When Jeffrey Koterba was six; he started drawing his first cartoons; painstakingly copying from the Sunday Omaha World Heraldrsquo;s funny papers and making up his own characters. With a pen and a sheet of white paper; he was able to escape into a world that was clean; expansive; and comfortablemdash;a refuge from the pandemonium surrounding him. The tiny house Koterba grew up in was full-to-bursting with garage-sale treasures and televisions his father Art repaired and sold for extra money. A hard-drinking one-time jazz drummer whose big dreams never seemed to come true; Art was subject to violent facial and vocal ticsmdash;symptoms of Tourettersquo;s Syndrome; a condition Jeffrey inheritedmdash;as well as explosions of temper and eccentricity that kept the Koterba family teetering on the brink of disaster.From the canyons of broken electronics; the lightning strikes; screaming matches; and discouragements great and small emerged a young man determined to follow his creative spirit to grand heights. And much to his surprise; he found himself on a journey back to his family and the father he once longed to escape. An exuberant; heart-felt memoir that calls to mind The Tender Bar and Fun Home; Inklings is infused with an irresistible optimism all its own.
#999959 in eBooks 2010-07-06 2010-07-06File Name: B003T0FKCG
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy CustomerPretty good written and give what I feel a very honest story by Mike.6 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Meet the man behind Tubular BellsBy Rick MooreIm halfway through the book and I agree with others here that its a book that is more about his life experiences than it is about his music. Ive followed Mikes great music since the advent of Tubular Bells in 74 and Ive always wondered what he must be like. Now I know. Thats why I like the book. Mike is very candid and seems very humble. The book is a bit scattered and unorganized but who cares...such is life. To me. reading the book seems to recreate what it must be to just sit around a coffee table and listen as Mike just chit-chats about whatever crosses his mind at the moment. Its intimate like that. I feel drawn to him as I read it because our childhoods were apparently very similar. There are some glimpses into his music. And I am enjoying reading about what musicians influenced him. I like learning his likes and dislikes. So. I think the book delivers - but what it delivers is a little unexpected. I feel that any Mike Oldfield fan will find the book enjoyable so I recommend it.UPDATE: I have completed the book and I like it even more now than I did when I started this review. As I progressed through the rest of the book there was more shared about his composing than I originally thought there might be from having read the first few chapters - so that delighted me. There wasnt the depth in his discussions about his music that I had hoped for - but there was enough to make me happy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Mike TrouttGreat book. Simple in its presentation but deep enough to satisfy. Fun. action filled and solid.
