Dance Books

Geoff Dyer's But Beautiful: A Book about Jazz is much more than an extended critical essay on a still-evolving, vital musical genre and a great deal more than fictional portrayals of Jazz legends. Here, Dyer focuses his considerable talents on creating a kind of Jazz-in-print, seeking to emulate the frenzied riffing, explosive spontaneity and creative interplay, which has given Jazz music so much more vitality than many other genres' created in the 20th century. Without question, one would have to agree that he has succeeded, totally to the readers' enrichment.

But Beautiful hits the reader on several levels; we are taken on a series of journeys into the lives, thoughts, conversations and seminal events of eight Jazz musicians. Between each chapter is inserted a fictional, road-tripping almost ghostly presence of Duke Ellington, a father figure of modern Jazz who may well have known, recorded and very likely influenced all eight men whom Dyer chose to write/riff about. What's real about the eight musicians are the bare-bones facts known to many Jazz fans; Lester Young court-martialed by the Army because of an inability to cope with a racist Drill Sergeant, Chet Baker's teeth knocked out by an angry drug dealer in a seedy, San Francisco diner, Art Pepper sentenced to five years in prison on a Heroin possession conviction and so on. What's possible, and perhaps no less real to the reader are the details of their lives, their anguish and the self-destructive passions which attend the day to day living of so many creative people. Dyer draws these details in part through listening to the music and inspiration gained by looking at photographs of some of the musicians. 'Not as they were but as they appear to me....' Dyer asks the reader to see the musicians as he sees them, to believe in the memory of what these photos inspired. The men and their lives are portrayed, much like Jazz itself, with a kind of heart-stopping intensity and a poignant, empathetic acknowledgement of lives spent creating and being swallowed whole by the gift that makes creation possible. On Thelonious Monk; "Whatever it was inside him was very delicate, he had to keep it very still, slow himself right down so that nothing affected it." On Ben Webster; "He carried his loneliness around with him like an instrument case. It never left his side."

Very little, insightful criticism or critical essays have been produced regarding Jazz and the people who play it and live it. Dyer has done more than write mere history or criticism in But Beautiful, he has written (and played) a genre-exploding, lyrical meditation on Jazz and on the terrifying, exhilarating possibilities of the music itself and what ought to be recognized as a new form of fictional riffing.

If you ever loved a jazz tune, you will love these pages. Not for anything else but for beauty in the art itself. Sobering, BUT BEAUTIFUL.

This book captures the essence of jazz. Every nuance from languid to livid, sad to sublime is etched out by Dyer's poetic and harmonious flow of prose. If you are familiar with these artists, his stories encourage you to say, put on your favorite album by Monk while you read about him -- or after you read about him, so you can reflect on how the writer has connected with the soul of the music. If you aren't familiar with the artists, this work will definitely urge you to acquire some of their music. This book is simply an extended poem, traced so delicately that it allows the experienced and the novice alike, the opportunity to peer through a window and into the soul of Jazz.

Picture this: "Onstage at Birdland, eyes shut, one arm hanging at his side....trumpet raised to his lips like a brandy bottle--not playing the horn but swigging from it, sipping it."

Geoff Dyer's employs his exquisite imagery as a starting point for his "imaginative criticism" of the celebrated and tragic lives of several iconic jazz musicians (including figures such as Chet Baker, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, Ben Webster, Charles Mingus, and Bud Powell). While photographs are the inspiration, Dyer's writing is so precise and sensual that he need only describe the photographs (the book has only one small photo). And this is just right for a book about music, his writing is so lyrical that we almost hear the sounds while reading. (In fact. the least effective aspect of the book is the Duke Ellington "road trip" that introduces each chapter, perhaps because the narrative is not connected to any particular Ellington sound.)

Many of the scenes and dialogue (especially the inner dialogue) are necessarily fictions, "assume that what's here has been invented or altered rather than quoted." But Dyer's explains that while his version may veer from the truth, "it keeps faith with the improvisational prerogatives of the form." He mixes truth and fiction into portraits that illuminate what strictly factual history cannot always convey. (Think of Robert Graves' in his WWI memoir/fiction "Goodbye to All That."). Dyer explains that while a photo depicts only a "split second," its "felt duration" may include the unseen moments before and after that split second. "But Beautiful" invites us to improvise (as Dyer does) into that unseen time, and discover our own subjective relationship to the music.

