A RIGHT TO LIFE by Tom OKeefe

PRO-LIFE STRATEGIST

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There would be other changes as well. Between his freshman and sophomore years, he held a summer job in a Manhattan law firm. It was, he says, a terrible time. I was carrying a tremendous amount of hostility around. Not long after, one of his sisters took him to a worship service of charismatic Christians, who, among other things, believe that speaking in tongues signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit.

At this service, he says, he ''experienced the love of God. In his last weeks at the hospital, his life would begin to take yet another turn, prompted by a conversation with a nurse he knew. She was a good friend of mine and a wonderful, caring person. Intrigued by the questions the conversation had raised, he would follow a customary pattern, reading everything he could about abortion.

Gradually, he would link warfare and abortion, coming to see both as monstrous evils that are entwined and inseparable. He embraced civil disobedience after reading Martin Luther King. I knew that if he could do that for race relations, the same could be done for abortion. He makes a distinction. His conflict with the NRLC centers on this point. There are also different strategies within the activist wing, which is a reminder that the pro-life movement is largely a polyglot of autonomous groups and individuals that coalesce occasionally but often follow their own agendas.

Scheidler, 58, bearded, burly and aggressive, comes across more like Gen. Willke condemns ''peaceful activity if illegally done'' and willful violence such as the incidents of arson and bombings that have damaged and destroyed scores of abortion clinics in recent years.

Waiting to Derail: Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown, Alt-Country's Brilliant Wreck by Thomas O'Keefe

I had to break away from that—it is an addiction and it also can drive you absolutely insane. I have pulled back. It could have been the person right next to me. Boston College Number of Twitter Followers: One person who I think is influencing the future of Boston is Chris Dempsey, the director of the advocacy group Transportation for Massachusetts.

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He spearheaded No Boston Olympics, and I think we will see him in lofty political positions at some point. Every time I tweet about it and post a picture of it, people go nuts. My guilty pleasure is ice cream.

A lot of ice cream. My most embarrassing Twitter typo was a few years ago.

Five percent of the time, he could cover up whatever idiotic thing Ryan had done. But the final five percent? Twenty-plus years later, accounts of Ryan's legendary antics are still passed around in music circles. But only three people on the planet witnessed every Whiskeytown show from the release of Strangers Almanac to the band's eventual breakup: Packed with behind-the-scenes road stories, and, yes, tales of rock star debauchery, Waiting to Derail provides a firsthand glimpse into Ryan Adams at the most meaningful and mythical stage of his career.

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This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Jun 26, Barry Hammond rated it really liked it. When Ryan Adams was fronting the alt-country band Whiskeytown, they were notorious for being unpredictable, unreliable, sometimes brilliant, but many times just chaotic and drunk.

Brilliant song-writing talent was offset by childish and ridiculous behavior. Thomas O'Keefe was the tour manager hired by their record company for the tour to promote their breakthrough major label album, Strangers Almanac. This book is the story of that legendary and chaotic tour and the subsequent implosion of the b When Ryan Adams was fronting the alt-country band Whiskeytown, they were notorious for being unpredictable, unreliable, sometimes brilliant, but many times just chaotic and drunk. This book is the story of that legendary and chaotic tour and the subsequent implosion of the band told from an insider's point of view.

An important and exasperating part of alt-country history. Jul 19, Jess rated it really liked it.

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A good look at the early days of Mr. Adams told from the perspective of someone who saw it all. Told in great detail, this story of 90's nostalgia will make you laugh and cringe at the same time. A great look at how bands go from the top to the bottom. Jun 27, Corey marked it as to-read. I can tell from the cover alone that this is going to be awful, but I'm such an unabashed DRA fan I'll indulge it nonetheless eventually, right after I read the Menconi book.

Jul 12, Loaf rated it it was ok. I read this because I love Ryan Adams. Unfortunately, this book fell short of providing any real insight into Adams other than repetitively describing him as a wreck or a genius.

The book is a very linear tour diary describing Adam's antics on a daily basis. The book clearly suffers due to the lack of involvement from Adams and thus can only provide a snapshot of anecdotes from O'Keefe's time as a manager. I think the book O'Keefe wanted to write may have been more successful - a memoir of the in I read this because I love Ryan Adams. I think the book O'Keefe wanted to write may have been more successful - a memoir of the industry and time as a tour manager, contrasting different artists and tour experiences over time.

There were too many details about the author, his wife, band, etc. The book was enjoyable and a fast read, but didn't tell me much I didn't already know.

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