Kingdom of Zydeco, The

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Summary: Quote from Annie Proulx about THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO
Review: "Michael Tisserand has given us a good one. THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO is richly anecdotal, as moving and intimate as the music, a fine front-porch history of zydeco from the blackjack dirt farms of Louisiana to the oil refineries of coastal Texas. It is as much about human beings and Creole culture as music, about personal foibles, misadventure, white/black tensions, work and parties, trouble in the night and truly extraordinary characters. The gritty, vibrant voices of the musicians--well-known, obscure, dead, living, recorded, unrecorded--give this work extraordinary vigor and juice. This is an important book for anyone with an interest in life, American music, southern culture, dancing, accordions, the recording industry, folklore, old dance clubs in the weeds, fortune tellers, hoodoos or shotguns. Somewhere in the book a father tells his musician son, 'whatever you do, give the people a satisfaction.' Michael Tisserand does that for the reader." ! ! ANNIE PROULX

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Summary: One bursting boudin of a book!!!
Review: FAIT ATENCION!: This is one vast bursting boudin of a book! It'll put the salt back into your snap beans! Tear out its pages and stick 'em in your dancing shoes, cher! Tisserand is THE maven of zydeco! For locals fans, converts and overall BooZoo-aholics, you have a new Bible! For recent arrivals and the general reader 'zydeco' will now no longer just be a killer Scrabble word! For anyone who reads this book, I bet you a six pack of Dixie that you'll soon be booking your flight to SW Louiaiana! You can't go wrong if you play it right, and Tisserand has done it big-time right! Merci beacoup, Mr. T!! Laissez les bons temps roulez!

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Summary: The definative book on Zydeco; written with great passion.
Review: I stole a copy of The Kingdom of Zydeco while interviewing for a job at Arcade.

I love this book more than my own mother.

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Summary: A big boudin of a book; crackling with insight and info!
Review: Stu Klipper ([e-mail]) from Minneapolis, Minn., 07/11/98

One vast bursting boudin of a book!!!

FAIT ATENCION!: This is one vast bursting boudin of a book! It'll put the salt back into your snap beans! Tear out its pages and stick 'em in your dancing shoes, cher! Tisserand is THE maven of zydeco! NB: La. locals, fans, converts and overall BooZoo-aholics, you have a new Bible! For recent arrivals and the general reader 'zydeco' will now no longer just be a killer Scrabble word! For anyone who reads this book, I bet you a six pack of Dixie that you'll soon be booking your flight to SW Louisiana! You can't go wrong if you play it right, and Tisserand has done it big-time right! Merci beacoup, Mr. T!! Laissez les bons temps roulez! Stu Klipper (read in manuscript)

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Summary: Tisserand is A Great Tour Guide!
Review: THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO is a superb look at zydeco music - its history, its socio-cultural impact, its traditions, its heroes, its geographical importance... There's no other book quite like it. Reading it takes you on an intense journey through the "kingdom" and brings readers up close and personal with the topic in a way few music genre overview books do. Its lovingly crafted and written, establishing mood and atmosphere instantly. These are real people playing for the love of the music and their observations are funny, sad, deep and emotional. In short, this is a "kingdom" where real life often clashes with art, where the "ethnicity" of the genre clashes with the music biz's "eat-'em-up-&-spit-'em-out" attitude. Exceptional writing and a genuinely interesting topic.