Dean Goodman's Blog, page 5
January 31, 2019
Literary agent Jennifer De Chiara to author: Drop dead
I’m not responding to anymore emails from you, so don’t bother responding. — Jennifer De Chiara, literary agent, New York.
I’m not disappointed that my literary agent, Jennifer De Chiara, fired off an unprofessional email to me. I am disappointed that she didn’t do it with more literary flair. This is a brassy New Yorker who works in the publishing industry. Am I not deserving of some artful bons mots? All I got was a typo and some awkward syntax.
The timing was awkward, too. The email was sent on Jan. 8, 2019. As I write this, my publisher is working hard to release a wonderful memoir I co-authored with Artimus Pyle, the former drummer with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Things are in in flux, and Jennifer De Chiara has gone AWOL on us. Notwithstanding her edict, I did send some follow-up emails reminding her that she is contractually obligated to make her “best efforts” to represent the book “enthusiastically.” No response.
THE DISAPPEARING AGENT
Jennifer De Chiara has been our agent for almost seven years, and she toiled patiently to get us a modest deal at Backbeat Books, a small music specialist that I preferred over the larger, general-interest houses. The manuscript was finished on time in early 2017 and a release date was set for October 2017, the fortieth anniversary of the plane crash that killed Artimus’ friends. But Jennifer disappeared on us mid-year when the book was put on hold pending the resolution of some unrelated litigation involving Artimus and a Skynyrd biopic he was working on. (It was resolved in his favor, on appeal, in October 2018.)
From June 2017 onwards—18 months—there was not a peep from Jennifer, not a single call or email to check up on the lawsuit, the book, or her clients’ well-being. In that time, Artimus and I were in frequent contact with the publisher as we devised various legal and release strategies—tasks normally handled by an agent. I assumed Jennifer De Chiara had lost interest, and moved on. Just to be sure, I emailed her on Christmas Eve, 2018:
Dear Jennifer, It has been a while since we last spoke. I wonder, please, if you could clarify your involvement with Artimus Pyle’s memoir going forward. I infer from your silence since June 2017 that you have moved on. I would prefer to have you on board, but if you feel otherwise I respect that – and I guess we would need to make that official. Kind regards, Dean Goodman
Jennifer De Chiara quickly replied:
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t been in touch because there’s no news with the book, but neither you or Artimus have reached out to me either. I’m legally the agent on the book, and that won’t change, so of course I’m involved. I checked in with the publisher recently, and there’s no update regarding the lawsuit; the status of the book has not changed. If there’s something you feel I should be doing, let me know.
CONFUSION AND BLAME
Well, I’m glad Jennifer’s still on board and willing to serve, but I was surprised by her claim that there was “no news” because there was a lot of news. We even had a new release date. And why did she say there was “no update regarding the lawsuit” when the only lawsuit—Artimus’ movie litigation—had been resolved? As for her claim that neither Artimus nor I had reached out to her, Jennifer De Chiara did not like speaking with Artimus, and she made it clear in June 2017 that she had no desire to speak with me either. As you’ll see below, she likes to shift the blame.
DEAN: Dear Jennifer, There has actually been a lot of news with the book and Artimus, and I’m not aware of any lawsuit against the book. But since you asked if there’s something you can do, I would ask that you get back to [the publisher, to sort out some matters]. Dean Goodman.
JENNIFER: You’re not aware of any lawsuit against the book? Did they drop the lawsuit?
DEAN: There was a lawsuit against the film—which Artimus won.
D’oh! Our agent should have known all this. It was all over the news. But nobody’s perfect. She didn’t reply, didn’t even offer a congratulatory or festive emoji. A few weeks went by. On Jan. 8, I emailed Jennifer:
DEAN: Jennifer, any updates from Backbeat?
JENNIFER: Nothing new.
At this point, I knew something that Jennifer De Chiara evidently didn’t know, that Backbeat had been sold!! An announcement was made via the Publishers Weekly trade paper in mid-December, and I belatedly learned of it hours before the above email to Jennifer. I was getting annoyed.
DEAN: So you’re not aware that Backbeat changed ownership . . . and the book’s status is now uncertain? Surely you would have known these things and informed us, if you had, indeed, “checked in with the publisher recently”? If you could represent our interests “enthusiastically,” per our deal – and honestly – that would be appreciated. We’ve all worked too hard to see this fall apart now. Dean Goodman.
