Arts and Entertainment Books

I used to follow Carol's writing in The Voice and other venues, and I was very glad to find this book. As was said in another review, she offers a fine and (thankfully) opinionated snapshot of two fascinating decades and their music/films/entertainment. I strongly recommend it.

Carol Cooper's articles over the years have either opened my eyes to things I never knew existed in my own and others' cultures, but also provide a snapshot of the moment in which they were written, without being dated. I am so glad her work is now being collected!

This collection of essays and reviews from various periodicals provides
an absorbing critical trip back in time to musicians and other cultural entities from the 80s and 90s that were important to most anyone who was listening an watching back then.

Miss Cooper has re-stirred the excitement I experienced when I first heard music from Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Sade, Prince, et al. She has made me to want to hear and learn about Gospel and Brazilian music. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

And Miss Cooper's writing provides an unusual, welcome, and impressive combination of fact, social commentary, cultural context, and humor.

This is an absorbing collection by an important observer of an underappreciated period in our and some nearby cultures.

Just as James Agee (deceased) and Pauline Kael (alive, but retired) remain the best writers on the Art of Film, so Kenneth Tynan (again, deceased) is still the best writer on the Art of Theatre. Tynan wrote so beautifully and wittily and lovingly about the stage and the people who inhabit it and he was also responsible in a major way for the success of the National Theatre of Great Britain along with his friend and professional partner, Laurence Olivier. (an essay on Olivier is one of the high-points of this book.) It was Tynan who "discovered" Harold Pinter, who "made the career" of John Osbourne and was a major factor in reviving the career of Noel Coward, after years of neglect: as Literary Manager of the National, it was Tynan who urged a revival of Coward's classic "Hay Fever."

This collection of 50 essays is absolutely essential reading for anyone who has a love of theatre or simply of celebrity and star power. No one writing today writes as well as Tynan did nor consistently shows his affection for Show Business. If you regularly read today's so-called critics, you come away with the feeling that they become INSULTED that plays they dislike were actually produced!

I highly recommend this book. It is passionate, charming and, at times, really funny stuff. But, please, do yourself a favor and haunt every used book shop you know to find a copy of Tynan's out-of-print collected theatre reviews from the U.S. (he wrote for "The New Yorker") and England called CURTAINS. It is absolutely the best book of criticism you'll ever read.

Enormously entertaining and the writing is to die for. Epstein regards Tynan as a lightweight and in a way I guess he is, but a skilled lightweight is still a thing of beauty and Tynan IS skilled. I stared underlining favorite passages but had to stop because I was underlining almost everything.

Tynan was one of the century's great journalists, capable of capturing a performer in two paragraphs, yet equally adept at longer essays, several of which are collected here. The pieces on Stoppard and Louise Brooks are particularly fine. The reviewer below is right: the writing is to die for; but, compared to Epstein, Tynan is a super-hevyweight, with ten times the force and prose-potency.

"Promising Skies" is awesome and needs to be seen on a big screen to vie for the Oscar! If Clint Eastwood made a movie out of "The Bridges of Madison County" which I read, there is absolutely no reason why he wouldn't be interested in "Promising Skies". I had so much fun reading it. It had everything in it. The author knew how to mix all of life's ingredients in creating this book. It's a book any fiction reader in this genre would crave for. My message to the author: Please write more!

Go behind the scenes in the extraordinary life of a brilliant singer in Amapola's semi-autobiographical novel, Promising Skies. Janeera Vivioni grew up in a violent home. Beaten by her father and unprotected by her mother, her only refuge lies in her singing. As soon as she is old enough, she escapes with a man named Tony to launch her singing career. But her plans of making beautiful music with the man she adores quickly sour
when Tony proves as brutal as her father was. Now Janeera must find a way to escape him, but can she ever really escape her troubled past?

In moving prose, Amapola takes us from Mexico to Hawaii to the foggy shores of San Francisco as Janeera Vivioni's star begins to rise. Managers seek to make her the most sought after star in the firmament, but while Janeera is lucky at singing, she continues to be unlucky at love-so much so that she eventually attempts to take her own life. Despite the glamour and the satisfaction of her successful career, she is plagued by a deep
yearning she can't seem to fill, not until a final terrible secret is revealed.

