Thomas Cobb's (English, MA '84 Ph.D. '86) Crazy Hart gives insight to the reason why Country songs can be so depressing. With lost loves, dead dogs, and going broke, no wonder they're crying into their beers. But honky tonks and heartaches have served this CLASS alumnus well, with the recent release of the Academy Award nominated film based on his novel.
Cobb originally wrote Crazy Heart as his doctoral dissertation in 1985, and first published it 1987. While Cobb was working on his doctorate at the University of Houston he studied with Dr. Donald Barthelme (also an alum). Barthelme wrote this review after the book's initial release.
"Thomas Cobb has written a bitter, witty psychological profile of an aging genius that is also a wonderful celebration of country music. Bad Blake lives at the poor end of the rainbow, but you'll never forget him. Crazy Heart is a splendid achievement."
(Donald Barthelme)
Cobb on Barthelme played in a band together in Houston and Cobb admits there is a lot of Barthelme in Bad Blake. (source: New York Times)
Cobb never expected his debut novel to become a movie with an all-star cast and numerous award nominations.
The movie was written, directed, and produced by Scott Cooper and has received several awards, including Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globes for Jeff Bridges who portrays Bad Blake.
Bad Blake is a run-down, alcoholic country-western musician who has been reduced
to performing
in bowling alleys, the movie follows his road to redemption.
Watch the trailer
Even with his teaching duties as an English professor at Rhode Island College and publicity obligations, Cobb continues to write. He hopes to complete his latest project, Blood in Their Eyes, this spring.
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