Listen to this: "Chet put nothing of himself into his music and that's what lent his playing its pathos...Every time he played a note he waved it goodbye. Sometimes he didn't even wave."

The evocative word pictures are unusually perceptive and sensitive. Although personal and often imagined, it's really like an improvised solo that either feels "right" or not. I think "But Beautiful" hits the right notes and rhythms: his words evoke the music, and, after reading it, the music will evoke the words. Not without its flaws, it is still an astonishing feat.

This work, along with James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues," is as good as any I've read about the jazz life, its creators and innovators, and the high cost of such terrible beauty. I had the advantage of being present while Lester was lost on stage in an alcoholic stupor; Monk was dancing around the piano, knocking over cymbals, rather than playing the instrument; Chet Baker, unable to stand, was expending his last breaths on "The Thrill Is Gone"; and Duke was waiting for Harry Carney to swing by with the car to chauffeur him through the wintry night from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Kansas City. But how a young writer like Dyer managed to capture these moments before his time, freezing them unforgettably in a literary living moment, I can't imagine.

Dyer knows that the foremost responsibility of a music critic is not to critique but to verbalize his non-verbal subject, bringing it to life for the reader. He does so admirably, creating believable, recognizable, fascinating portraits in unlabored, unpretentious prose.

His portraits of the artist ring completely true to the ears of this fellow observer--penetrating glimpses of the creative child trapped in a man's body now reduced to fighting a losing battle against physical and mental entropy. Yet his faith in the living tradition of jazz is refreshing, as is his characterization of the jazz musician's struggle as a valiant contest with the precursor, not unlike that of the strong poet's.

Though there's an elegaic tone throughout the book, it's never ponderous or depressing. In fact, its human portraits are more likely to interest newcomers than the many text books that catalog styles and names.

This is not to say the book is without shortcomings. The author is much better at capturing the musicians for us than their music. And his appreciation and understanding of Duke Ellington's music seems somewhat limited. Too bad he didn't give at least as much attention to the colorful cast of characters on the band bus as to the private conveyance preferred by Duke.

Yet any listener who has the slightest interest in jazz and its makers simply cannot afford to pass this one up. And it goes a long way toward fleshing out some of the caricatures served up on the Ken Burns' television series.

COUNTERPOINT, the frank account of the varied and exciting life of Joe Harnell, pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, will be sure to appeal to anyone who's a fan of mid to late 20th century popular culture and it's major players, louis armstrong, marlene dietrich, etc.
While not always pretty (Harnell has no desire to gloss over the more unpleasent aspects of his life), it is an always honest and very revealing account of the artistic and personal development of a musician's musician. After reading this book, it is difficult not to be touched by Harnell's humanity whether or not one is aware of his work and contributions to popular and television music over the last five decades.

COUNTERPOINT, the frank account of the varied and exciting life of Joe Harnell, pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, will be sure to appeal to anyone who's a fan of mid to late 20th century popular culture and it's major players, louis armstrong, marlene dietrich, etc.
While not always pretty (Harnell has no desire to gloss over the more unpleasent aspects of his life), it is an always honest and very revealing account of the artistic and personal development of a musician's musician. After reading this book, it is difficult not to be touched by Harnell's humanity whether or not one is aware of his work and contributions to popular and television music over the last five decades.

"Counterpoint" provides the reader with a rare perspective on a rich era in American Music written by one of the industry's giants about other musical giants of the time. Not only is Joe Harnell's personal journey told with extreme honesty, it's written with the light touch of a master humorist. He and Ira Skutch choose to divide the dazzling parade of musical legends by giving each one their own chapter, which makes it easy to refer back to a particular singer and reread a funny anecdote or insightful observation. This book succeeds on several levels: as a chronicle of music history; as a story of personal triumph; and as an important musical autobiography.

Joe Harnell pulls no punches in this great journey from boyhood to the present. Not only did I love the descriptions of the places and times Joe has traveled through, but the insight into the musicians and stars he worked with was rewarding. The fact that he is so out front with his personal life only makes you like him more for his human foibles and the peaks and valleys that we all experience. I'm from a younger generation but truly enjoyed reliving this time period through the words and music of Joe Harnell.

Not only a riveting expose of the music business over the last half a century, but also a revealing glimpse into the intimate life of a man with the sensitivity and temperament of a true artist and all the color and drama that go with it. Joe invites you along on his roller coaster ride of a life with stories you will never forget.

