Last Chance Texaco: Mojo magazine's Book of the Year Paperback – 7 April 2022

This book is superb. Rickie Lee Jones is a remarkable artist - musician, poet and writer - whose life is a work of art in itself.In this memoir she paints vivid pictures of atmospheres and emotions in beautifully cinematic prose. It’s nostalgic without being mawkish and deals with the dark days and difficult deeds in a straightforward “what you gonna do about it now anyway” fashion.Her stories are magical tales featuring the characters with lyrical nick names who populate her songs - I and Bragger, Sal, Chuckee.She wears her survivor identity on her sleeve while transcending that label.I loved the book. I love her story. I am delighted for my own sake that she has written about her life and that it doesn’t disappoint, and I am delighted for her that she is receiving attention for the book and for the apparent happiness and well being when she is being interviewed about it. A remarkable tale. If you love music, popular culture and magic in the every day- it’s a must read.

Rickie Lee Jones tells an open, unpretentious story about her life and music. It’s like another (longer) one of her beautiful songs.I didn’t know I could get more out of her music or respect her any more than I do - but I could.

In my view, the great majority of rock/pop autobiographies are utter garbage, just glorified press releases that tell you nothing whatsoever about the subject.This is nothing like those. At all. This is an open, warts and all, description of a very difficult, even traumatic, rootless childhood. It’s also very well written….no need for a ghost writer to help with the difficult words! It is a cliche, but you do feel that you’re getting to know the author as you progress through the book. There’s good insights into how the music business of the time worked, particular for women, even more so for strong minded women prepared to fight for their artistic integrity.The only downside is that there is an amount of moaning about having no money/clothes/place to stay, coupled with a lack of acceptance that sometimes in order to achieve these things you might have to get a job, even one you don’t like. There seems to be a lot of relying on other people for the basics in life. This might be fair enough to some, but I felt it got a bit repetitive. There is an acknowledgement of help received at the end of the book, to be fair. But this is only minor criticism from a grumpy old man.Read it, enjoy it, and learn a lot about the author, her music, and the times.Highly recommended.

This is an amazing account of the life and times of Rickie Lee Jones.It's candid, it's funny, heartbreaking, shocking, and wonderfully read by the Duchess of Cool herself.Just get it. I would go with audio, she's a great narrator. I also got it on Kindle for the odd word I couldn't understand or just the bits I wanted to look at again.Fantastic, it's my far the best book I've read for absolutely ages, and I read a lot.

This book is pure magic and just gets more and more enchanting every page you turn. This is one of the best, most well written and evocative books I have ever read. Rickie Lee has lived a LIFE, and she surrounds herself with magic and premonitions wherever she goes. Her writing is fast paced and tender and wild. Lots of other autobiographies I’ve read chronicle events in quite a laborious and plodding way, but not Rickie- she takes us with her on a rollercoaster, there’s a token of beauty on every page, a message to take away of strength and wild gutsy perserverance.I usually struggle to finish books but I physically could not put this one down. I just never wanted it to end. Rickie Lee, if you ever happen to read this, thank you for your beautiful words- your story touched me and inspired me to be a stronger and more adventurous girl in ways not many books have done before. Also! thank you for introducing me to Laura Nyro- she is wonderful!

Not just one of the best music memoirs I have read, but one of the best memoirs full stop. RLJ had an eventful childhood – born into poverty, moving from place to place (maybe 20 different schools as a kid), running away from home at 14 to spend the summer in California where she was, frankly, used and abused by the men around her – and endured many false starts before her big break. This feels open and honest, often very funny, and I realised that nearly all of her songs are based on events that happened to her. This is really rather special.

I've been a big fan of RLJ for many years, but I never knew just how incredible her life was - until now!

I'm so thrilled that I bought this book. Rickie hooked me from the first page. I shouldn't have been surprised by her lyrical, poetic prose. I think she's a genius--waiting for the rest of us to catch up and play. Her way with words, as evident in her songwriting, is unparalleled. Her storytelling captivating. I limit myself to reading 20 pages each evening, to extend the pleasure, of not wanting it to end. If you're a Rickie Lee Jones fan, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.