MARK D. DUNN – YOU GET BIGGER AS YOU GO – BRUCE COCKBURN’S INFLUENCE AND EVOLUTION
FERMATA PRESS
BOOK REVIEW BY BRYAN WILLISTON
The writer, musician, and educator Mark D. Dunn has released a book which may be seen as the definitive work on the career of Bruce Cockburn. Nurturing a love for Cockburn that was ignited while in his teens, Dunn has expanded the passion of the youthful inner fan into a multi-faceted, multi-purposed, and incredibly complete work. Containing source material that includes direct quotations from interviews conducted with Cockburn from 2015 to 2021, as well as interviews with a variety of his artistic and business collaborators, You Get Bigger As You Go paints a vivid and comprehensive picture of the career of this iconic Canadian artist.
Dunn’s purpose for writing this book can be found in its title. This work is all about Bruce Cockburn’s influence and evolution, and the author maintains that focus throughout. While his presentation of content is at times academic and scholarly, that is in fact an asset here. Dunn clearly lays the groundwork for this book by noting his personal connection to Cockburn’s music, and by laying out the artist’s background, and his genesis and development as a songwriter and performer.
Dunn structures his work well, giving foundational background in the first quarter of the book. Here we find sections on Cockburn’s persona and perspective, on his writing and activism, and on his approach to playing the guitar. While this is a book about a particular artist, there is a kind of universal appeal to these sections that would interest poets, musicians and fans alike. Dunn’s ideas and analysis are deep, and they have implications that reach beyond the printed page.
The vast majority You Get Bigger As You Go deals with Bruce Cockburn’s recorded output. Dunn breaks this aspect of Cockburn’s career into three sections, and it is interesting to see how these sections are delineated. To describe the amount of work and detail that went into this part of the book ‘exhaustive’ would be an understatement. Dunn gives context into each album, commenting on points such as Cockburn’s head space around the writing of songs, where the albums were recorded and with whom, and various influences, including the artist’s political and social activism, and spiritual beliefs. These very complete album notes are augmented by detailed descriptions of the songs, and considerable commentary by the author. Far from simply editorializing, Dunn brings the reader along with him as he seeks to parse out meaning and relevance in Cockburn’s work. He tackles both the big ideas and the minutiae, and shares them with his audience.
You Get Bigger As You Go – Bruce Cockburn’s Influence and Evolution is certainly a book for the fans, providing facts and ideas for the Cockburn-faithful to discuss and debate. The door is also room here for the neophyte, casual fan, and general appreciator of quality music and writing. This book is well worth investigating.
ISBN: 978-0973196320
PURCHASE YOU GET BIGGER AS YOU GO – BRUCE COCKBURN’S INFLUENCE AND EVOLUTION VIA
SPILL BOOK REVIEW: ALLAN KOZINN AND ADRIAN SINCLAIR – THE McCARTNEY LEGACY: VOLUME 2: 1974 – 80
SPILL BOOK REVIEW: SIMON SPENCE – FEELING SUPERSONIC: FROM MADCHESTER TO BRITPOP
SPILL BOOK REVIEW: DAVE HEATON – DE LA SOUL
SPILL BOOK REVIEW: ALVIN TAYLOR AND KEN LAMBERT – ALVIN TAYLOR: DRUM MAJOR 2 MAJOR DRUMMER: CANDID STORIES FROM A MAJOR ROCK ‘N ROLL DRUMMER EXTRAORDINAIRE