Lynda is a gifted, talented, blessed artist and DMB fan. To say this book touched my life would be an understatement. Two years ago my then boyfriend purchased Lynda's original "I'll Back You Up" painting for me as a surprise birthday gift. A year after that he and Lynda planned the ultimate surprise for me. After a day long treasure hunt my boyfriend presented me with an original copy of the book, "Dave Dances". I slowly turned the pages, amazed by everything about the book. When I got to the chapter "I'll Back You Up", I froze. There on the page was a picture of my boyfriend, kneeling with a ring, and the words "Will You Marry Me?". I said "YES!" without hesitation. The proposal is now included in the final copy of the book and we will have it with us always. Such a touching gift for such a momentous event.

Two weeks ago we said, "I do" and danced our first dance to "I'll Back You Up". The book now sits on our mantle, directly beneath the painting.

This book truly comes from a place of love and honesty. Every Dave fan needs it and every Dave fan will be touched by it.

I received a copy of this from the author. She is an amazing artist, friend and, most of all, devoted fan of the subject matter. I believe this to be an accurate depiction of the epitome of what it exactly is to be a true fan. The stories on the inside of this book, including the art and the layout is completely amazing. I contributed my own inspired story to this book and I am truly touched by how it was laid out, for all to see and understand just what it is to be inspired by not only music, but a band. Lynda has understood how to depict the "inspired art" through accompanying stories shared by other fans and the flow of the book is one of a kind...I highly suggest curling up with this book, a blanket and a box of tissues because it will evoke an emotion...laughing, crying and, most of all, inspiration...

I love this book-it's so inspiring and it's written for the fans, by the fans. The photographs are awesome as well! I love it!

The art, the photos, the stories...this book is for anyone who "gets it." Lynda is a very talented Artist and Author!!! I love her work and can't wait for more!!! If you love DMB you will love this book!

I was browsing ebay one day and found this book. I contacted one of the sellers (theideaofyou) and had a great expierence. He is also on Amazon.com. I just received my book yesterday and I absolutely love it. I didn't get to read every story, but the feeling you get when you go to a Dave show, I got that just reading this book. I highly suggest to any Dave fan that they purchase this keepsake. The pictures are wonderful. I was lucky to purchase a hardcovered book that is numbered and signed by the author, I am such a sucker for that stuff. I recommend that you purchase the book from the seller : theideaofyou. He added some other little goodies that just made receiving the book even more exciting. If you are a Dave fan, like me, you are gonna love this book!!!!

If you ever found Cooper handsome, this book certain has many photos to entertain and foster this thought.

The hardcover is a must! The narrative inside is perhaps average but if you supplement the book with a bio novel on Cooper you'll certainly feel its well worth the expense. Buy, buy, buy

Well, let me start with what beautiful tribute this book is to her father. Maria Cooper's book is beautiful, but too many of the pictures look posed (Hollywood style). And the pictures that are actually not posed say more in body language about a family that clearly protects the Cooper family image. These people are beautiful, but they are too perfect: clothes, hair, makeup, you know it's all there. One picture I found fascinating, is of the three of them on a beach facing the ocean. Maria and her mom on the left, and further away is Gary Cooper and his body language is quite clear. Hmmm, that definitely was a candid shot. And if anyone is really looking, the beautiful Maria seems to be the glue that kept that family together. There is a gorgeous shot of the three of them in their ski clothes in an old house. Rocky with little makeup is quite beautiful, but Maria and her Dad are the ones in sync in this picture. I don't know, but these pictures show a definite strain in the family relationship far more than I ever realized. With friends, the pictures are happier. I am a fan of Gary Cooper's and always will be. And the fact, that he adored his beloved daughter and she adored him is clearly seen in this book. Maria Cooper shows us a Gary Cooper I have already seen in other pictures other people have taken of him. There really isn't a lot of hugging, and touching, and birthday parties, water fights, and family occasions, events, like most people and other stars have of their lives while children are growing up. I would love to have seen a picture of Mr. Cooper in his overalls in his garden (he was an avid gardener), teaching Maria to do things, showing her how to ride a horse, acting goofy.. Maria Cooper is quite lovely, and this book is wonderful to look at, but I don't really feel anything but a little sadness that she didn't show us more candid and "real" photographs about of her Dad and the family. There was a great deal more to this man than meets the eye. I didn't get too much of a glimpse into that.