Amapola writes like a dream, showing us the high notes and the low points in a beautiful young singer's life. Richly atmospheric and full of intriguing insider information, Promising Skies is a smart and moving portrait of a young woman struggling to find her own happiness. The truth might be shattering, but in this brave and endearing novel, it eventually serves to set her free.

(Ellen Tanner Marsh is a New York Times best selling author.)

An excellent love story about oneself. I think that this story was well-written and very interesting. There was enough suspense to hold my attention. The other characters unfolded through the plot effectively. While I was reading, I found myself getting personally involved with the main character, Janeera Vivioni. By the time I was finished with the book, I half expected her to call me and ask me out to lunch.

A must-read for all fans of musical theatre, this heart-warming candid and funny autobiography provides a fascinating look into the world of showbusiness. Charles Strouse writes candidly about his ups-and-downs in showbusiness, the nagging insecurities that have followed him throughout his career and of course provides juicy tidbits about Teresa Stratas, Arthur Laurents, Leondard Bernstein and more.

Well written, funny as hell, and eminently readable "Put On a Happy Face" is as entertaining as any of Charles Strouse's best shows. In this book, whose title is taken from one of his many standards, Strouse takes us on a journey through the Broadway musical theater of the last fifty years. Along the way we meet the legends with whom he has worked (and with whom he has occasionally battled): David Merrick, Mel Brooks, Lauren Bacall, Dick Van Dyke, Gower Champion, Joshua Logan, Mike Nichols, Arthur Laurents, Alan Jay Lerner. He demonstrates how tough it is to write a musical and how much tougher it is to get it produced, only to have the critics break your heart. But he also shows the exhilaration and thrills when the show is a smash hit, like Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, or Annie.He clears up the confusion regarding his (and Lee Adams') contributions to Hello, Dolly!, especially laying to rest once and for all (one hopes) the rumors concerning the true authorship of "Before the Parade Passes By."
Strouse has had a fabulous career. Besides the hit shows, so many of his songs have become standards: "Tomorrow," "You've Got Possibilities," "Once Upon a Time," "Kids," "A Lot of Livin' To Do," and others. Buffs worship his score for Rags. His title song for Dance a Little Closer is gorgeous. His theme song for All in the Family --- "Those Were the Days" is one of the best known tv themes ever. If you analyze "The Telephone Hour" measure by measure, you will be astonished by the musicianship. In person, Charles Strouse is warm, gracious, and, to borrow the title of one of his songs, a "perfect gentleman." All that talent and honest personality come through in the pages of this book.
Don't miss it.

Charles Strouse is one of the last of a generation of great tune smiths. Broadway composers who could, as Richard Rodgers said, "piss good melodies." No matter what the show, Strouse could be counted upon to come up with great singable, hummable and even memorable tunes. He didn't always have hit shows, but when he did they were shows like Bye Bye Birde and Annie. This book tells a lot about the hits and also offers some wonderful anecdotes and insights into the various flops. Strouse isn't afraid to say what is one his mind and ruffle some feathers. The sections on Golden Boy and Sammy Davis Jr. and especially the Nick and Nora chapter that tells us more than we knew about Arthur Laurents are especially tasty. Unlike many memoirs, Charles personal life is handled very well and I was not bored for a second at the part I usually like to skip: the childhood. Charles ties it all in to his career and how the music was made and where it came from. One of the best memoirs to come down the pike in a while. Highly recommended to anyone interested in theatre, music or film.

This book is a great buy for anyone interested in Ridley Scott or in filmmaking in general. His interviews if looked at closely reveal mountains of filmmaking knowledge as it goes through most of his major motion pictures in a series of varying inteviews dating from around 70's to when the book was published. True film buffs might get a good bit of pleasure out of this text as well.

I've been a fan of Ridley Scott's films since I first began to study film as an art form and not just as something to do on a weekend. Your eyes are never bored, he constantly produces great images to take in and transport you to new worlds. The level of immersion he allows an audience to indulge in is amazing, there are not too many other filmmakers who are able to do this.

This interview book starts at his early beginnings at art school and his long and lucrative foray into the commercial world and proceeds chronologically through Matchstick Men. There is some mention of Kingdom of Heaven, but no heavy material, as this book was published around the same time this movie came out.

