In My Hour of Darkness, In My Time of Need is a 130-line narrative poem by Jonathan Fink about the life of pioneering musician Gram Parsons and his overdose and failed cremation at what at the time was Joshua Tree National Monument. Accompanied by original works of art created by Julie Fink, the art and poetry book was printed in a limited edition print run and also made available digitally for free online as the culminating project of a October 2023 Artist-in-Residence Fellowship awarded to Jonathan by Joshua Tree National Park. The pdf of the project is presented here for free. To purchase a print copy of the book please contact the authors for more information through the contact page.
A Note from the Author
On September 19, 1973, pioneering “Cosmic American Music” musician Gram Parsons passed away at the age of twenty-six from an overdose at the Joshua Tree Inn in Joshua Tree, California. Following Gram Parsons’s death, Parsons’s road manager and one of his acquaintances stole Parsons’s coffin and body from the Los Angeles International Airport and performed a failed cremation at Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Monument, attempting to honor what Parsons stated previously and prophetically as his desired request. This poem imagines the final moments of Parsons’s spirit and voice rising in the smoke of the failed cremation.
A Note from the Artist
Many of the images included here are inspired and informed by Gram Parsons’s “Nudie Suits” created by Nudie Cohn. In a blend of tradition and irreverence reflective of his musical vision and life, Gram Parsons requested that his Nudie Suits contain images of pills, poppies, marijuana leaves, naked women, a Joshua tree, and a large cross, among others. The additional artwork included in the book reflects the landscape of Joshua Tree that was so important to Parsons as well as imagined renderings based on the content of the poem. All original artwork for this project was done in watercolor and charcoal.
JONATHAN FINK 