The cover photograph, of Gary Cooper spoon-feeding ice-cream to his daughter on the streets of "Hadleyville," is a poignant clue to what follows. Maria Cooper was a girl who lived a very rarified life, and she lets us take a delicious peek at it.

This is a great book for initial insight into Gary Cooper by his daughter. It is very obvious she adored her father. The book is very informative about the personal life of "Coope" with many wonderful pictures, however, the book is more images than writing. The details are only touched on. If you are a Gary Cooper & you want many unseen pictures, this is the book for you...

In a day and age when the children of "the stars" write the most deplorable books about their parents, this book is a wonderfully tender tribute to a true hero. Absolutely refreshing.

Richard broke the code to playing rock guitar, I was in high school and college in the 70's so that's the Rock Music era I grew up with. I got this book when it came out and if you work the exercises you will be cranking out leads in no time. Soon after I started working on this book friends would stop me and say "how did you do that" It's all in the book and this book changed my life because playing lead guitar is some of the most fun you can ever have.

bought it in the 80's then, lost it.
now i have again.
teaches: know your fret board.

This book is truly a gold mine of information. It helped advance my playing significantly.

This book was recommended to me by a guitar virtuoso with over 25 years of experience. I had tried many, many other books, teachers, and on-line lessons. It wasn't until I got this book that it all started to make sense and come together. Richard Daniels has a great website too: http://www.heavyguitar.com and he has an email ezine you can sign up for! Excellent. Don't pay attention to the date of this book. The method Richard uses is timeless. Devote yourself to this book and you won't be sorry!

Since playing classical guitar for a few years and recently picking up an electric I've been diving into really "getting it" as far as a path for learning and understanding the big picture of what's involved in playing the electric guitar. It's truly a different instrument than the acoustic, and a practice regimen is a difficult challenge to plan. This book, while serving as a great practice reference will give every electric/rock guitarist a complete explanation as well as instruction on the full array of "elements" that will make up your skills not just as a player of a guitar but someone who can work towards "owning" the instrument. From scales, chords, soloing and rhythm, this gives such a clear overview of the art of electric guitar that only now after reading this cover to cover have I found a new inspiration and clear direction on what I need to do to "get there". "There" being the goal of playing with other musicians and improvising knowledgeably.

If you're looking for a book to help make you feel comfortable that you're studying the right things, get this, read it cover to cover and then go from there. Outstanding, a must have. I wish this was the first book I bought on electric. While at first the book will seem rough around the edges from a design and editing standpoint, it will soon become obvious that this is truly a labor of love for the author.

I will add though, that this book should function as the center of the wheel of your quest to learn. Perfect compliments to this volume, for the self taught guitarist, would be a good scales book such as the "Guitar Grimoire Exercise Book", a book on chords and chord theory such as "Chord Chemistry", a method book, in my case classical is enjoyable for learning to read and play music so I'm working out of Noad's "Solo Guitar Playing", and any songbooks you would like to work on songs out of. Another outstanding book I've found indespensable, as have many others is Denyer's "The Guitar Handbook", it's truly a guitar encyclopedia, and explains clearly a heavy amount of theory and technique.

Hopefully this is helpful, I felt compelled to write this review to save those following a similar path as I am the trouble of unecessary purchases or a difficulty finding laser focus on their self taught direction. Good luck!

I frequented the Fillmore almost every Friday night for at least three years. I was looking for an extra gift for my husband (also a former FE attendee) and thought this would be perfect. When it arrived the other day, I could not wait to give it to him. I opened the box and we immediately started perusing the book cover to cover and reminiscing about times that were pure magic and joy. Amalie's photos capture the place inside and out. There were photos from my very first concert -- Santana at the Fillmore in the Fall of 1969 and from other shows that we were lucky to see. It brought back so many memories to the both of us. As an added bonus, when we got to the end of the book, we actually saw a friend in one of the pictures. It was the night of the bomb scare. Lo and behold, there is Joe standing in the crowd outside the theater. This book is a must-have for all of us who were lucky enough to be present at the FE and those of us who wish they could have been a part of it.

I'm sure I'll love this book. Once I receive it. It's been nearly 3 months since I ordered this...Amazon will no longer be the beneficiary of my internet commerce.