JENNIFER: Yes, I did check in with the publisher recently. I don’t appreciate your attitude. I don’t deserve it . . . Just read your email again–now you’re calling me dishonest? Go to hell.
DEAN: Why didn’t you tell us Backbeat had been sold? Why did you not know that there was NO lawsuit against the book? That [the publisher] had planned to release the book as a drop-in title in early summer?
The emails were flying back and forth, overlapping. I present them in a logical flow.
JENNIFER: Why didn’t you email me about all this?
Again, she’s blaming me, for something she should have known. Great. She also blamed her ignorance on a Backbeat senior editor, with whom she claimed to have spoken in early December, just before the sale was announced. I quickly googled that person and it seemed she had left Backbeat in November, another thing Jennifer was unaware of and said I should have told her about. (It’s possible that Jennifer did, indeed, speak with the Backbeat folks, but these must have been some strange conversations.)
DEAN: I found out about the Backbeat sale today [Jan. 8], from [the publisher]. I kinda thought you should know these industry things and book updates.
JENNIFER … I’ve been away since the 14th [of December]–I don’t check Publishers Weekly when I’m on vacation! Take your attitude and shove it. I’m not responding to anymore emails from you, so don’t bother responding.
DEAN: Unprofessional. You are our agent. You work for our book. There will be repercussions if you fail to uphold your fiduciary responsibilities … The last time I wanted to speak to you, 18 months ago, you refused to call me. I had hoped to give “us” another chance.
Crickets. Like I said, I have emailed Jennifer De Chiara a few times since then. I even suggested that she hand us over to one of her colleagues if she preferred not to work with us directly. More crickets. I am trying to terminate the relationship, which is not as easy as it should be. Writing the book with Artimus was the highlight of my professional life. There was never a bad day. We are so proud of the book, and can’t wait to share it with fans and critics. It’s a shame when an industry “professional” lets us down.
The post Literary agent Jennifer De Chiara to author: Drop dead appeared first on Dean Goodman.
January 8, 2019
Artimus Pyle’s Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 21st Century
It is December 2020. If you are new here, the gist is that Artimus’ groundbreaking memoir was put on hold because elements associated (some very tangentially) with the Lynyrd Skynyrd organization decided it was still “too soon” to write about the rise and fall of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band. But Artimus is a Marine; he laughs at obstacles. We are working on publication options, and have devised some cunning plans, as Blackadder would say. For the record, here is the previous post with annotations:
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the “Wild Man of Southern Rock,” is publishing his memoir in early-summer, 2019, through Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard. Street Survivor: Keeping the Beat in Lynyrd Skynyrd will be available in all good book stores, and at Amazon. The book was originally scheduled for publication in October 2017, but it has been delayed pending resolution of unrelated litigation pitting Artimus and Cleopatra Films against Judy Van Zant. [NOTE: Artimus won the lawsuit, but it had limited legal relevance to the book, and so the publisher exited, and the agent went M.I.A.]
This will be the first—and possibly last—Skynyrd autobiography, and therefore your only opportunity to read the truth about the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I was honored to help Artimus put it all together, trailing him across the South with my pencil and writing pad for several years. But every word, every semicolon in the book is his. It’s a breathless, 100,000-word-plus ride through almost seventy years of joy, mayhem and tragedy. You could say that Artimus is also the Hunter S. Thompson of Southern Rock.
Some previously unpublished photos are included in the book, courtesy of Nuthin’ Fancy engineer Dave Evans and the band’s British minder Sally Arnold. I have a lot more unpublished Skynyrd and family photos that I wanted to include, but there was no room. Here’s one. It’s of Artimus’ extremely handsome maternal grandfather, Guy Williams, as a young man:
Guy Williams • Fentress County, TN • 1906-1994 • Maternal grandfather of Artimus Pyle
The book’s image is a reproduction of a photo that can be found inside the Street Survivors album.
I love the original photo, taken by Dave Alexander, who also shot the cover for the Eagles’ Hotel California. But my protests about the distressed font on the cover fell on deaf ears as did my recommendation that the star be replaced with Artimus’ marine sergeant stripes. The publisher did, at least, include a pair of horizontal drum sticks, which is pretty cool.
By the way, Artimus and I are still having fun working on his family tree. We are currently at 600+ names going back to the Kogers of southern Germany in the 16th Century. Artimus’ southern American roots begin in about 1800 with Coonrod Pile (depicted below in a tiny portion of the tree; click on it for a bigger version).
