Race with the Devil: Gene Vincent’s Life in the Fast Lane by Susan
VanHecke
St. Martin’s Press, 2000
Rating=6
Measuring the influence of
an artist like Gene Vincent is never easy. Although his “Be-Bop-A-Lula” is an
undisputed classic, Vincent was essentially a one-hit wonder, particularly in
the U.S., despite a prolific recording career. He has inspired artists from the
Beatles to rockabilly revivalists like Robert Gordon, and his leather-clad
stage persona is emblematic of rock and roll itself.
Despite some interesting
anecdotes and (judging from the references) extensive research, Race With the Devil provides very little
sense of what drove Vincent to perform despite his pain, why his marriages were
such failures, or even what kind of music he truly wanted to make. It is
difficult to follow Vincent’s story, as VanHecke provides few dates and is
vague about his relationships, even who he’s married to at pivotal points in
his life.
The greatest downfall is the
use of three lengthy radio interview transcripts, presumably meant to give us a
glimpse into Vincent’s personality and state of mind. These interviews offer
very little insight, however, revealing Vincent’s appreciation of Creedence
Clearwater Revival and not much else. Elsewhere, VanHecke supposes elaborate
fantasies of Vincent literally racing and wrestling with the devil, and being
carried to the afterlife by his friend, Eddie Cochran.
VanHecke set an admirable
goal of portraying Vincent’s pain and “vehement restlessness” with Race With the Devil, published when the
only other Vincent biography had been out of print for some time. The book’s
subject is grossly underrepresented, due to the apparent lack of first-person
resources available. There must be a fascinating story in this pain-wracked
performer who—by slicing a band member’s suit with a switchblade, being
(falsely) accused of murder, and pulling a gun on his wife—helped create the
model for pathological rock star behavior. Race
With the Devil, unfortunately, does not give us much more than some basic
facts about Vincent’s career. The man himself remains elusive.
– James A. Gardner