Rating: 
Summary: Earle Hits A High Note
Review: Steve Earle, in his collection of short stories entitled "Doghouse Roses," hits a high note when he writes about topics he knows - drug addiction, faltering relationships, the music industry, and capital punishment."Doghouse" tells the story of a Memphis country music artist named Bobby whose life becomes one crack cocaine hit after another when he is uprooted and transplanted to L.A. Suprisingly, it is not Bobby who bottoms out in L.A. but his co-dependent wife Kim who realizes she just can't take anymore of Bobby's antics and his apologies in the form of single roses purchased at the checkouts of convenience stores. Kim makes the break from L.A. which, according to Earle, most people can't do. She loads up the BMW with a few provisions and, with Bobby in tow, heads east to deposit him with his family in Texas. It is during this journey, and particularly their overnight stop in Joshua Tree National Park in California, which accounts for much of the story. Earle's descriptions of the calm, peaceful world of the inhabitants of the park (including deadly scorpions and tarantulas) are juxtaposed against the helter skelter lifestyle of the denizens of L.A. Arriving in Houston, Kim abandons Bobby with his family. After wearing out his welcome there, Bobby moves back to Memphis to continue his downward spiral. In most cases, we would expect this to be the end of the story. However, Earle doesn't take the easy way out; he has other plans for Bobby. As contrived as the ending seems at first blush, it is something that Earle himself has experienced, and this makes it all the more believable. "Billy the Kid" is Earle's scathing commentary of the music industry and the palyers who inhabit it. This story is about the purity of Billy, the proverbial "new kid in town," who has what it takes to be a superstar. Earle intimates that this is not necessarily a good thing and the reader almost dreads what will happen to Billy once he makes the big time. Circumstance interevenes, however, and Billy does not achieve superstardom. In most cases, this would be the end of the story. However, Earle still has a few more jabs he wants to take at the entertainment industry; the sharks start circling even faster and in greater numbers than before as they feel there is still a buck or two to be made off of Billy. Members of Billy's support system intervene and take steps to ensure that there is no exploitation and that innocence is not lost. This is not Earle's strongest piece in the collection; the plot, for the most part, is quite predictable. However, he does know the music industry and it is his descriptions of what goes on in that world that makes "Billy" an enjoyable piece of work. It is said that you should save the best for last and that is what Earle has done with "The Witness," the second las selection in the book. It is the story of a lawyer whose wife was murdered and his subsequent witnessing of the convicted man's execution. Earle feels passionately about this topic and his passion comes through in his writing. He walks the reader through the event with relative ease - he makes us feel as though we are there witnessing the execution right along with him - something that most of us normally wouldn't want. But, because of his brutal honesty in describing the events, the reader is compelled to read on to the end. And what an end it is! Earle blindsides us with the unexpected and it is more than enough to encourage the most hardline supporter of the death penalty reconsider his/her position on this issue. All in all, "Doghouse Roses" is an example of a very good "first piece." In the future, I hope we can see Earle write more about topics he is familiar with - time spent in prison, the tolls of relentless touring, the highs of finding a new love and the heartache of divorce.
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