Although a couple of the articles were somewhat familiar to me, most were first time reads for me, and so the book was very fresh and informative. Some of his lesser known or less popular films like White Squall and 1492:Conquest of Paradise have some very good making-of articles and were the most surprising. Much is discussed about Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma and Louise, which is a given, but this doesn't diminish their interest.

What unfolds is a well drawn picture of a man who didn't start making features until he was nearly 40, whose film career has had its ups and downs over the last nearly three decades, yet who has not tired of making pictures that stretch over vast and small spaces and will hopefully continue to innovate and challenge audiences for years to come. I highly recommend this book for his fans, and for those who have taken even passing interest in his films.

I usually own all the movies directed by my favorite directors. Even their lesser achievements often prove to say a lot about them. And you usually get to understand the man (if not know them) through their filmography.
I must admit that I never thought of Ridley Scott as one of my favorite directors until I read this book. I never actually realized that I actually own all his movies! and the reason for that is because I was not always connecting the themes and constants all along his career. If you take Alien and Thelma&Louise, one could wonder what is the link between the 2 films. I am not saying that we should always try to connect every filmmaker's movie to his previous ones but after reading Ridley's interviews, I really started understanding the man's endeavour. All through the interviews, spreading from 1975 to 2000, he actually never discusses politics or mystical matters. He is a filmmaker with a pragmatic approach to his art. Coming with an art director background, he likes to build his movies. At some point, it is said he likes to create universe. And this is the connection between all of his movies: the sets speak for Ridley. He seems to take acting very seriously as well so he is not just painting on the surface; content does matter equally as the surface but Ridley works in subtle touches. He obviously demonstrates through the years that he leaves nothing to chance.
Highly recommanded.

This beautiful book offers comprehensive insight into both Robert Wilson's life and productions. Beautiful photographs illustrate the descriptions of almost all of his productions and are complete with dates and information about the actors and sets photographed. For anyone who is interested in this legendary diretcor, or is interested in avant-garde theater and opera, this book is a real treasure. If only it were a little less expensive.

Of course, you might not like Robert Wilson at all, and will assume, therefore, that this book is equally bad, since it is about a topic ý an artist - you do not like. However, let us put the book into the perspective of what it is ý a pictorial and essay romp through the lifeýs work of a major theatrical artist. This book is huge ý if you are looking for a coffee table book about Robert Wilson, this is it. This thing is bloody heavy. The pages are crisp and thick, and it is loaded, absolutely loaded, with photos of Wilsonýs stagecraft. The photos and the stories cover both the development of theatrical ideas, and also the live performances, so you can see shots of the stages with and without actors, and during rehearsals and during shows. For the person interested in theater, or other visual art, Robert Wilson is a guy who should be studied. He paints with light, has some pretty unconventional methods of movement, use of space, and design of stage. What is so compelling about Wilson is that nothing unnecessary happens on stage ý every movement, whether a nod of the head, a twitch of the hand, a move of the arm are all planned and staged; every costume, every prop, every chair are all designed specifically for a production, and placed with precise exactitude to make the entirety of the stage balanced with the story being told. Heýs an amazing artist, and an even more amazing theatrical designer. For the person new to Robert Wilson, you might be most interested by his stagings of known works ý LOHENGRIN at the Met, or DIE ZAUBERFLOTE, or a host of other well-known pieces. The Wilson novitiate, knowing those stories, will get a better idea of how Wilson thinks and stages these things. Looking at pictures of his own works, which you might not be familiar with, makes it difficult to tell just what heýs doing.

It is laid out in a mostly linear fashion, beginning in the 60s, and working through to the present. The essays and text is helpful and dense with information, and offers many insights into what Robert Wilson has been, and still is, trying to evoke with his incredible and unique theatrical vision.

This book excels at offering a glimpse of Robert Wilsonýs work and philosophy. Of course, since this is mainly a picture book, it is not as insightful or dense as a pure book of text might be, but you canýt speak of Wilson without showing some pictures, so a book of text would be useless anyway.

My only beef with this book is that it does not have enough pictures. But, itýs already hundreds of pages long and extremely heavy, so obviously this is merely the wish of a fan, not a criticism of the book itself.

