Where singer-songwriter Ryan Adams' critically acclaimed first book Infinity Blues was characterised by the bitterness of heartbreak, this is a graceful, sensual assertion of the other side of the emotional coin. This is a fever dream - inside his heart and mind - replete with unforgettable verse that will shock and delight readers. Hello Sunshine will establish without a doubt that he is as eloquent and evocative with a typewriter as he is with his guitar and microphone.
Hello Sunshine
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Alan Howell
Format:Paperback
Ryan Adams is probably my favourite artist. He is a superb songwriter who is able to absorb influences from all genres and produce something unique but with a flavour of all those influences that he has absorbed. I bought this and his other book and because I thought they would have the same poetic beauty that his songs possess. How wrong I was. I found both books totally unreadable. They appeared to me as if he had cut a load of words out of a newspaper, thrown them in the air and then assembled them in to a line and printed it in a book. I just found it impossible to persevere with. I have tried dipping in and out throughout the books but they just do nothing for me. Sorry Ryan. Stick to what you do best and that's writing and performing beautiful music.
By cornutus
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Many people will come to Ryan Adams' poetry as a result of his music and may well have a preconceived idea of the man and his art. However, this collection of poetry is quite a surprise. I enjoy his music very much but there is little in common bewteen the two. Yes they are both concerned with the individual experience of life and this often involves relationships. But Adams' poetry reveals an understanding of the written work that goes beyond that of your typical recording artist who fancies himself a scribbler. Adams has a genuine talent for sculpting images and feelings in words and phrases. His humanity shines through and one is left feeling the sense of his inner life as something profound and beautiful. Stunning!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By C.G. Roseen
Format:Paperback
I must admit, when I bought both IB and HS, I was not very well educated in poetry; and inevitably, that threw me off both collections almost immediately.
Developing patience and a knowledge for literature, I returned to these poems. I'll put that down to watching a discussion between the poet himself and actress Mary Louise Parker at the NY Public Library (check it out, if you haven't, think it's available to download on the NYPL website).
I should say, if you are new to the man's art, try Infinity Blues first. This will help you familiarise with his writing style, and his (often absurd) imagery. If you have the patience to work your way through the first book, picking up Hello Sunshine should not present itself as a challenge, and in fact, you might be surprised by the much more mature writing.
Having said that, the poems in Hello Sunshine are still some of the most off-the-cuff free verse poems you may ever read, but taking them slowly and reading them over and over may do wonders.
In the NYPL discussion on poetry, the two quoted poet Mark Strand to have said something along the lines of, "You don't have to necessarily 'get' a poem straight away... you should let it wash over you." And never could a quote be more true of a collection of poetry.
The first poem that I heard/read from this collection was 'White Diamond'. At first, I dismissed it as simply a series of words slung together in a rhythmic pattern. Then I re-read it, listened to him read it at the NYPL discussion, and eventually, I got it. The lines "staring blankly into screens", "unaware of how pretty it is to be out walking in all these amazing places" and "we always loved each other this much, before the screens went on" all seem' to point towards it being about technology taking over, and our emotions being numbed by this 'unhappy voice' that seems to surround us now.
And what a message that was...
So on initial reading, this may seem 'half-hearted', and perhaps some of it is; but if you familiarise yourself with free verse poetry (perhaps read some E.E. Cummings), then eventually, the imagery might decode itself.
Re-read, re-read, re-assess. And perhaps the reward might be worth it.
Developing patience and a knowledge for literature, I returned to these poems. I'll put that down to watching a discussion between the poet himself and actress Mary Louise Parker at the NY Public Library (check it out, if you haven't, think it's available to download on the NYPL website).
I should say, if you are new to the man's art, try Infinity Blues first. This will help you familiarise with his writing style, and his (often absurd) imagery. If you have the patience to work your way through the first book, picking up Hello Sunshine should not present itself as a challenge, and in fact, you might be surprised by the much more mature writing.
Having said that, the poems in Hello Sunshine are still some of the most off-the-cuff free verse poems you may ever read, but taking them slowly and reading them over and over may do wonders.
In the NYPL discussion on poetry, the two quoted poet Mark Strand to have said something along the lines of, "You don't have to necessarily 'get' a poem straight away... you should let it wash over you." And never could a quote be more true of a collection of poetry.
The first poem that I heard/read from this collection was 'White Diamond'. At first, I dismissed it as simply a series of words slung together in a rhythmic pattern. Then I re-read it, listened to him read it at the NYPL discussion, and eventually, I got it. The lines "staring blankly into screens", "unaware of how pretty it is to be out walking in all these amazing places" and "we always loved each other this much, before the screens went on" all seem' to point towards it being about technology taking over, and our emotions being numbed by this 'unhappy voice' that seems to surround us now.
And what a message that was...
So on initial reading, this may seem 'half-hearted', and perhaps some of it is; but if you familiarise yourself with free verse poetry (perhaps read some E.E. Cummings), then eventually, the imagery might decode itself.
Re-read, re-read, re-assess. And perhaps the reward might be worth it.
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