Artimus’ southern roots
Yes, the Crocketts are connected to Davy Crockett, and Nancy Brooks was the grandmother of Sgt. Alvin York, one of America’s greatest WW1 heroes. Artimus is intensely proud to be a cousin of Alvin’s, and a son of the south.
The post Artimus Pyle’s Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 21st Century appeared first on Dean Goodman.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 21st century
NOTE (Nov. 2020): I’m updating this post for my retooled web site. No news on Artimus’ killer memoir, which has been essentially blocked by people who think it’s still “too soon” to write a book about the rise and fall of America’s greatest rock band. But we’re working on a cunning plan, to quote Blackadder.
NOTE (Feb. 2020): Astute readers will not that this post has been updated several times over the years. My optimism was misplaced, but the project is not dead—quite the contrary. Artimus laughs at obstacles. For posterity, I have left intact the following post, but added some strikethrough and notes.
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the “Wild Man of Southern Rock,” is publishing his memoir in early-summer, 2019, through Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard. Street Survivor: Keeping the Beat in Lynyrd Skynyrd will be available in all good book stores, and at Amazon. The book was originally scheduled for publication in October 2017, but it has been delayed pending resolution of unrelated litigation pitting Artimus and Cleopatra Films against Judy Van Zant. [NOTE (Feb. 2020): Artimus won the lawsuit, but it had limited legal relevance to the book, and so the publisher exited and the agent went M.I.A.]
[image error]
This will be the first—and possibly last—Skynyrd autobiography, and therefore your only opportunity to read the truth about the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I was honored to help Artimus put it all together, trailing him across the South with my pencil and writing pad for several years. But every word, every semicolon in the book is his. It’s a breathless, 100,000-word-plus ride through almost seventy years of joy, mayhem and tragedy. You could say that Artimus is also the Hunter S. Thompson of Southern Rock.
Some previously unpublished photos are included in the book, courtesy of Nuthin’ Fancy engineer Dave Evans and the band’s British minder Sally Arnold. I have a lot more unpublished Skynyrd and family photos that I wanted to include, but there was no room. Here’s one. It’s of Artimus’ extremely handsome maternal grandfather, Guy Williams, as a young man:
[image error]Guy Williams • Fentress County, TN • 1906-1994 • Maternal grandfather of Artimus Pyle
The book’s image is a reproduction of a photo that can be found inside the Street Survivors album.
[image error]
I love the original photo, taken by Dave Alexander, who also shot the cover for the Eagles’ Hotel California. But my protests about the distressed font on the cover fell on deaf ears as did my recommendation that the star below the title be replaced with Artimus’ marine sergeant stripes. The publisher did, at least, include a pair of horizontal drum sticks on either side of the star, which is pretty cool. (Publishers have complete control of this process, so I was lucky to get what I got.)
By the way, Artimus and I are still having fun working on his family tree. We are currently at 600+ names going back to the Kogers of southern Germany in the 16th Century. Artimus’ southern American roots begin in about 1800 with Coonrod Pile (depicted below in a tiny portion of the tree; click on it for a bigger version).
[image error]Artimus’ southern roots
Yes, the Crocketts are connected to Davy Crockett, and Nancy Brooks was the grandmother of Sgt. Alvin York, one of America’s greatest WW1 heroes. Artimus is intensely proud to be a cousin of Alvin’s, and a son of the south.
The post Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 21st century appeared first on Dean Goodman.
November 8, 2017
UPDATE: Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 2019 (No, Seriously!)
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the “Wild Man of Southern Rock,” is publishing his memoir in early-summer, 2019, through Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard. Street Survivor: Keeping the Beat in Lynyrd Skynyrd will be available in all good book stores, and at Amazon. The book was originally scheduled for publication in October 2017, but it has been delayed pending resolution of unrelated litigation pitting Artimus and Cleopatra Films against Judy Van Zant.
This will be the first—and possibly last—Skynyrd autobiography, and therefore your only opportunity to read the truth about the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I was honored to help Artimus put it all together, trailing him across the South with my pencil and writing pad for several years. But every word, every semicolon in the book is his. It’s a breathless, 100,000-word-plus ride through almost seventy years of joy, mayhem and tragedy. You could say that Artimus is also the Hunter S. Thompson of Southern Rock.
