FIRST OF ALL I’D LIKE TO THANK MY FAMILY FOR ALL THEIR PATIENCE and support: my mother, Virginia; my brother John and his family Jennifer, James, and Ginny; the kids, Willie and Bella and Harry; the boys’ mom Pietra and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins; my brother Jimmy; my dad and my grandparents, God rest their souls. To my love Connie and her family; Big and Little Walter, Aggie, Maya, Chris, Beatrice and Kragen, Carrie, Peter, and Chloe. Without my family I wouldn’t even be able to face breakfast.
Also special thanks to Kinky and all his pals who sat around and listened to me ramble: Daniel Taub, Ted Mann, John Mankiewicz, Twink Caplan, Larry “Ratso” Sloman, Louie Kemp, Mike Simmons, and Danny Hutton.
From William Morrow Books: Liate Stehlik, Lynn Grady, Shelby Meizlik, Tavia Kowalchuk, Shawn Nicholls, Joyce Wong, Mary Schuck, and Susan Amster.
From Vigliano and Associates: David Vigliano, Olga Vezeris, Matthew Carlini, and Anthony Mattero.
To Sage Ferrero for all her hard work and to Dylan for loaning her out. To Amélie Frank and all the Planeteers. You keep me stumbling along.
To my coworkers over the years in the movie world: Kristin Scott Irving, Bruce Heller, Oren Segal, Felicia Molinari, Lynne Eagan, Joani Yarbrough, Mr. P, Keith Sayer, Arnold Robinson, Paul Bloch, Geyer Kosinski, Jerry Myman, Bob Myman, Barry Markowitz, Doug Hall, Jim Hensz, Chis Halle, Susan Strubel, Annie Miller, Wendy Chuck, Karen Patch, Julie Weiss, Dwayne Grady, Clark Hunter, Paul Ledford, Harve Cook, Kenny Roth, Steve Search, Bob Salerno, Larry Meistrich, Dave Bushell, Brandon Rosser, Buddy Van Horn, and many others.
In the music world: My pal and cofounder of the Boxmasters J. D. Andrew, original member Mike Butler and current Boxmaster and longtime music partner Brad Davis, and their families.
All the road members of the solo tours and Boxmaster tours over the years: Mike Bruce, Teddy Andreadis, Danny Baker, Larry Byrd, Chuck Garric, Mike Shipp, Jody Maphis, Jon Rauhouse, Marty Rifkin, Roger “Tiny” Kohrs, Daryl Johnson, Matt Laug, Eric Singer, Damon Johnson, Eric Dover, Ryan Roxy, Gregg Stocki, Steve Arnold, Mike Finnigan, Mica Roberts, Randy Mitchell, Stephen Bruton, and others probably and all their families.
To the road and studio crews over the years: Jim Mitchell, Dirty Don, Micro, Bobby O.D., Dan Druff, Raz, Raymond Hardy, Terry Wieland, Tom Mayhue, McBob, Hoover, Jamo, Sack, Steve Winstead, bus drivers Chuck & Shaggy.
What follows is a list of friends, coworkers, influences (some I’ve known, some I haven’t) in music, movies, and just life. Basically people who just plain old don’t suck. I will leave people out because I’m not that bright and I’m in a rush. Also, this is for the people I’m thanking so stuff the comments about how long it is and put the fucking book down. I wouldn’t have shit if I didn’t have the people in these acknowledgments. They’re the people that make up the journey:
Coby Leed, Katja Biesanz, Dan Di Vito, Esperanza and family and Jessica and family, the Zappas, Tommy & Jeanne Shaw, J. P. Shellnutt, Ritchie Montgomery, Brent Briscoe, Greg Littman and family, Forrest Witt, Jesse Dabson, Ric Krause, Tom Challis, Joe Coppolletta, Don Blakely, Barnaby Hazen, Phil Walden, Alan Walden, JY, James Haven, Marcheline Bertrand, Holly Goline, Jim and Helene Ladd, Mark and Brian, Ernest Borgnine, Bo Hopkins, Roger Harrison, Fred Roos, Jim Jacks, Jim Varney, Ben Myron, Emily Schweber, Thomas Jane, Jeff Bridges, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band guys, Diana Walker, Rod, Klaus, Nancy, Peter, Scott and everyone at the Sunset Marquis, Faryal Russell, Donnie Fritts, Terry and Anita Pace, The Muscle Shoals Gang, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim Dandy, Rickie Lee, and Black Oak Arkansas, Levon Helm, Slash, Alice Cooper, Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, The Allman Brothers, Bob Teitel, George Tillman, Natalie Canerday, Mary Cross, Sarah Tackett, Barry Battles, Griffin Hood, Chuck Leavell, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, Pablo Gamboa and the whole ZZ Top world, Scott Weiss, Rick and all the Dial family, all my Malvern H.S. pals, Rick Calhoun, The Yardleys, Tom Epperson and Stefanie Ames, the Carter-Cash Family, the Scruggs Family, Prophet Omega, Horton Foote, Doug Jackson, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Porter Wagoner, Kris Kristofferson and family, Willie Nelson and family, Waylon Jennings, Shooter Jennings, Jessi Colter, Matt Sorum, Sharon Corbitt, Joe Ely, Ray Benson, Billy Joe Shaver, Nick Shipp, Kenny Hall, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Sklar, Warren and Steph Haynes, Warren Zevon, Jorge Calderon, Graham Nash, Joe Walsh, Steve Lukather, Leah Haynes, Jed Leiber, Jeff Barry, John Kay, Keith Allison, Jimmy Johnson, David Spero, Brook Simons, Dave Warden, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Frank Wuliger, Dan Shurwin, Paul Revere, John Prine, Brad Wilson, Steven Vail, John Widlock, Rob Carliner, Frank Bacchus, Jennifer and the Teatro Gang, Mark Howard, Joe McCracken, Brian Blade, Brady Blade, Joe Murdock, James Pierce, Burl White, Danny Turner, Brian Wingo, Rex, Tim Ross, the guys in Cottonwood, Brown, Hoochie, Eric, Steve and Mark, Vic Chesnutt, Mickey Jones, Tom Waits, Colonel Bruce Hampton, Michael Buffalo Smith, The Big G, Will and Sandrine Lee, David Adelson, David Wild. Geoff Emerick, Alan Parsons, Jewel, Howard Kaylan, The Ventures, The Petocz’s, Robbie Clyne, Rickey Medlocke and all the Skynyrd guys, Manuel, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas, Tony Thomas and St. Judes. My pals from Henderson State University.
