John Mellencamp is not your typical rock star. Not only has he absorbed into his own work the influence of Faulkner, Steinbeck and other literary giants, he himself could have stepped straight from the pages of any of their great American novels. A complex, colorful and larger than life character, Mellencamp, like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash before him, walks to the beat of his own drum. Mellencamp charts the life of one of the most fascinating characters in American music. With Mellencamp's full blessing, Rees will include interviews with his friends, family and colleagues, including Bob Seger, Stephen King, Willie Nelson, Larry McMurtry, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Chuck D, among others. Rees will also include interviews from artists on whom Mellencamp has had a pronounced influence, such as as John Mayer, Keith Urban, and Jason Isbell. John Mellencamp is an American original. Now, for the first time, the authorized story of his life will allow his millions of fans to look behind the curtain.