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Sam, Johnny, and Jesse (Shepard's son) mid 1980's |
This book of letters, which covers the forty plus year
friendship of Pulitzer Prize winning writer Sam Shepard and his best friend
Johnny Dark (best friend and father in law of sorts, Sam marries Dark’s stepdaughter).
I often describe this book as a coming of age story about two men who never
really grew up. While the letters back
and forth are sometimes light-hearted, the bulk of these are introspective and brutally
honest. Each man searching for some sort of success and happiness, whether it is
love, work, or a sense of freedom. Shepard, to put it mildly, is a complicated
man. It’s his drinking that costs him most, but when you get a glimpse of his
relationship with his father, Shepard seems to be waiting for some sort of
acknowledgement and love from his father, but it’s elusive. It’s clear that
this is what has shaped the man he is. It’s a heartbreaker.
Jesse and Sam 1979 |
The letters begin just as Shepard is ramping up a career as
a playwright, they cover his affair (and life long friendship) with Patti Smith,
and then his decision to leave his wife and child and begin a relationship with
Jessica Lange. The letters are current; in fact they not only cover Shepard’s
painful separation and later divorce from Jessica Lange, but the emotional toll
putting the book together takes on Shepard and his friendship with Dark. Take a look at the book trailer here.
One last thing; a documentary called Shepard and Dark was filmed while Sam and Johnny were putting the book together. It’s a fascinating look at these two vastly different but forever-linked men. I highly recommend it.
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