Some previously unpublished photos are included in the book, courtesy of Nuthin’ Fancy engineer Dave Evans and the band’s British minder Sally Arnold. I have a lot more unpublished Skynyrd and family photos that I wanted to include, but there was no room. Here’s one. It’s of Artimus’ extremely handsome maternal grandfather, Guy Williams, as a young man:
Guy Williams • Fentress County, TN • 1906-1994 • Maternal grandfather of Artimus Pyle
The book’s image is a reproduction of a photo that can be found inside the Street Survivors album.
I love the original photo, taken by Dave Alexander, who also shot the cover for the Eagles’ Hotel California. But my protests about the distressed font on the cover fell on deaf ears as did my recommendation that the star be replaced with Artimus’ marine sergeant stripes. The publisher did, at least, include a pair of horizontal drum sticks, which is pretty cool.
By the way, Artimus and I are still having fun working on his family tree. We are currently at 600+ names going back to the Kogers of southern Germany in the 16th Century. Artimus’ southern American roots begin in about 1800 with Coonrod Pile (depicted below in a tiny portion of the tree; click on it for a bigger version).
Artimus’ southern roots
Yes, the Crocketts are connected to Davy Crockett, and Nancy Brooks was the grandmother of Sgt. Alvin York, one of America’s greatest WW1 heroes. Artimus is intensely proud to be a cousin of Alvin’s, and a son of the south.
The post UPDATE: Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 2019 (No, Seriously!) appeared first on Dean Goodman.
UPDATE: Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 2018
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the “Wild Man of Southern Rock,” is publishing his memoir in 2018 through Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard. Street Survivor: Keeping the Beat in Lynyrd Skynyrd will be available in all good book stores, and at Amazon. The book was originally scheduled for publication in October 2017, but it has been delayed pending resolution of unrelated litigation pitting Artimus and Cleopatra Films against Judy Van Zant.
This will be the first—and possibly last—Skynyrd autobiography, and therefore your only opportunity to read the truth about the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I was honored to help Artimus put it all together, trailing him across the South with my pencil and writing pad for several years. But every word, every semicolon in the book is his. It’s a breathless, 100,000-word-plus ride through almost seventy years of joy, mayhem and tragedy. You could say that Artimus is also the Hunter S. Thompson of Southern Rock.
Some previously unpublished photos are included in the book, courtesy of Nuthin’ Fancy engineer Dave Evans and the band’s British minder Sally Arnold. I have a lot more unpublished Skynyrd and family photos that I wanted to include, but there was no room. Here’s one. It’s of Artimus’ extremely handsome maternal grandfather, Guy Williams, as a young man:
Guy Williams • Fentress County, TN • 1906-1994 • Maternal grandfather of Artimus Pyle
The book’s image is a reproduction of a photo that can be found inside the Street Survivors album.
I love the original photo, taken by Dave Alexander, who also shot the cover for the Eagles’ Hotel California. But my protests about the distressed font on the cover fell on deaf ears as did my recommendation that the star be replaced with Artimus’ marine sergeant stripes. The publisher did, at least, include a pair of horizontal drum sticks, which is pretty cool.
By the way, Artimus and I are still having fun working on his family tree. We are currently at 600+ names going back to the Kogers of southern Germany in the 16th Century. Artimus’ southern American roots begin in about 1800 with Coonrod Pile (depicted below in a tiny portion of the tree; click on it for a bigger version).
Artimus’ southern roots
Yes, the Crocketts are connected to Davy Crockett, and Nancy Brooks was the grandmother of Sgt. Alvin York, one of America’s greatest WW1 heroes. Artimus is intensely proud to be a cousin of Alvin’s, and a son of the south.
The post UPDATE: Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in 2018 appeared first on Dean Goodman.
July 4, 2017
Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in October
Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the “Wild Man of Southern Rock,” is publishing his memoir in October 2017 through Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard. Street Survivor: Keeping the Beat in Lynyrd Skynyrd will be available in all good book stores, and at Amazon.
This will be the first—and last—Skynyrd autobiography, and therefore your only opportunity to read the truth about the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I was honored to help Artimus put it all together, trailing him across the South with my pencil and writing pad for several years. But every word, every semicolon in the book is his. It’s a breathless, 100,000-word-plus ride through almost seventy years of joy, mayhem and tragedy. You could say that Artimus is also the Hunter S. Thompson of Southern Rock. Some cool, previously unpublished photos are included, courtesy of Nuthin’ Fancy engineer Dave Evans and the band’s British minder Sally Arnold.