This book also excels within the genre of books about visual art. It is well organized, well indexed, the pictures are sharp and in focus and gloriously show the vivid colors that Robert Wilson loves to use. The craftmanship is excellent, the binding superb, the paper thick and long-lasting, etc. etc. etc. You might think I dwell on the physical aspect of the book too much, but for a [price] book, you better be getting something not only of content quality, but of physical quality, and this book delivers.

If you are a fan of Wilson, or a fan of the theater, this book is one of my top recommends. I admit, I am a huge fan of Wilson, so I have that bias, but I love to page through this thing to be inspired and to get lost in his wonderful aesthetic.

Kudos to the publisher, and kudos to the authors/editor and Robert Wilson.

I simply saw Robert Wilson's breathtakingly theatrical production of Richard Wagner's LOHENGRIN at the Metropolitan Opera one time, a few seasons ago, and I was hooked.

This production, although certainly unconventional--there is absolutely nothing representational or realistic on the stage for the entire length of the performance--tries to help the viewer listen even more carefully to the gorgeous music, to examine the characters on the stage and then to see the work in a totally different light.

Light, in fact, is of supreme importance in all of Wilson's works, as one can witness in this invaluable book of photographs and essays on one of the most important, creative theatre directors and designers working today.

Anyone who has seen any theatrical piece designed and/or directed by Wilson, may like it, dislike it, be forever changed by it....but will never forget it. Wilson's work with frequent collaborator, Philip Glass (i.e. EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH), his beginnings (DEAFMAN GLANCE at the Festival of Nancy, France), his work with celebrities (Jessye Norman in GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING at the Theatre des Champs Elysses), work in the U.S. (i.e. KNEE PLAYS with a score by David Byrne),standard opera productions (i.e. SALOME at La Scala) are all given their due in this lengthy, gorgeously designed volume.

Besides the essays and photographs (color and black & white) there is a complete chronology of Wilson's works up to and including his production of Stravinsky's OEDIPUS REX paired with Bartok's BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE for Opera Zurich, TIME ROCKER by Lou Reed in Hamburg and Virgil Thompson's FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS for the Edinburgh Festival, all in 1996. Theatre, film, video, solo exhibitions, museum installations, awards and selected publications are all listed with complete descriptions and vital facts. For anyone interested in where World Theatre has been and where it is going, this book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Steve's really done a great job with this book. It covers anything and everything you could ever want to know on Robin's work up to "Hamlet." Lots of great photos, too. If you're a fan of Robin, a fan of one of his films, or just like movies in general, this is a fabulous book to have.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Robin Williams. It is very well written, with lots of great pictures - and not just the ones that you always see. The book deals with a lot of what Robin has done on stage and on television, as well as his movie career. It also has chapters on Comic Relief, several interviews, and even a puzzle.

These are some of the things I really enjoyed in this book:
The highlights from An Evening With Robin Williams and the summary of An Evening at the Met.
The short descriptions of all the Mork and Mindy episodes, and the extensive summaries of the very first episode and the episode called Mork Meets Robin Williams.
The account of Mad Magazine's parody of Mork and Mindy: Shmork and Windy.
The long, interesting interviews.
The comments to each of Robin's movies, from Popeye in 1980 to Hamlet in 1997. First Spignesi says what the movie is about, and what he thinks, then comes what the critics said. Often we also get to hear something Robin said about the movie.
(This review is part of my comment on the book on my homepage.)

Robin Williams is only eleven years older than I am, so I guess you could say I grew up with him. Mork and Mindy were primary staple when I was in high school. So when I found THE ROBIN WILLIAMS SCRAPBOOK on sale, I couldn't resist. And in only the first couple of pages, I knew it was a bargain at any price.

Intersperses with the necessary "place of birth" type information, Stephen Spignesi recounts Williams' life from the perspective of Williams' body of work. The book's chapters each represent Williams' work in chronological order as it relates to his life. Written in an engaging, immediate tone, the reader can't help becoming a part of the flow of the text, and the "legalized insanity" of William's life.

