For those who know the name Jason Molina, there is a certain unspoken agreement that his talents were plucked from his adoring fans far too soon.
As many know, he was a musical genius who succumbed to an addiction he could never overcome and in turn put down his guitar and great talent in order to hold on to a bottle.
I call myself a fan, but a Molina novice at best. I openly admit that I am one of those late fans who never got to see him play live and grew to appreciate his entire catalog after his passing. I can not say I have ever quite heard music like what Molina created.
I didn’t know the whole story of a man who got his start less than an hour from where I live. I knew he was with Secretly Canadian and knew how he passed, but I knew nothing in between.
It only seems fitting to have someone collect all the memories, both good and bad, and put them into a book for all inquiring minds like mine. This biography, to be released by Rowman & Littlefield on May 15th, was full of memories and folklore about a mysterious individual who took his music far past any boundaries ever set prior and in doing so did it his way.
Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost, written by Erin Osmon, pretty much answered questions about Molnia’s life that some of me never wanted to know. From tales of his youth in a trailer park Lorain, OH to memories in recording studios and overseas, this family-authorized book really covered it all.
Family, friends, bandmates, and even tourmates all provided insight to the life of Molina. Where most of the book spoke on Molina’s journeys from Songs: Ohia to Magnolia Electric Company and even his solo work and impromptu sessions, the book also brought to light family tensions, failed relationships, depression, and of course the demise of greatness.
Molina’s college days and the years shortly after were probably my favorite recollections to read. Obviously, the toughest parts to read were about his separation from his wife and an attempt at recovery through bandmates and the very label he helped get their start.
It was interesting to learn how Molina formulated his albums in homes and studios alone and with others. I was also fascinated learning about his life outside of the music including living conditions and places of employment.
Reading how Molina got material released by Secretly Canadian seemed like something that would have happened in a comedy movie, but it was all true. He was the stepping stone of a label that may not have gotten their start had they never connected.
Molina’s humor style as told by others made me laugh more than once. His approach with his bands though seemed rather repressed at times, especially when he would up and leave without communicating properly to those involved.
The book obviously was not all fun and games. Reading about uncomfortable obsessions and how they were put to song made me realize the inventiveness Molina’s mysterious mind carried. The self-sabotaging of a musical career as told in detail, really opened my eyes and held my interest to the point I couldn’t put down the book. The marriage that never ended in divorce was painful to absorb but the love that remained was inspiring.
The last few chapters were very difficult for me to read as I lost an uncle to alcoholism earlier this year. The stories of the support Molina received by loved ones and all of the chances given to him that were eventually passed upon just reminded me of what addiction can do to someone. Reading about the deterioration of a proud man who kept too many secrets just hit too close to home for me.
Overall, the book carried a life-spanning account of a musician from his young days on Lake Erie to his final days secluded in a room slowly drowning his life away. The emotions were really felt through this book from those who were stunned at his approach to making music to finding out their friend was no more.
My only small distress with this book is at times it seemed the author had a synonym book handy that was used frequently. Perhaps it was I, the reader, who needs to dip deeper in to a more prolific writing style, but in the first chapter alone, Molina’s father was referenced as a “patriarch” and the term “spinning platters” was used over playing records.
Eventually I was able to get in tune with Osmon’s style, but there were times I just felt some of the vocabulary used was just too much and interfered with the story-telling. One thing Osmon did well was put all of the memories and stories together in a chronological order making it easy to set down the book and pick it up again without losing your spot.
The copy that I read was not the final copy but one provided to me early on my the publisher, so there is a chance things will be changed. I will tell you this, the chapters at times were long, but they were read through quickly as the memories were so well put together.
Fans of Molina will appreciate this book due to all of the content Osmon was able to hunt down over the span of three years. There were so many angles of Molina’s life put down in this book and I am sure it was not easy for Osmon to capture it all, yet she did it well.
As an added bonus to die-hard Molina fans, Secretly Canadian is releasing a limited-edition bundle of the book with a LP pressing of a 1994 Jason Molina WOBC radio session at Oberlin College. Where I failed to pre-order my copy in time before it sold out, I did get to listen to the performance and I can tell you it is beautiful and will haunt you, but not in a scary way. Molina even back in 1994 was so laid back and happy to be sharing his songs with others. Personally speaking, I think had I heard that session live back then on the radio, I would have been a changed man.
Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost is available for pre-order through Rowman & Littlefield, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and other fine retailers.