The book’s image is a reproduction of a photo that can be found inside the Street Survivors album.
I love the photo, but my protests about the distressed font fell on deaf ears as did my recommendation that the star be replaced with Artimus’ marine sergeant stripes. They did, at least, include a pair of horizontal drum sticks, which is pretty cool. The photo was taken by Dave Alexander, who also shot the cover for the Eagles’ Hotel California.
By the way, Artimus and I had fun working on his family tree. Eventually we ended up with 549 names going back to the Kogers of southern Germany in the 16th Century. Artimus’ southern American roots begin in about 1800 with Coonrod Pile (depicted below in a tiny portion of the tree). Yes, the Crocketts are connected to Dave Crockett, and Nancy Brooks was the grandmother of Sgt. Alvin York, one of America’s greatest heroes in the Great War. Artimus is intensely proud to be a cousin of Alvin’s.
Artimus’ Southern roots
The post Lynyrd Skynyrd Memoir – Coming in October appeared first on Dean Goodman.
January 14, 2017
Someone tell Cameron Crowe that Florida has no hills …
… and that Lynyrd Skynyrd had a drummer [two of them].
While it was refreshing to see Lynyrd Skynyrd get its own episode of the recent Showtime series Roadies, the show’s creator Cameron Crowe made a couple of boo-boos. Cameron should know better. He toured with Skynyrd in Japan in 1977 and hooked up with the band’s accountant. [Let’s just say that Nancy Wilson was a definite improvement.]
Skynyrd’s Hell House? Hell, no! What the hell is that mountain range doing in a Florida swamp?
Check out two screenshots. The band’s practice shack, the Hell House, is depicted above with a mountain range in the background. In fact, the Hell House was located near an alligator-infested swamp in Green Cove Springs, Florida, the flattest state in the USA. In Cameron’s world, Skynyrd was evidently a West Coast act.
Step right up! Buy a lot on the site of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s old practice shack, the Hell House. Alligators and creepy-crawlies not depicted.
Incidentally, the site of the long-gone Hell House is currently being turned into a residential development. It includes a Free Bird Way and a Tuesday’s Cove.
Where’s Artimus? Front row (l-r): Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington (mostly obscured), Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, the Honkettes.
Top (l-r): Steve Gaines, fictional character, Dean Kilpatrick
More importantly, Cameron chose not to hire an actor to play the band’s drummer. Skynyrd had two drummers, band co-founder Bob Burns and his successor Artimus Pyle. Both were just as important as Ronnie Van Zant & Co. Cameron does have actors playing the other bandmates – with varying success – and even depicts tour manager Ron Eckerman, longtime roadie Dean Kilpatrick, and the three backing singers. But no drummer. Very strange. And quite offensive to Artimus and Bob. Furthermore, a fictional roadie relates how he wishes he could have rescued the guys after their plane crashed on October 20, 1977. Well, somebody did. That was Artimus Pyle. His omission from Roadies is a great injustice to the man, and to the historical record. Stay tuned for more info on Artimus’ plans to reveal the true story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band.
The post Someone tell Cameron Crowe that Florida has no hills … appeared first on Dean Goodman.
December 29, 2016
New Lynyrd Skynyrd Book
After three years of groundwork and a year of interviews + writing, I submitted the manuscript to my publisher in the first week of January. Can’t wait for it to come out, probably in the fall of 2017.
The post New Lynyrd Skynyrd Book appeared first on Dean Goodman.
Skynyrd News
After three years of groundwork and a year of interviews + writing, I am about to submit the manuscript to my publisher. Can’t wait for it to come out, probably in the fall of 2017.
The post Skynyrd News appeared first on Dean Goodman.
June 19, 2016
Free Rolling Stones tickets …
… for the boys’ first visit to the Emerald City, on Dec. 2, 1965. But you had to be a parent accompanying your screaming teen, and you were placed in a special section where you were forced to hear Mick, Keith & Co. play new songs like “That’s How Strong My Love Is” and “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Oh, the agony.
###
There’s one in every crowd:
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“It was a nice concert”:
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NOTE: Completely related to the above post, my gossipy rock bio Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ‘n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles is available here
. For more info, go to strangedaysbook.com
Copyright © 2016 by Dean Goodman.
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