33 DAYS: TOURING IN A VAN. SLEEPING ON FLOORS. CHASING A DREAM by Bill See
33 Days Featured in Huffington Post Recommended Reads for Fall
Summary:
For 33 days in the summer of 1987, Divine Weeks set off on tour in a beat up old Ford Econoline Van, sleeping on strangers’ floors, never sure they’d make enough gas money to get them to the next town. This deeply personal, coming of age, on the road memoir follows critically acclaimed 80s indie alt rock band Divine Weeks’ first tour of the U.S. and Canada. Liberated from alcoholic upbringings and rigid cultural constraints, all they have is their music and each other’s friendship. The road is filled with yuppies, brothels, riots, sleeping on floors, spiked drinks, DJs with no pants, and battles with racism. They set out on the road to discovery to drink in all they could and maybe sell a few records. They grew up instead.
Bill See
Bill See was the lead singer for critically acclaimed Los Angeles band Divine Weeks for the duration of the band’s lifespan from 1984-1992. Divine Weeks was signed to the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn’s Down There label in 1987 and released their debut Through & Through that May before embarking on their first national tour that summer. The journals Bill kept on tour are the source of the majority of 33 Days. Divine Weeks released one more full length album on First Warning Records called Never Get Used To It released in September 1991. Bill released five solo records in the 1990s and 2000s before bunkering down to write his first book “33 Days: Touring In A Van. Sleeping On Floors. Chasing A Dream,” culled from the journals he kept while on tour.
Bill explains the motivation for 33 Days: “When we left on that tour, we set out to have our own Kerouac ‘On The Road’ experience, and when I wrote 33 Days my motive was to write a book you’d go searching for after finishing ‘On The Road’. The book’s less about making it, and more about how crucial it is to seize your moment and the perils of sitting on your dreams. It’s about liberation, giving yourself the gift of opportunity and ultimately defining your own idea of success. It’s for anybody who ever stood at their crossroads with a dream screaming inside wondering whether to choose the road that goes off the map or fold up their tent and head back home.”
Bill See’s Tour of Los Angeles Music Scene as found in 33 Days
Just finished reading your book and was very impressed. You definitely have a way with words. I can fully relate to your history, as I have been a professional musician since I was about 17. I was fortunate enough to play music for a living for over 35 years. I still play, but now mostly just do it for fun. I have been in the process, slow and painfully as it might be, of writing my autobiography for the past 10 years. As most writers, I often fall into the frustrating abyss of writer’s block and the entire project has had immense gaps in it over the years. I value your opinion and would like to send you a chapter or two for you to critique at your convenience. If you think you might be interested you may contact me at randy.mitchell65@gmail.com.
Thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you soon.