As I read, the book's humane, honest, and humorous tidbits that kept my emotions engaged. Learning of Williams' support of actor Christopher Reeve following the accident), his perchance for sexual humor and play, and his favorite joke. Filled with photos, stories of performances, and peaks into his personal life, THE ROBIN WILLIAMS SCRAPBOOK is a fascinating, must read for Williams fans. Very Highly recommended.

In 1932 Ronald Colman was Hollywood's top male star. He was known as the perfect british gentleman, but also for his delicious sense of humour. He was the epitome of graciousness, sensitivity and complete sincerity. Millions of woman loved the introspective sadness in his eyes and the indefinable fragility of that famous, exquisitely modulated voice. His latest film, CYNARA, however, was a flop: the public did not buy their vulnerable and self-sacrificial hero in the role of an adulterer. Sam Goldwyn, his less than gentlemanly boss, was responsible for many embarrassing moments in his career. But this time he went too far: In his new film THE MASQUERADER, Colman played a dual role, one of them was a dipsomaniac. In a publicity-grabbing gimmick, Goldwyn ordered press release, stating, to put it bluntly, that Colman looked, acted and loved best when drunk. The offended star sued his producer for libel and $2 million in damages. After a long war of nerves, the matter was settled out of court, but the star never worked for Goldwyn again.

I mentioned this affair to explain, why Colman, who deserved to be mentioned in one breath with Gable and Grant seems to be forgotten even by usually well-informed film fans. I discovered him only coincidentally, when RANDOM HARVEST was shown late at night, and find it incredible that his name is not known to a larger audience. He won an academy award for A DOUBLE LIFE, his filmography is filled with well-known titles. Although he was one of the first and most successful free-lance actors, his split with Goldwyn cost him dearly: He did not play Rhett Butler (He was Selznick's first choice), he did not play Maxim in REBECCA. Other actors made JANE EYRE, INTERMEZZO, THE PARADINE CASE. Paradoxically, the star with Hollywood's finest speaking voice became a victim of sound: Since he left the studio, he could not remake his most famous silents, THE DARK ANGEL, STELLA DALLAS, and BEAU GESTE - other actors grabbed the roles and those are the versions widely known today. The same thing is true for his famous talking films, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, and A TALE OF TWO CITIES. They were remade in the fifties, and not for the better. His most famous film, LOST HORIZON, was butchered by censors who did not appreciate its pacifistic message. (Colman was seriously wounded in WWI). Since he was a true gentleman who never caused any scandals, it is perhaps a wonder that he is remembered at all.

With his first-rate biography, and filmography, R. Dixon Smith was instrumental in making this wonderful actor known to a wider audience. It contains not only a biography (to be honest, I would have preferred a more intimate biography, but Colman was a very private person and never filled the pages of the yellow press), but, most importantly, a scene-by-scene re-narration of ALL his films: what you would call a spoiler review. This is done in full detail ( ten big pages are consecrated to RANDOM HARVEST, for instance). Those reviews constitute the main part of this excellent book, and offer indispensable informations, especially, since many of his films are lost, hard to get or rarely shown at all. Colman's glamour was genuine, for it came from his gentility, inner strength, and irresistible charm. I highly recommand this book!

If you are a Ronald Colman fan, this is the book for you!

Smith has one of the largest collections of Colman stills in the world, and this is the basis of his exhaustive filmography, covering lost silents, deleted scenes from Colman's films, and all of the favorites ("Lost Horizon," "Random Harvest," and many others).

Smith does not neglect the biographical aspects, and Colman's life is covered as well, in a well-written prose style that is easy to read, as well as informative.

Colman was a true gentleman of the cinema, as well as in his private life, and I can think of no better book to recommend than this one. Smith has done his job well, and I think every classic film fan, along with Colman's fans, will enjoy and learn much from this book.

This biography is a beautiful and sensitive portrayal of a gentleman actor who's dazzling career spanned four decades, and included such films as: RANDOM HARVEST, A TALE OF TWO CITIES and LOST HORIZON. It is evident that the author spent much time, care and love on this book in presenting the reader with all the facts of Ronald Colman's life and his films. Not only is there grand information, but the book is also full of wonderful photographs of the actor. A Wonderful biography.

This collection of the late Richard Salant's letters and memoirs shows that the former CBS News president -- with his strong sense of justice, fairness and intelligence -- deserves to be just as much a legend to the public as the men and women who worked for him.