Kind of essential lookback to something we'll never see again. All the messiness, sloppiness & amateurism that had me and my pals going all the time to the FE (Friday Night Late Show Only please!). One of few worthwhile rock books.

I love this book. I frequented the Fillmore East 18 times between 1970 until it closed in June of 71. This book brought back so many memories. The Fillmore East was without a doubt the greatest place to see and hear a concert and I miss it. I am glad that I was able to be a part of the Fillmore East - even got to speak to Bill Graham the night of the last public concert. I am very glad this book was put together and anyone who was there will enjoy it. I sure do miss those days - Thanks Amalie!!! Got anymore tidbits - any chance of a Fillmore East Late Show edition?

This book provides a list of the bands playing each night the Fillmore was open! Great historical insight!

This book was a gift from a dear friend and what a true treasure it is. I am an occasional actor who lives in Chicago and I can't tell you how valuable this book is for those in and out the entertainment business; because the entertainment in daily living is constantly changing regardless of who you are. This book is not just for actors it is a valauble tool for everyone seeking affirmations for themeselves and their lives.

As the mother of two energetic pre-school boys, my time is no longer my own. I love the way this book is constructed... short bursts of wisdom that I can grab and digest. I have found this book invaluable to help me re-center myself when I start to wonder what in the world I'm doing with my life!

Doing something to make me sweat was my way to clear out my head and heavy soul upon coming home from work. Now I read instead. Carra's book is one that I pick up to help me refocus on a salient experience. I am not an actor. I am a pediatric nurse and often come home with a heavy heart. Thanks Carra for helping me to refocus and go back to work for more, because I am a good nurse. I intend to share this little jewel with my peers.

As a non-actor, I was skeptical when a close friend bought me this book as a gift. But I found it to be comforting and inspirational, with a wisdom that resonates beyond any specific profession.

Not being an actress I wasn't sure if this would apply to me. But I find this to be a great book to keep close at hand. I am no longer forced to stare at the numbers in the elevator. I do not have to flip through magazines at the register. I have read and reread this book! I wish I had put one in every gift I gave this past Holiday. But I am not waiting until Christmas to send one to all of my friends!

David Niven was not always a star. He had to go away and learn his trade in "B" movies before being allowed to enter the big time. He learnt that trade well but, unlike some who were destined to become greats of Hollywood, he also put his entire acting career on hold whilst he served as an officer in a fighting unit throughout WW2.

This book tells the first half of his life's story and what a story it is. Like every biography ever written, the best bits do not happen at the beginning, so some readers, therefore, might find it slow going at first. Though many will not. But then we meet the rich and famous stars of Hollywood from another era and learn a little about each of these people and their various relationships as we move from one to another and sometimes back again.

Written in David Niven's own hilarious style, there is so much humour here that you "will" find yourself insisting others read this book. In fact, it is so funny - especially his descriptions of the wrong use of English words by foreign movie directors, one finishes the book in the knowledge that had David Niven not become an Oscar-winning movie star, he would easily have achieved great success as a writer.

The underlying theme, of course, is David Niven's life and, as one reviewer has already said, this book leaves you wishing you had met this man. Me too.

NM

Celebrity autobiographies are exercises in exhibiting the overexposed. However, dignity and discretion are assumed by the reader. Consequently, the author is oblidged to spend the entire book repeating, in essence, "I don't mean to brag but..." Also, celebrity autobiographies are famous for their creativity. David Niven's is pretty par for the course. I doubt if more than 25% of the incidents included happened exactly as described, if at all. All the better for the reader. The truth is usually rather dull or unpleasant. The narrative itself is very readable in a relaxed chatty style. Who knows if he even wrote it himself. You never know. Maybe he wrote the bare bones out and gave it to a ghostwriter to pad it and make it sound like "David Niven" wrote it. Wouldn't be the first time. Who cares? It's a fun story filled with famous people being interesting.

David Niven was not always a star. He had to go away and learn his trade in "B" movies before being allowed to enter the big time. He learnt that trade well but, unlike some who were destined to become greats of Hollywood, he also put his entire acting career on hold whilst he served as an officer in a fighting unit throughout WW2.

This book tells the first half of his life's story and what a story it is. Like every biography ever written, the best bits do not happen at the beginning, so some readers, therefore, might find it slow going at first. Though many will not. But then we meet the rich and famous stars of Hollywood from another era and learn a little about each of these people and their various relationships as we move from one to another and sometimes back again.