John Calley, Bruce Dern, Bruce Willis, Barry Levinson, Cate Blanchett, Mike Newell, Dennis Quaid, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Katherine LaNasa, Robert Duvall, Ray Stevenson, Robert Patrick, Frances O’Connor, Shawnee Smith, Marshall Allman, John Patrick Amedori, Ron White and Margo Rey, Michael Blakey, Drew Edwards, Lucy Sabini, Bill Cummisky, John DeChristopher, Ryan Smith, Evan O’Brien, Kim Graham, Tippi Hedren, Irma P. Hall, Sam Raimi, John Lee Hancock, Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, George Lindsay, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Alan & Debra Jenkins, Victoria Pearman, Becca and Bonnie Bramlett, Margarette Marissen, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Fran McDormand, John Curtis, Carl Franklin, Jessie Beaton, Roger Ebert and Charlie “Chaz” Hammel-Smith, Gene and Marlene Siskel, Leonard Maltin and Alice Tlusty, Peter Bogdanovich, John Cusack, Harold Ramis, Matty Simmons and everyone at National Lampoon, Heath Ledger, Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, Jeffrey Lyons, Tony La Russa, Yadier Molina, Bobby Knight, John Loar, Kevin Pollack, Jim Leyland, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Stan Musial, Marty Henden, Aggie Ceriotti, The Cardinals period, Stanley Kramer and the Kramer family, Phil Walden, Charles Nelson Reilly, Charlie Rose, Ann Curry, Lara Shriftman, Lara Spencer, Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Taylor Hackford, Martin Landau and family, Ed Solomon, Kurt Russell, Burl Ives, Dani Jansen, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, James Caan, Marlon Brando, Phil, Brent and Roy D. Mercer, Tracy Kirshbaum, the Clintons, Poodie Locke, Joe Buck, Jack Buck, Richard Perry, Jane Fonda, Troy Garity, Penélope Cruz, Lauren Graham, Debbie Carrington, Brett Kelley, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Bridget Fonda, Julio Mechoso, Keisha Kalfin, Ruben Blades, Henry Thomas, Lucas Black, Jimmy Hampton, Carol Doran, Peter Tilden, Rick Linklater, Alli Shearmur, Janet Yang, Carlos Castaneda, Steven Vail, Jeff Lester, Susan Anton, Bill Paxton, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Brian Grazer, Rick Overton, Jay Roach, Sally Menke, Joan Sobel, Dean Parisot, Fred Raskin, Ron Howard, Terry Zwigoff, Lauren Zuckerman, Sergei Bespalov, Alexander Rodnyansky, Ivan Phillipov, Jim Brubaker, Janet Waddles, Gina Warendorp, the cast and crews of all the movies I’ve ever done, Morgan Freeman, Roddy McDowall, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, Eric Roberts, Eliza Simons, Gary Busey, Nick Nolte, Powers Booth, Dr. Richard Dwyer, the Arquettes, Mary Cross, Sandra Lucchessi, Ro Diamond, Susie Schwartz, Mary Vernieu, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins, Cathy Henderson, Barbara Hanley, Fran Bascom, Jerry Bruckheimer, Martin Scorsese, Frederic March, Peter Sellers, Montgomery Clift, John Ritter, Amy Yasbeck, Harry Thomason, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, Burt Reynolds, Hal Holbrook, Charles Durning, Ronnie Yeskel, Liz Larner, Beth McGroarty, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Seth McFarlane and his gang for producing a brilliant world, and Stephen King, and now it’s getting stupid and I’ve left so many people out but for shit’s sake.
Special thanks to my great friends who said words that are too kind. I am humbled. Angelina Jolie, Tom Epperson, Robert Duvall, Dwight Yoakam, Daniel Lanois. And to Adam Korn and Trish Daly and everyone at William Morrow and HarperCollins. And sports, music, movies, Austin, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; and New Orleans, Louisiana; and everyone who has the balls to try to keep swimming up shit creek.