Throughout the Vietnam and Watergate era of the 60s and 70s, the lawyer-turned-news executive was credited with standing up for his news people in conflicts with the government and business interests. In this volume of memoirs, organized very well by Susan and Bill Buzenberg, readers also see that he was just as tough with his own staff when it came to issues of balance and accuracy.

Readers will also be intrigued by Salant's explanation of why he approved "60 Minutes" several years after it was proposed; his written battle of wits with Charles Crutchfield, the conservative chief executive of a CBS Television affiliate;
why he didn't like music on CBS news shows; and why he felt himself a stranger in strange lands during his post-CBS years at NBC and the National News Council.

This book will be enjoyed by those interested in the issues behind newsgathering. And even though the business has changed markedly (to many, for the worse) since Salant's days, the Salant memoirs show the intelligence, thought and love of humanity he brought to his work -- qualities that are always needed in the exercise of news judgement.

It's been a quarter century after Dick Salant's left the stage of broadcast journalism. But thanks to this excellent book, his wisdom and intellect can benefit generations of young journalists.

I had to read this book for a Media Ethics class and I must say that it was one of my favourite books! Salant teaches readers about the workings of a newsroom and the struggle to do what is right with the news through funny annecdotes and interesting stories. Any aspiring journalist MUST read this, and anyone just looking for a good biography would do well to read this. (Actually, EVERYONE should read this as journalism and the media are a strong presence in all our lives, and this is a fun way to learn more about it.)

The Buzenbergs have captured the essence of a unique man of principle. Using Salant's voluminous archives, this book is a fascinating trip through an era that established high standards in broadcast journalism. The book raises issues and questions which are at the heart of today's journalism. Household names Cronkite, Rather, Brokaw, Jennings, Sevareid are the characters in the tale of how the premiere broadcast news organization came to be - what and who held it together - and the inside view of a corporation struggling with its identity. The players were giants in a land that has more recently turned into a universe of pygmies. You don't have to be a news junkie to enjoy and learn from this book - you just have to ask yourself: "if I see one more Monica Lewinsky story"...I won't take it anymore! Good reading.

Peter Herford

I've read at least 10 different books about the Grateful Dead. While many of these books are very informative, nothing comes close to Phil Lesh's book. It reads more like a day-to-day encyclopedia of Phil's perspective of his life before, during and after the Grateful Dead. No detail seems to be left out. His memory of the minutia of his life is staggering. If you really want to know what was going on with Phil before, during and after the Grateful Dead, this book is highly recommended. It is not a quick read but it is very informative: more so than any other book regarding the Grateful Dead. Budget between 15 and 20 hours to read this book even though it does not appear to be that long of a book. Phil, job well done! Bravo!

Phil Lesh has written a very thoughtful and introspective at times auto- and bio -graphy of his bandmates, lives, loves, families, and most importante to most of us, fictional caricatures...(I mean, Neal Cassidy, was that guy for real???!!!) My road stories pale in comparison, as do all of ours, I think...and the muzak, just flows from Phil's pen, in a similar rythm as his music. Hey, Phil, thanks for the memories, your style is similar to snapshots that one can pull out and look at from time to time, grin, laugh, cry, all good, everything's good. This is one of my current fave gifts to friends, probably will be forever. Classic. Life is good, cya