Written in David Niven's own hilarious style, there is so much humour here that you "will" find yourself insisting others read this book. In fact, it is so funny - especially his descriptions of the wrong use of English words by foreign movie directors, one finishes the book in the knowledge that had David Niven not become an Oscar-winning movie star, he would easily have achieved great success as a writer.

The underlying theme, of course, is David Niven's life and, as one reviewer has already said, this book leaves you wishing you had met this man. Me too.

NM

Let me explain what I mean.

First of all, from the very beginning pages of the Book, I could sense the smooth flow of thoughts, pouring out of MAN Niven, not ACTOR Niven.

Second, I could also feel for MAN Niven and what he went through in his youth and early manhood.

David Niven is a born storyteller. He should have dared direct movies as well. He would have succeeded splendidly because one of the very first requirements for a director, both on stage, as well as on camera, is to know how to tell a story, and tell it in a coherent and organized way.

That he had chosen not to do it, means that he was aware of his limitations and probably preferred to stick with what he knew best: acting.

I bought this book just by chance at Heathrow, while traveling to New York, feeling bored to death by the many security checks and formalities to be undergone these days, in order to be able to travel from point A to point B on the globe.

I had absolutely no idea what it was all about, but the title intrigued me, also because I had heard about it some years ago, but didn't pay appropriate attention to it at that time.

So, here I went and bought it. Finally on board of my flight carrying me to the U.S., I opened it and before I knew better, I had already landed at JFK having read half of it.

I could have blasted the pilot for that, but it wasn't his fault. I am a slow reader. I have to savor all the finesses contained in a book, given that the same is worth the effort. Believe me, "The Moon Is A Balloon", is such a book.

During my entire stay in the U.S. I carried the book around and kept on reading it - I should actually say - devour it. When I finally came to its end I felt disappointed.

Not by the book and magnificent tales and accounts it contains, but having come to a point where there was nothing more to read.

This is a book that will leave you with a "hunger" to read more about MAN David Niven and what he has to say about his experiences.

It is not just what he says, but how he says it.

The descriptions of the people he met, the places he visited, the moods and colors of his world, all come to life vividly.

Perhaps because I am a stage director, interested in directing movies, I may have a distorted vision on this, but I could actually visualize what David Niven was describing.

Various wild images a la Charles Dickens, especially at the very beginning of the book, sprung out of my mind (even "The Turning of the Screw" popped up - go figure why...).

Then, while he was describing his experiences with the schooling system in England, I visualized sorts of crazy images half-ways out of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", mixed with "Blackboard Jungle" and/or "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" - the male version that is.

Later the encounter with his first love affair (I won't reveal more about it, you must read by yourself), I had flashes of "Of Human Bondage" and "Great Expectations".

His Malta adventure in the Army, almost sprung out from very early forties war movies, or thirties movies with Clark Gable.

Now I realize how deformed my professional mind is, but indeed I could feel being transported there, in his "Balloon", in his world, and felt part of his tragicomic life.

David Niven takes you by the hand and leads you into his secret garden, in which you discover the ugly sides of life, but also the very splendid tiny little pleasures that make his and everyone else's life pleasurable and indeed, worth living.

It is funny to think that David Niven's "Balloon" closely resembles to the one Jules Verne's created in "Around the World in 80 Days", and while this was a total work of fiction, Niven's own takes you much farther, than just around the world.

It takes you into a lesson of lived life, told by a human being who has truly learned from his mistakes and learned from them what life is truly all about.

The lesson though, never comes from a pulpit, it comes as a highly entertaining and fascinating account of experiences, at times very funny, at times very grim, but never, never boring.

I was stunned to finally witness that even a person like Niven, that was alive for most of my lifetime, could still enthrall and grip me with his writing style.

I usually have always avoided reading modern authors, or biographies of modern personalities, except maybe Science Fiction books (Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury or Arthur C. Clarke), since they all seem to resemble each other.
It is a continuous ego-trip with lots of whining and gossiping involved, but no true and genuine life experience and wisdom shared, and if is at all shared, it is in the form of "...let me tell you how to change your life, into a successful business-like one...".
Lots of preaching from insignificant and dull people I wouldn't even like to meet in person, even if I had a chance to do so.

