July 22-28, 2004

artpicks

Jacked Up

by Andrew Parks

books

The ebony label, ornate lettering and brown solution of a Jack Daniel's bottle are as much a rock star accessory as toilets and groupies. Which is exactly why inebriated bands like Mötley Cröe (the cover of its lurid autobiography, The Dirt, actually modifies a shiny liter of JD) should bow before a picture of Mr. Daniel every night they pass out in a pile of puke.

See, you may think he's an imaginary corporate mascot, like the Burger King or Joe Camel, but Jack Daniel was indeed a real person who lived from 1850 to 1911 and began distilling alcohol during the Civil War. Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel (Wiley) tells the tale of "Uncle Jack" through extensive research and vibrant anecdotal evidence.

The story begins in Lynchburg, Tenn., a small town 70 miles southeast of Nashville that, ironically, is one of the least rock 'n' roll locales in America. When visiting, author Peter Krass stayed at the nearby Tucker Inn Bed & Breakfast, whose Baptist owners defiantly display a "'no alcohol or drugs'' sign. The setting of Southern hospitality and a slowed, back-in-time lifestyle is a perfect precursor for the story ahead — one that's much more interesting than those over-hyped Rockefeller and Carnegie tycoons.

As Dr. Alexander Fleming, the scientist who discovered penicillin, once said: "A good gulp of hot whiskey at bedtime — it's not very scientific, but it helps."

Peter Krass reads and signs Thu., Jul. 22, 7 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322.