Diary of a Player

Thank you for purchasing this Howard Books eBook.

Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Howard Books and Simon & Schuster.

or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com

Howard Books A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 2011 by Brad Paisley

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Howard Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Howard Books hardcover edition November 2011

HOWARD and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.

Designed by Jaime Putorti

Manufactured in the United States of America

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Paisley, Brad.
    Diary of a player : how my musical heroes made a guitar man out of me /
Brad Paisley and David Wild.—1st Howard Books hardcover ed.
         p. cm.
    Includes bibliographical references.
    1. Paisley, Brad. 2. Country musicians—United States—Biography.
    I. Wild, David, 1961– II. Title.
    ML420.P1445A3 2011
    782.421642092—dc23
    [B]                                                                                2011025728
    ISBN 978-1-4516-2552-3
    ISBN 978-1-4516-2553-0 (ebook)

Prologue: Born on Christmas Day

1:
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

2:
TIME WELL WASTED

3:
MORE THAN JUST THIS SONG

4:
CELEBRITY

5:
THE CLIFFS OF ROCK CITY

6:
THE WORLD

7:
WHEN I GET WHERE I'M GOING

8:
WAITIN' ON A WOMAN

9:
THIS IS COUNTRY MUSIC

Letter to Me: Acknowledgments and Thank-You Notes

I
t's Christmas. I am eight years old. I have just finished opening all of the presents that Santa Claus left under our Christmas tree. Being an only child means that pretty much everything sitting in the general vicinity of that evergreen treasure trove is mine to be plundered. Since I've ripped and pillaged every last wrapped gift, it's time to head to Papaw and Mamaw's. The next step in the ritual of Christmas for the Paisley family is to eat lunch at the grandparents' house and exchange more presents between aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws.

As an eight-year-old in 1980, the most important item on my Christmas list was probably plastic, manufactured by Kenner, and said “Star Wars” on the package. In my mind, my
life would have had no meaning if something like a Millennium Falcon or a light saber did not appear that Christmas day. I would have had no reason to go on.

As it turns out, I was right about one thing: my life did depend on a gift that I would receive that December 25. But it wasn't any sort of spaceship, laser sword, or action figure.

Sitting beneath a pile of presents under my grandparents' tree was the answer to almost every question that life would ever throw at me, the map I needed to guide me through every twist and turn, a shield that would defend me from heartache, and a battle-axe that would lead me to victory. And one of the best friends I would ever have.

Every day's a revolution . . .