Liner notes ─ on parents & children, exes & excess, death & decay, & a few of my other favorite things

A memoir by the influential Grammy Award-winning singer and actor -- son of journalist Loudon Wainwright, husband of Kate McGarrigle and Suzy Roche, and father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and Lucy Wainwright Roche -- a captivating meditation on relationships and creativity from the person at the center of one of America's great musical families.

With a career spanning over four decades, Loudon Wainwright III has established himself as one of the most enduring singer-songwriters who emerged from the sixties still performing today. Not only does he perform regularly across the country, but he remains a sought after character actor, having appeared in such movies as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Sleepwalk with Me; and TV series ranging from M*A*S*H to Person of Interest to Parks and Recreation.

There is probably no songwriter who so blatantly puts himself in his songs: himself, his father, his mother, his children, his ex-wives. His lyrics are personal and, while often laugh out loud funny, can cut to the bone in dagger-like fashion. In this long-awaited memoir, Wainwright reveals all: the family history his lyrics have references; the fractured relationships in the Wainwright family throughout generations: the alcoholism, the affairs, the competitiveness; the rancor -- as well as the joy, the closeness, the successes, the fun. Loudon traces his career back to the early days of folk and rock and roll, his first studio album in 1969, and reflects on the relationships that have influenced his songwriting, notably with his late ex-wife, the renowned folk singer Kate McGarrigle; with his father, who was a well-known writer and journalist in the '50s and '60s for Life magazine; and with his three children, all of whom went into the family business.

The book is very much about being a son -- a relationship that dominates so many of his songs. But it is also about being a parent, and now a grandfather. Loudon's song lyrics run throughout the book, amplifying his prose and showing his fans the connections between those lyrics and real life. Wainwright also includes excerpts and selections from his father's brilliant essays -- and really re-establishes his father as a major essayist of his era. A poignant meditation on family and creativity, Wainwright's memoir will thrill fans, readers, and anyone who appreciates the intersection of music and life.

Loudon Wainwright III is a singer-songwriter and actor. In 1968 he began to write songs, and in 1969 recorded his first album. Wainwright has recorded twenty-seven albums, including his 2010 Grammy Award–winning High, Wide, & Handsome. His songs have been covered by Johnny Cash, Mose Allison, Rufus Wainwright, Bonnie Raitt, and Earl Scruggs, among others. As an actor he has appeared on TV (M*A*S*H, Ally McBeal, Undeclared), in movies (Big Fish, The Aviator, Knocked Up), on Broadway (Pump Boys and Dinettes) and Off (Hot Lunch Apostles, Surviving Twin). “Mr. Wainwright wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation.” —The New York Times, Stephen Holden