8/3/2019 Wayward Saints by Suzzy Roche - Reading group guide & song lyrics

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Wayward Saints

By Suzzy Roche

Whats the matter babyYou look sad and lonely

Like youre about to fall apart

Why not look me in the eye

Tell me the reason why

You dont trust anyone

Your crooked path and fall from grace

A shadow cast all over the place

Youre cracked up but youre holy too

Hurt because youre black and blue

Dont worry child, ever wild

Youre stars are chipped in silver paint

And youre a wayward saint

A wayward saint, thats all

Hello perfect stranger

Broken heart and halo

Where do the fallen angels go

Lost in the milky way

Hell bent on yesterday

Hiding out and laying low

Between the cracks on broken stairs

Wild owers grow up everywhere

Youre psychedelic, crazy too

Just remember I love you

Dont worry child, ever wild

Its what you are not what you aint

And youre a wayward saint

A wayward saint, thats all

Listen to the song inspiredby the novel now.Song written by Suzzy Roche/Untodust Ditties ASCAP

www.suzzyroche.com@suzzyroche

January 2012

8/3/2019 Wayward Saints by Suzzy Roche - Reading group guide & song lyrics

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Reading Group Guide

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Wayward Saints explores the life of Mary Saint, the rule-

breaking former lead singer of the almost-famous band Sliced

Ham, after her fall from grace (and the public eye) seven years

earlier. She has found a modest home in San Francisco, and,

with the help of her best friend, Thaddeus, is trying to center her

life and nd the peace she couldnt grasp as an out-of-control,

rebellious rock star, or as a scared, abused young girl. Back

in Marys hometown of Swallow, New York, her mother, Jean

Saint, is also trying to get past Marys hurtful pastas well as

her long, abusive, lonely marriage. When Mary is invited to give

a concert at her old high school, Jean is thrilled, but shes also

worried about what her town will think of her daughters music.

Though the concert brings Mary physically back to Swallow,its the bonds of family, and the self-condence that she nds

while home, that nally bring Mary peace.

D i s c u s s i o n Q u e s t i o n s1. Were you familiar with Suzzy Roche and the Roches before

you read this book? If so, what did you learn about Suzzy

Roche that you wouldnt have known from her music? If

not, did the book inspire you to listen to her music?

2. Suzzy is a singer and musician in real life. What parts

of the book do you think beneted most from Suzzys

personal experience in the music industry? What do you

feel you learned about Suzzy by reading this book?

3. Wayward Saints is in many ways about the dreams of

fame clashing with the reality. What things in your own

life seemed more glamorous from afar? Have you ever

worked hard to achieve something, only to nd that the

reality wasnt at all what you expected?

4. How do you think Marys childhood inuenced who she

grew up to be?

5. How did religion both strengthen and unsettle Mary and

Jean at various times in their lives?

6. In what ways are Mary and Jean different? In what ways

are they similar?

7. How, if at all, did Bubs letter to Jean

and Mary change your opinion of him?

Do you think Jean should have kept it

to herself, or did she make the right

decision in hiding it in Marys luggage?

8. Consider the idea of leading a good

lifeproper, diligent, politeversus

a bad oneloud, antagonistic,

impulsive. What did Jean sacrice in

order to lead a good life? What did

Mary sacrice in order to lead a bad

one? Is one way any better than the

other?

9. How did Marys playing with the church band change her?

How did it affect her relationship with music, with herself

and with her past?

10. On the plane ying to East Swallow, Roche writes tha

Mary was calm but excited, thinking this must be wha

it feels like to be alive (p. 218 ). Why do you think Mary

hadnt felt alive until that moment? What does that say

about her earlier life choices and experiences?

11. Suzzy writes of Mary, up onstage at the concert in Swallow

Each song was a reminder of everywhere shed eve

been, of all that had gone wrong, of the choices shed

made, the public exposure of her glorious mistakes; andwhat she had going for her now was the audacity to carry

on (p. 236). In what ways was the concert a triumph for

Mary? In what ways, if at all, was it a letdown? What do

you think Mary got out of the concert personally?

12. How did Marys concert and visit home change her

relationship with Jean? How did the visit also change

other peoples relationships: Jean and Vincent? Mary and

Thaddeus? Mary and her hometown as a whole?

13. Who is the authentic Mary Saint: the San Francisco, dogloving, coffee-shop-owning Mary, or the hard-rocking

harder-partying, screw-it-all Mary? Do you think people

can truly follow such diverse paths at different times

in their lives, or do we all eventually gravitate toward a

singular authentic persona?

14. Consider the title of the book. In what ways are Jean and

Mary both wayward?

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A Conversation with Suzzy Roche

Q: When you began writing, did you consider writing

a memoir, or did you intentionally lean toward

ction?

