In an attempt to answer these questions, I spent the past six months reporting on Carmen’s life through interviews with family members, his former manager, close friends, bandmates, and fellow musicians who drew a lifetime of inspiration from his work. The complex portrait that emerged varies wildly, depending on who’s doing the telling. His bandmates and friends who stayed with him to the end describe Carmen as a kind and generous suburban dad, happily retired, madly in love with Amy, and shattered by the loss of his relationship with his kids. His brother, children, and ex-wife, Susan, describe a bitter, paranoid conspiracy theorist haunted by the past, lost in the face of shifting musical tastes, hopelessly addicted to alcohol, and manipulated by Amy to turn on his family. {read}