Hell: My Life in the Squirrel Nut Zippers

Great book! We'll written!

I remember the first time i saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers in late 1994 or early 1995 in Philadelphia. My friend, Ken Mosher, had been telling me about his new band and their crazy sound. Philly was my first chance to see them play and to see Ken for the first time in a few years - in a bar venue the name of which i don't remember. The show was awesome, the crowd danced and sweated and the band seemed to be having a blast. Ken was always eclectic, always nuts and this group seemed to fit him perfectly. Tom's story takes us from the "band as art project" through that heady time when the positive audience reactions fueled the group and then through the process of the band losing the joy and, sadly, eventually falling apart. Tom actually stops before the end comes, but he shows us the writing on the wall. I saw this all happening over those years and, at the time, could not understand how the individuals in the group could not figure out a way to make it work. I was only just starting my own career as a lawyer - decidedly NOT the most creative of professions - and was too caught up in the mindset of the "bad business man" to really see how destructive fame and financial success can be to creative people. As I have gained the perspective over the ensuing years (decades!), it is easier for me to understand - but it is an abstract understanding. Reading Tom's description of what really inspired him and what drove the music of SNZ made me appreciate how the band was really doomed by its own success. I recall someone -from Mammoth, I think - cynically commenting to me about the band that "with that many people the egos are bound to come into conflict and the band will inevitably break up." Tom makes it clear that, while that dynamic was indeed present within the group, it was not until the band started to experience success and the record company started using them to "pull the plow", as Tom describes it, that the fractures became too deep to mend. It became too much about whose brand of weird would take the spotlight. Aww, hey man! It was fun while it lasted!

Entertaining read, but the end was like I was missing pages from the book. I was left wanting more, like a short epilogue about what has transpired since the end of the “Classic” SNZ lineup dissolved. Read it in one sitting. Worth the $10.

I read this book in a single sitting, maybe two hours, and hung on every word. Tom's voice welcomes you in, and he dances you through the beginning, middle, and end of the band. I learned about musical history I had ignored or failed to appreciate before. And I learned some fun facts about songs I've loved from the minute I heard them. Also learned about what the band went through on the road to what most would call "success". It's hard to read about pain and suffering, and tragedy. But the reality of the music industry in the 1990s was just that. Execs and others all saw cash cows roaming the musical landscape, and were more than happy to encourage musicians to sacrifice anything in order to get that cha-ching. Most bands have hard times in their history, and the Zippers were no different, even as they did their damnedest to stay above or apart from the exploitative aspects of the life they chose. They were a fantastic band, an outfit like no other at the time, pushing original music onto the scene because they loved it.

This book is so funny and well written. I couldn’t stop reading it. My only disappointment was that I wish it was three times longer. Tom is a gifted artist and a talented writer.

Great book if you loved the band. Ends rather abruptly, but it resonates with the story being told and makes the point quite well. The only thing I'm sad about is not knowing "the rest of the story." Perhaps Tom would be willing to write a follow-up about his transition out of SNZ and into his solo efforts and beyond. I enjoy the casual, stream-of-consciousness style of his writing (feels like he's just conversing with you over a doobie or a drink) and the vignettes of his life with the other Zippers.

If you were a fan of the Zippers back in the day this was a good book. Otherwise, it was a bit scattered and hard to follow.

Great book about a great artist and band. Is brief though

A thin tome but a great read. Stops way too soon. Jimbo Mathus would do well to reconvene with Tom to make more Squirrels music. Maxwell gave them atmosphere, dynamics and authenticity. Not to mention the best songs. Either that or Maxwell should put a new band together. We need more Maxwell music. Max's Monster Munchers. You can have that one Tom! 😬