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All Together Now
Alan Doyle
200 pages
Published November 24, 2020 by Doubleday Canada
I have long been a fan of the Canadian rock/Celtic/Newfoundland band, Great Big Sea. Though the band is no longer together, Alan Doyle (who was the lead singer) has remained quite visible with his own music and now his third book.
This book is sub-titled A Newfoundlander’s Light Tales for Heavy Times. This sub-title perfect. Since Alan is no longer touring, something he has done for over 25 years, time was heavy on his hands. With all the Covid restrictions, he was essentially out of work during the spring and summer of 2020. He decided to put together a book of tales that could/would be told and retold to friends at his favourite pub in St John’s, Newfoundland. The Duke of Duckworth. And, now, to us!
Alan’s tales are from his heart. He writes as he talks, with a Newfoundland accent. Some of the tales are from his younger days, some from his touring days, some sentimental moments. Some are laugh out loud funny. In order to really appreciate his tales, it is important to know that Newfoundlanders are the masters of telling stories. While I am sure that all of them have an element of truth, part of their culture is to embellish the details to make everything more interesting. This is in no way meant as a criticism. I have experienced this first hand and it only endears the storyteller to me.
Alan’s stories are a combination of anecdotes, facts, history, humour, personal experiences and his constant wonder of the world around him. He is a person who finds wonder in everything. He loves his life.
Alan’s stories include tales from his youth with his father and brother, from the early Great Big Sea days and a bit of family life.
Naturally, some of the stories are better than others but all are enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed one of the last chapters on “stage strategy”. I would never have thought that there needs to be a strategy but every audience and every venue is different. The performer has to ad lib his game plan as he goes along. Alan Doyle seems to have perfected this.
Overall, a very “feel good” read! It has been a great distraction during this second wave of a Covid.
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