The Tom Patterson Years: Cultural Adventures of a Fledgling Scribe, by Tom Patterson. Hiding Press/Jargon, 208 pages, 10 pages of photographs, 2021. ISBN 9781733709897. Paperback, $18
If you follow the literature of the folk/outsider/self-taught art field, then you know the name of Tom Patterson. He wrote the definitive book about Eddie Owens Martin/St. EOM and Pasaquan, and, with John Turner, the first major book about Howard Finster, among other achievements.
Now he’s written a memoir that includes numerous interesting anecdotes from his encounters with Martin, Finster and other figures from the world of folk and outsider art, including the folklore professor who explained why output of creators like Martin and Finster weren’t folk art. That assessment is old hat now, but for Patterson it came before the term wars had worn themselves out.
The Martin stories are some of the best, among other things making clear that weed was essential to managing one’s relationship with the Saint. Patterson shares lots of anecdotes, but no spoilers here.
In any case, I can recommend this book with but a single reservation. While there is plenty of material about the world of self-taught art, the bulk of the volume really focuses on Patterson’s young adulthood in Atlanta. His account of early 1980s southern bohemianism is admirably detailed and well worth the read in its own right. It was an appealing world and an appealing life.