a casual-ish fan of Willie and maybe more of a fan of him than I am of his music. However, I would recommend this song to any music fan — whether you like country or not. I think it gives a really fun anecdotal snapshot of outlaw country culture that anyone vaguely familiar with the Willie and the state of Texas will appreciate and enjoy. Plus, who doesn’t love a story of friendship that has you crying at the end?
4 stars for Me and Paul!
tarmstrong112's review
4.0
Really entertaining and interesting collection of some wild stories about Willie Nelson and his friend/drummer Paul English. I enjoyed this book more than most of the other books Nelson has written. The stories were great and it was interesting to hear some of the wild and crazy times these two had over the years.
jrlimpf's review
5.0
As a life long fan of hardcore/outlaw country, I’ve listened to and read about countless stories of these larger than life men and the often alcohol or drug induced antics that lead them astray through the 1960s and 1970s. Me and Paul officiates many of them while focusing on the life long friendship between Willie and his drummer Paul English. It is a phenomenal read that recounts how Paul drove Willie to raw perfection and never let him give in to the ways of Nashville while consistently reminding him of his roots in Texas and the Western swing music that is still reflected in Willie’s music today. Being a lifelong biography of their friendship, Me and Paul discusses as many dark themes as it does happy ones. It is much like Willie’s previous book, Me and Sister Bobby; its general theme relies not on Willie’s success, but how without the Family, Willie wouldn’t have made it through it all.
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