David Niven never preaches, he just tells you how it was and the ways he managed to work himself out of trouble and into a very useful and respectable life.

I absolutely love his book.

Alas, David is not among us anymore, because if he were alive today, I would absolutely want to know and meet him in person, and perhaps even work with him.

I am over fifty, but I get a sense that with a person like him, I could still learn a lot in matters of life and how to survive even the most adverse of situations in it.

Dear readers, allow me to suggest this book to all of you. You won't regret it. This is not just another boring autobiography.
This is a man's heart opened up to the world, for the best and the worst.

David Niven's soul lies in his lines and comes alive when these lines are read.

Bless you David, wherever you may be, my thoughts are with you.The Moon's a Balloon

I just want to quickly add to all these other five-star reviews that this is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. David Niven candidly bares his vulnerabilities and lets us in on the obstacles and hurts he endured. I read this at a time that I felt I was drifting and this made me feel much better. There are amusing stories about Hollywood and the rest of the world in the old days. Blessings to David Niven. It's a breeze of a read and I envy those of you who have it yet to enjoy for the first time!

A real page turner....simple,brutally honest with real life personal stories that are stranger than fiction!.....Ram Dass is a funny,down to earth yet extremely far out dude simultaneously...making far out illogical concepts not only understandable and believable but knowable provided you do the work.. he really knows his stuff and walks his talk so to speak....excellent teachings from a being of extraordinary intelligence,wit and love...one of the best books I've ever read...also hang out with his book "be here now"

Although I generally feel positive about this book, the unqualifiedly positive nature of the other reviews has motivated me to point out some of its short-comings. But I also hope that my criticisms will help defuse the knee-jerk rejection that many empirically-oriented readers might feel toward this book, since I do believe that the book is worthy of being read.

First of all, it is apparent that Ram Dass has forgone the use of critical thinking. For Dass, it seems that any and all ideas have some veracity. Being a former professor at Harvard University, he admits to the validity of genetics and the socialization process in having some impact on the development of character. But at the same time, he seems to favor a 'self' found only at higher, metaphysical planes of existence (inaccessible to some of us). Dass rejects nothing: everything goes.

With critical thinking thrown overboard, many readers will be tempted to skip this book as being too soft, too fuzzy, and too accepting. That would be misguided. Dass has an attitude of unconditional acceptance that has had two distinct advantages. First, it has allowed him access to people, places, and ideas that critically-minded researchers might never have. All people (even gurus in India) are hesitant to share beliefs with others who might find those beliefs repugnant or even ridiculous. It is no secret that the most productive way in getting another person to open up is with an attitude of sincere and unconditional acceptance. Dass has just such an attitude, which allowed him to go far in India.

Second, his attitude also allows us as readers to survey a wide gamut of ideas. After being exposed to those ideas, we can determine for ourselves what we think is valid, what we think is fake and what we think is fluff. Take as an example a kid learning to hit a baseball. What would it mean if you threw only pitches that he could hit? He and you would never learn what he was fully capable of. To do that, you need to throw difficult pitches, many of which he will not hit. But that is ok. Part of a learning experience should be the discovery of outer limits--and you cannot reach those outer limits unless there are failures along the way.

In my own opinion, Dass often exceeds the limits of the believable. In fact, there are many pages of text where I feel that Ram Dass has gone off the deep end and is floundering in incomprehensible waters. But that is ok. I still want to learn about the far-out things that he believes. And I would never know what not to believe unless I heard it at some point. Even then, it is still a mind-expanding experience to learn about far-out things, even if you reject them in the end.

There is another feature of the book that might prove an obstacle to some readers: the miracles. Dass' guru appears in many of these miracle stories: his guru can apparently read minds, engage in remote viewing, and perform other supernatural acts. Stories of the miraculous will leave some readers feeling skeptical and even cynical, and they will simply stop reading. But I found it worthwhile to read though these accounts (which are still entertaining) to reach more meritorious material.

Dass' stories of the miraculous do have possible alterative explanations. Here is one example. Once when Ram Dass arrived at a temple, his guru met him and immediately said that Ram Dass was angry because the women would not get out of the bus to help push. That is exactly what had had happened, and the guru seemed to know this without being there or being told. This appears to be a clear case of telepathy or clairvoyance. But let us suppose this guru is simply a very bright intuitive person. The guru sees Ram Dass' face and immediately intuits anger. He sees Ram Dass' traveling companions, the men looking sweaty and the women appearing neat and dry. He sees the small microbus that carried all these people. And from memory, he knows of the steep hill leading to the temple. The guru then grasps all these disparate elements and intuitively reaches the conclusion that Ram is angry because the women did not help push. The guru's use of such intuition is impressive, yet reference to the miraculous is not needed.

