Talk:Townes Van Zandt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is part of WikiProject Texas, a WikiProject related to the U.S. state of Texas. |
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page. | ||
| Stub | This article has been rated as Stub-Class on the Project's quality scale. [FAQ] (If you rated the article, please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.) |
||
 |
This article is supported by WikiProject Musicians, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed biographical guide to musicians and musical groups on Wikipedia. | ||
 |
An appropriate infobox may need to be added to this article, or the current infobox may need to be updated. Please refer to the list of biography infoboxes for further information. |
Contents |
[edit] Biography assessment rating comment
The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Abebenjoe 21:22, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] comments
I don't see why his acholism should not be included. I think it is a very relevant part of the Townes van Zandt story. HE wrote songs about it.
This reads too much like a fan page. I'm going to clean it up unless I am provided with legitimate evidience as to why it currently complies with NPOV standards.
- Clean up what you think needs cleaning. You don't have to wait for anybody to justify what is in the article. If somebody disagrees with your edits, they will change what they disagree with. This is wikipedia after all. Tiles 07:19, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
I removed a few lines that appeared to be penned by a bitter record label, blaming TVZ for not promoting his own records and claiming that he led an entirely destructive life. If we're not going to mention the family and friends he loved and that loved him, we shouldn't focus only on the fact that he drank alcohol. A country singer with a substance abuse problem? As if this is unique. Let's keep the facts as objective as possible here.
- No bitter record label... this was the first wiki-article I created (in amazement that it hadn't been yet), so the POV was a sign of greenness... and needed revision. Thanks to everyone for cleaning it up! I had actually put the stuff about not promoting himself much as a form of praise for him... I'm not sure why I put the stuff about alcoholism, a reflection of my state of mind at the time I guess (and justly removed)... But shall we remove the disclaimer of NPOV dispute now? It seems very good. PJV
- I removed the NPOV dispute disclaimer and most of the hidden intro (the birth and death dates were not in question, I assume.) The article has changed significantly since the NPOV dispute was put in, and the passages in question above have been completely removed. If anything remains in the article that seems to violate NPOV, add the template back with an indication in this talk page of the passages in question. -PJV
In the entry I would be more clear about Towns' artistic emotion and creativity being inseparable from incredible binges of drinking and gambling (yes "self destructive", like Johnny Cash was). I assume this is what the american term "substance abuse" means? The fact he died (to my knowledge) because he was in hospital for minor <sic> treatment and was deneid alcohol sheds some light on the tragedy of his premature death. A tribute song "The Genius" on the album "Devil Of A Dream" (1998) was written & recorded by Robin and Linda Williams.(M.A.Edwards - not a registered user)
Would be interested to read about the alcoholism in the article. Seems relevant to his life and possibly death? Divad 16:19, 29 November 2005 (UTC)
"For the most part he performed for small but appreciative audiences in Texas bars." At the height of his career, Van Zandt was touring the country, playing for huge audiences numbering in the hundreds (or even thousands). He also lived much of his life in Nashville, so to say that he mostly just played in small Texas bars seems a bit misleading. Maybe that should be clarified to say "Early in his career...". Ideally, someone should add more biographical information about his life during the 80s and 90s. Kaldari 18:50, 10 January 2006 (UTC)
Van Zandt's drug and alcohol use is absolutely relevant to this page, because these were incredibly strong influences on his life and music. There is a difference between using drugs to get a buzz (as many rock stars do) and using drugs to explore the mind (as I believe TVZ did). However, it would make sense to put this discussion in a section apart from his music. On that note, I read in "Blender" magazine that Van Zandt once had some of his teeth smashed out with a ballpeen hammer after "a bizarre glue-sniffing accident." I came to the Wiki page for more info on this incident. If other fans like me are interested in reading this kind of stuff, it absolutely belongs on TVZ's wiki page. However, these things shouldn't detract from the overall message about TVZ's incredible talent for singing and songwriting. So, does anyone have some info to add on the glue & hammer incident? --Greensheep 21:53, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] The scope of his influence on current artists
I'd really like to see a section added at the end that details just what I put as the heading. His influence as a songwriter isn't covered well in the current article. I'm not qualified to make a definitive statment on the subject but would love to see something added. Both he and John Hyatt have had tremendous impact on the current AltCountry movement. ThanksLisapollison 13:01, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] "Untimely"
Sometimes I think Wikipedians are too pedantic for their own good. Does the phrase "untimely death" really require a citation? Just asking, is all. Mohr Stoutbeard 19:51, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The Van Zandts, Townes and "Little Steven"?
Was Townes related to "Little" Steven van Zandt or the van Zandt brothers from Lynyrd Skynyrd? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.131.229.210 (talk • contribs).
- I don't know of any relation to those Van Zandts (Steven Van Zandt or Johnny Van Zant). Townes' ancestors are rather famous; Van Zandt County, Texas is named for his grandfather [sorry—third great-grandfather]. Another of his famous ancestors, John Charles Townes[1], is the one for whom Van Zandt and "Townes Hall" at the University of Texas School of Law is named.
- Van Zandt's oldest son, J.T. Van Zandt[2] is a part time musician who looks and sounds a good bit like his father. The names of Townes' younger children Willy and Katie Belle appear in song titles on his No Deeper Blue album.
- Also, Steve Earle's oldest, Justin Townes Earle[3] is also named after Van Zandt and has become a fine musician as well. Those are all the famous namesakes and relations that I know of. -MrFizyx 05:21, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
