News
The 2nd great Lewis re-issue from New South Books!
Coming Soon: “Elvis Is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself”
The 1950s were simple times to grow up. For Lewis Grizzard and his buddies, gallivanting meant hanging out at the local store, eating Zagnut candy bars and drinking “Big Orange bellywashers.” About the worst thing a kid ever did was smoke rabbit tobacco rolled in paper torn from a brown grocery sack, or maybe slick back his hair into a ducktail and try gyrating his hips like Elvis. But then assassinations, war, civil rights, free love, and drugs rocked the old order. And as they did, Grizzard frequently felt lost and confused. In place of Elvis, the Pied Piper of his generation, Grizzard now found wormy-looking, long-haired English kids who performed either half-naked or dressed like Zasu Pitts. Elvis Is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself is the witty, satiric, nostalgic account of Grizzard’s efforts to survive in a changing world. Sex, music, clothes, entertainment, and life itself receive the Grizzard treatment. In this, his sixth book, Grizzard was never funnier or more in tune with his readers. He might not have felt so good himself, but his social commentary and humor can still make the rest of us feel just fine.
RESERVE YOUR COPY at New South Books or by writing Dedra Grizzard at dedragrizzard@gmail.com
"Lewis and Catfish at the Pearly Gates" by Mike Lukovitch
"Lewis and Catfish at the Pearly Gates" by Mike Lukovitch
Georgia’s Peach Pundit Remembers Lewis:
(Oct 20, 2011) ”Today would have been Lewis Grizzard’s 65th birthday. His humor and legacy lives on at his website. There’s even a tribute show. Sprayberry’s BBQ named a plate after him. And it’s good, too!
Being Southern, and Georgian in particular, is truly a gift that other Americans simply don’t understand. Lewis could articulate that sentiment better than anyone I’ve heard or read since. After all he said, “God talks like us.”
Fall always reminds me of Lewis since we share a beloved alma mater. His stories about UGA football strike such a chord, sometimes it seems his ghost is still on campus….” (read full article at Peach Pundit.com)
The Late Great Lewis Grizzard. Folks still visit his grave. The inscription reads "A great American."
NEW BOOK RELEASE! “They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat”
View the OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE or BUY IT NOW!
NewSouth Books is proud to announce the republication of Lewis Grizzard’s New York Times bestseller They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat. Grizzard was known for his quick wit and often deadpan humor—he is one of the South’s most beloved humorists and his They Tore Out My Heart was one of his most endearingly popular works. It has sold over 100,000 copies.
In a series of heartening yet undeniably humorous vignettes, Grizzard recounts the lifelong struggles of his heart—both physical and emotional, real and imagined—that led to major heart surgery in his mid-thirties. From musings of early unrequited attempts at love to three marriages and divorces to the early detection of heart troubles that would follow him throughout his life, Grizzard manages to tackle weighty issues with his characteristically irreverent sense of humor. Dotted with one liners and heartfelt memories, They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat is sure to tug at any reader’s heartstrings. Remember to keep the tissues close at hand you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll laugh so hard you’ll cry.
Lewis Grizzard's Gucci loafers, glasses and beloved typewriter rest on a desk at the home of his widow Dedra Grizzard. (photo courtesy Covington News; Covington GA)
Tribute Show Going Strong!
WXIA’s Wes Sarginson says “I Played Tennis With Lewis; Oberst Has Grizzard Down!”
Read more Tribute Show reviews here…
A Few Lewis Links You’ll Enjoy:
Atlanta Journal Constitution article “Dedra Grizzard: Fourth Wife Is The Keeper Of The Flame”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution article: “Grizzard’s Words Still Resonate In One-Man Show”
Encylopedia Of Southern Culture Entry: Lewis Grizzard
Lewis Grizzard’s Obituary From The Atlanta Journal Constitution
The New York Times: “Lewis Grizzard: Is It True What He Says About Dixie?”