A: Although Ive enjoyed reading memoirs, Ive neverconsidered writing a memoir. For me, the problem with a

memoir is that memory is slippery. As soon as something

happens, it changes as a result of whatever happens next.

Also, the way I see it, people I know and love have a right

to their own privacy, and Id be too worried about hurting

peoples feelings or saying something inaccurate.

I prefer the world of ction, where my characters

can surprise me by revealing certain ideas and feelings

that may be roaming around in my subconscious mind.

My imagination has always been my particular pathway

to writing, performing, and singing. The characters

in Wayward Saints are completely ctional, almost

whimsical. Hopefully, they ring true. Ive discovered that

writing ction is like dreaming all day long, and thats not

to imply that Im an airhead!

Q: Your daughter Lucy is also a musician. Did you

support her going into the industry?

A: This is a difcult question. Its not an easy life, even withsuccess. But then again, what life is?

Lucy has always had an uncommonly pure and

beautiful voice. I remember once, when she was a tiny

girl, maybe three years old, she looked up at me and said,

Music is my life. Frankly, it startled me. Lucy grew up

on the road with the Roches, and almost everyone on

both sides of her family is a musician/songwriter, but she

showed a great interest in working with children (to this

day, she is a baby magnet).

She achieved her masters in education and the verynext day went on the road with her brother Rufus, and

shes been on the road ever since. In four years she has

made three recordings, written great songs, and built an

impressive following. She knows the harsh realities of

the business. In fact, she runs her own

business.

I told her right off the bat that if she

wasnt willing to go to the wall, she

might want to reconsider. The worst

part is that she travels alone, and I

spend many anxious nights waiting for

a text from her telling me that shes

okay. But I am a rm believer that Lucy

should make her own choices. Im

there to support those choices. She is

a true original, and whatever she does

will most likely be amazing to me.

Q: Who is your favorite character in Wayward

Saints? If you could spend a day with that person

what would you want to do?

A: Ha! Fun question. I admit that I have a soft spot for a

my characters, but I wouldnt mind hanging out with

Thaddeus at Gods Kindness Church. Id love to learn how

to be able to be truly kind.

Q: Which do you think is a more revealing experience

writing a book or performing a song?A: To me they are two sides of a coin. I confess I often have

a hard time in social situations. I love to listen to other

people talk, but I can be terribly shy. There is nothing like

standing on a stage because you cannot hide. Especially

for a private person, like myself, its like being on a

tightwireexcruciating, Id say. But its a place of truth

For a shy person, performing is a way to communicate.

Likewise, writing a book is a way to communicate

Maybe Im writing to an imaginary best friend. I have to

assume that someonesomewherewill understand

what I mean. But its a risk to sit alone and write a book

Its a lonely process, which requires an enormous amoun

of faith. For me, faith is a big part of both experiences.

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Q: Wayward Saints explores the power of music,

family, faith, and second chances. Which of these

themes is personally most important to you?

A: All of the themes are compelling to me (and dont forget

violence), and in particular how they bump up against

each other; but especially as I get older, the exploration

of faith and how it intersects with art is of particular

interest to me. And then theres always the power of love

andforgiveness.

Q: From teaching to composing to writing to acting

to directing, your work has spanned quite the

creative range. Is there anything else youd like

to try your hand at?

A: Its funny, I guess I have done all these things you mention,

but sometimes I feel like Ive never done a thing! I consider

myself a scrappy, hungry scavenger, in search of the nextidea. I have always lived on the edge, never really knowing

where my next project will be lurking, and Ive often lived

in fear of not being able to pay my rent. Whats amazing to

me is that Ive been blessed to work creatively throughout

my life.

But I also learned something very early on, which is

that every single thing I do is just as important as every

other thing I do. I admit that I feel best when I have a

project to work on, but those weeks and months of lost

wanderingand even despairusually lead me to my

next idea. I guess its like shing: you have to be willing

to sit and wait with your shing pole in

the water.

As for what Id like to do next? I

love to collaborate, and so Im always

looking for soul mates to work with; I

learn so much from collaborating, even

if its painting a room with someone. But

hopefully, I will continue to practice theart of singing and playing a songa

lifelong pursuit. And Id like to be able

to write another novel, because I think

Im already a better writer than I was.

Q: What kind of reader did you have

in mind when you wrote this

bookyounger, older, urban, rural? Did you write

with your music fans in mind?

A: The corny truth is, I wrote from the bottom of my heart

and had to turn my back, even on my own snarky self, to

allow myself an imaginary, genuine reader.

Having been involved with countless projects that

demanded forays into uncharted territory, Ive realized

that no matter what I do, there will be some people

who will like what Ive created and some people who

will not. The world is a gigantic theater, so the trick is

how to find the right audience. Again, its a mystery

But, dear reader, I know youre out there somewhereand thank you.