An old maxim states that if you can remember the 1960s, then you probably weren't there; a sentiment that suggests, I suppose, that if you really were an active participant in that frenzied decade, with its recreational and psychedelic drug use, then your brainpan should be too sizzled to recall any of it. Putting the lie to this old adage is Phil Lesh, in his 2005 autobiography "Searching for the Sound." If there's any survivor of the '60s who should have his cerebrum toasted well past the point of recall, it is Phil Lesh. As one of the original hippies, a participant at every one of the eight Acid Tests, a veteran of the true Summer of Love (1966), AND the 30-year bass player extraordinaire for that most psychedelic and improvisatory of San Francisco bands, the Grateful Dead, Lesh certainly did have his fair share of electric Kool-Aid pass under his bridge! But, as his beautifully written book reveals, his memory remains remarkably clear, even regarding those events of four decades ago surrounding the birth of his seminal band. To his great credit, Lesh has written his story all by his ownsome--with no ghost writer or coauthor--and tells the Dead's story with clarity, passion and a good deal of touching sentiment; as he movingly tells us in his intro, "I was born an only child but found my true brothers through the art of music." I have personally been a "Deadhead" since the late '60s, and was still unaware of the vast majority of the tales that Lesh doles out in his book. What stories the man can tell! One of the more distressing ones comes early on, when we learn of how guitarist Jerry Garcia almost fell out of a train whilst en route to a Vancouver gig in summer 1966, and would have been crushed by an oncoming train if fellow bandmember Bob Weir had not pulled him back in time. Our good ol' Grateful Dead might have been finished before it had properly begun! Phil matches his writing style and choice of words to match the craziness of some of those Acid Tests, and his way-out description of his craziest (accidental) acid trip is a memorable one indeed. The incident with Barney the Dinosaur and Garcia will surely have all fans of the band laughing out loud, as will Lesh's revelation that an early moniker choice for the nascent band was Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle! Lesh seems to hold little back, detailing his descent into alcoholism without maudlin self-pity. Needless to say, many of the stories in this book are sad ones; the Dead lost too many of its family over the years--three keyboardists (well, four now that Vince Welnick has left us) plus Uncle Jerry--and Phil's recounting of these losses is obviously deeply felt. The usual highlights are touched on, of course: Woodstock (pretty nightmarish, from Lesh's description), Altamont (even more so), the bust in New Orleans, the Europe '72 tour, the Dead's gig at the Great Pyramids. But for every by-now-familiar tale (and even these seem fresh through Lesh's eyes) there are a dozen less familiar ones, and the author tells his stories with insight, articulateness, and the wisdom that comes from great trial and experience. (And how gratifying, for me, to learn from Phil how much the band valued audience participation and feedback--I sometimes wondered--and that Madison Square Garden, where I attended so many of my Dead shows, was one of his favorite venues to play in.) What Phil does NOT do in his book is explain the meaning of the Dead's songs ("Box of Rain" excepted); those looking for an in-depth discussion of the recondite significance of "What's Become of the Baby" are advised to seek out another publication (such as David Dodd's excellent new "The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics"). The first five years of the band's history take up the full first half of Phil's story--I gather that he finds the earlier stuff more noteworthy--and, in the book's second half, the final 25 years are increasingly compressed; we can almost feel the accelerating, frenzied tempo of the group's final years. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not complaining here about any disproportionate emphasis. The truth of the matter is that Phil's book could obviously have been four times longer than he has chosen to make it; 30 years in rock music's most heavily gigging band would naturally provide Phil with a superabundance of material, and, again to his credit, he has chosen to write with great economy, cherry picking the incidents that he wants to include and excluding much else. (Perhaps one day we'll be able to coax another book's worth of stories from him...I hope!)
I mentioned up top that Phil's memory seems to be preternaturally clear, and it does; and yet, some sticking points crop up. For example, he tells us that in summer 1970, at the end of the trans-Canadian railway tour so finely chronicled in the film "Festival Express," Janis Joplin received a birthday cake from the tour promoters. But Janis' birthday is widely quoted as being January 19th. Something strange there. Also, Phil tells us of one of the best double bills that he ever witnessed at Bill Graham's Fillmore West: Chuck Berry and Count Basie's Big Band, in summer 1967. BUT, according to the complete listing of Fillmore West concerts provided in the old double CD "Fillmore, The Last Days," such a double bill never occurred that summer. Rather, Chuck Berry appeared with the Steve Miller Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 16-17, and Basie appeared with the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 20-21. I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong--how should I know?--but it sure does leave a reader scratching the ol' noggin. Anyway, these are mere quibbles. The bottom line is that Phil Lesh has done all fans of the Grateful Dead and 1960s rock a tremendous service by putting pen to paper and sharing some of his memories with us. Needless to say, as the only band member to do so thus far, he has provided us with a work of great historical significance. I have read the book twice already, and will surely continue to refer to it for years to come. Thanks, Phil! And, on a personal side note TO Phil, please remember to take your milk thistle! We all need you around for as long as humanly possible!