In case you missed the announcement last week, our selection for July is Diamond in the Rough, the new memoir by acclaimed singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. I was first struck by Colvin's voice when she appeared on The Larry Sanders Show many years ago, both as a musical guest (doing this amazing version of "Polaroids") and as "herself," chastising Sanders for robbing the cradle with a way-too-young girlfriend. Colvin's music also appeared in the credits of the show's series finale, "Flip," which was an unusual tribute from a show that I greatly admired and trusted completely.
Over the years, I'd encounter Colvin's distinctive voice and perspective in sporadic doses, but I'd always stop to watch her on TV or listen to her music. In fact, I'm listening to her new album, All Fall Down, as I type this and it's as tasteful and heartfelt as I might've hoped. My sense is that there's a lot going on behind these songs; they belie an author with wisdom and experience who has been living a rich life. That's why I'm intrigued about Diamond in the Rough. I know so little about Shawn Colvin, but I wanna learn more. I hope you do, too.
I have copies to offer to four people (not employed by the CBC) who check out this excerpt of Diamond in the Rough and post thoughtful questions for Colvin about her book below. Oh hey, congrats to Sabres98 for winning a copy last week. Nice one. As for you, I’ll let you know if your question was deemed a winner (you can only win once, BTW) so check back here for a response. If you do win, please send your name (real and blog), mailing address and winning answer to rock@cbc.ca with “Shawn of life” in the subject line.
Are you a fan of Shawn Colvin? Looking forward to Diamond in the Rough? Let us know down below.
Related:
What'cha Readin'? Daniel Mark Epstein on The Ballad of Bob Dylan
CBC Books
What'cha Readin'? Goodbye Lightfoot, hello Dylan
What’cha Readin’? Thoughts on Writing Gordon Lightfoot by Dave Bidini
posted by
Vish Khanna
on Jul 06, 2012