I Scare Myself

Book excerpt: This vivid memoir of a man described as “one of America’s greatest songwriters” by Elvis Costello, and a cat that was “fly, sly, wily, and dry” by Tom Waits. Dan Hicks had a front-row seat to the birth and death of counter culture -- San Francisco, 1966 -- it would affect both him and his music. I Scare Myself captures the highs and lows of a lifelong adventure in music. You’ll get to see Hicks’ memories of one of the changes the 60s brought, working with great musicians, plus, a foreward by Elivs Costello; and afterword by producer Tommy LiPuma; and annotations by his close friend Kristine McKenna. “I just started taking ingredients I liked and putting them together to see what came out,” Hicks writes. What came out was an amazing blend of complex time signatures, unusual instrumentation, and intricate vocal harmonies that took him to the top of the 70s rock world but also into a downward spiral of drink and drug abuse. Hicks passed away in early 2016, but his music, and the stories he tells here, remain as fresh and irresistible as ever. I Scare Myself takes readers on a journey behind the music, and into the life and mind of the fantastic artist who created it.