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A Gift from the Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons, Southern hippie aristocrat Byrd progenitor of “Cosmic American Music” who spent too much tyme eight miles high, expressed his Christian faith in a number of tunes, none lovelier than “A…
Bill Kauffman
December 3, 2010

Thinking about a friend today while listening to Gram Parsons. Parsons, Southern hippie aristocrat Byrd progenitor of “Cosmic American Music” who spent too much tyme eight miles high, expressed his Christian faith in a number of tunes, none lovelier than “A Song for You.” Here ’tis, with great photos of pre-desecration Florida.

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A stack of three Local Culture journals and the book 'Localism in the Mass Age'

Bill Kauffman

Bill Kauffman is the author of eleven books, among them Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette (Henry Holt), Ain’t My America (Metropolitan), Look Homeward, America (ISI), and Poetry Night at the Ballpark (FPR Books). His next book, Upstaters, is due from SUNY Press in 2026. He is a columnist for The American Conservative and The Spectator World. Bill wrote the screenplay for the 2013 feature film Copperhead. He is a founding editor of Front Porch Republic and has served as a legislative assistant to Senator Pat Moynihan, editor for various magazines and publishers, and vice president of the Batavia Muckdogs, a professional baseball team that was euthanized by Major League Baseball. He lives with his wife Lucine in his native Genesee County, New York.

4 comments

  • Bill Kauffman
    15 years ago

    Thanks, Rob G. I hadn’t heard the innocence mission before. That’s a lovely, dreamy pop song–sounds like Nick Drake with a reason to live.

    • Rob G
      15 years ago

      Ain’t it the truth. Check out some of their other stuff — ‘Lakes of Canada’ is a killer.

  • Rob G
    15 years ago

    Great tune, Mr. Kauffman. I haven’t heard Parsons in years — that’s a good reminder of his gifts.

    Here’s one back at you: the innocence mission, lovely Catholic couple from Hershey, Pa. Started off as an ‘alternative’ pop/rock band in the late 80s, but now doing very nice folky stuff…

    “Rain or shine, this street of mine is golden…” Gotta love it. No pics of lovely eastern Pa. here but a great song nevertheless.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvfIGlML5-4

  • Jason Peters
    15 years ago

    Ah, wide berths and diners. If only there weren’t no cars nor telefone wyres! By God a good FPR addition!

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