The Taylor Family

topic posted Mon, January 28, 2008 - 11:17 AM by  offlineDruben
I'm reading this book on McLean's Psychiatric Hospital outside Boston entitled "Gracefully Insane" becuase the place was really a excusive sanitarium for the rich and famous (i.e. Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, Ray Charles and the three of the Taylor kids). There is a chapter on James and his sibs being there called "Hippie or Hippiphrenia" about life in the 60's when the music therapist put together rock bands that even cut records. So James was there for depression (not for his heroin addiction which came later and he went to Austin Riggs for that in Stockbridge Mass, and must have liked the area because that is where he lives now. What I found fascinating was that the Taylor family (dad was dean of the Medical School of North Carolina in Chapel hill) sent three of their five children to the same loonie bin: Kate (of Sister Kate fame) and Livingston. Both became fames musicians in their own right. Must have been fun times at Mclean in those days.
posted by:
Druben
Maryland
  • Re: The Taylor Family

    Tue, February 5, 2008 - 9:46 PM
    I'm a big Taylor Family fan. Yeah, that's strange about three of them going in the psych ward. I read the very involved Timothy White book about JT and without looking at it again, I think he said he wrote some of his best songs there. JT has definitely come a long way (if you can overlook the heroin problem and being on his 3rd and hopefully last wife).
    • Re: The Taylor Family

      Tue, February 5, 2008 - 9:49 PM
      I have a James Taylor tribe here-Fire and Rain-fans of James Taylor.
      His biggest thing lately-becoming a grandfather in October thanks to daughter Sally.

Recent topics in """Children of the 60's""