Not all the miraculous stories are subject to such neat alternative explanations. Nevertheless, for other accounts, it could be that Ram Dass did not notice or no longer remembered some crucial fact that would aid in the development of such an explanation. Moreover, it is not that I particularly care about developing an alternative explanation for every event; for me the salient point is that such explanations could be developed. More importantly, I suspect that these gurus are unwittingly engaged in 'cold reading,' the technique used by some psychics of making educated guesses and then quickly following up promising leads. The result is merely the appearance of knowing more than would seem possible.

That is enough criticism. There are still many valuable insights contained in this book. Here are three.

'And the whole history of knowledge is a drop in the bucket compared to wisdom.'

'My whole leaning was toward Buddhism because Buddhism is very neat and clean and intellectually exquisite and Hinduism is generally kind of sloppy. You know those posters of Hinduism: the colors are kind of garish and the whole thing turns you off. A little too gauche for my taste ... too maudlin emotional.'

'Whatever you can have and want isn't what it all is. ... [T]he final peace ... does not come from getting it, but from being it. You cannot "get" peace, just like you cannot "get" wisdom, but you can be wise. You can "get" knowledge but you can only be wise--those are two different spaces entirely.'

5 thumbs up. A classic, as far as my journey has gone. Especially useful for academics as it is written by an academic.

A wonderful thing happened on April 6, 1931. Richard Alpert was born. Years later, he was essentially reborn as Ram Dass, and, as they say, the rest is history. His wonderful talks in the early 1970's at the Menninger Foundation and Spring Grove Hospital are the heart of this book. His transformation from a Harvard psychologist to the first American Guru have been well documented. Ram Dass is the real McCoy, the genuine article. He was a pioneer of 20th century spirituality and the major voice for new age wisdom.
"The Only Dance There Is" is a favorite of mine. I still have my original marked up 1974 copy that I can't imagine that I'll ever part with. It is a treasure. Ram Dass is the master storyteller of this lifetime, and most of his books contain very quotable stories that will have an impact on you. I use many of his stories when writing my own books. Ram Dass has been a mentor of mine and he has enriched my life with his books, including this one.

If I am reincarnated, I just hope it's not in another one of these silly bodies, stuck in time, confused about life, wanting to hide from my know-it-all guru, in desperate need of a restroom.

Ram Dass is a trip - 300 + of them to be inexact. I have to laugh when I hear people like Michael Savage, who is another trip, reviling the culture of the 1960s (all of it) and blaming all of our current problems on a bunch of diaper-doper communists from Brooklyn. While I agree with him about the diaper-doper communists from Brooklyn, I also believe that the only really intelligent spiritual literature in the last 50 years was written when the pinko flag was apparently being unfurled behind closed doors, amidst some heated argument, in a cloud of garlic. I also believe that this literature is now pretty much irrelevant, however quaint it may still somewhat be. Just like Regis and Dave hanging out on "Late Night:" Funny, cute, hollow, high-income. I'd puke but I can't find my bag.

Fortunately at the time of the garlic epidemic in Brooklyn, Ram Dass was in India or Kansas. He was really trying to find himself and you should watch what you pray for, as his swami could have already told you. There's a lot to ponder and Ram Dass does a lot of pondering. I love the metaphor he uses where he sees himself as one who is being led somewhere, like a trout that thinks it is zigging and zagging in a state of free will, but, in fact, is being slowly reeled in by its guru. He also tells his audience that, though he is in a 41 year-old body, HE is not 41 years old. His guru, the CEO of Allied Chemical, agrees and sends him a check. Dad is impressed and sends him another check. Pretty soon the guy is rich.

The problem now, as I suggest feebly, is that enlightenment is a commodity, just like love: witness "Still Here," by post-stroke "victim" Ram Dass. I'm sure the book has some NEAT things to say, and he is a good guy, but part of me wishes he hadn't survived the stroke. Capitalism has won, big time and the mouses are rolling, the texts are messaging and the "medicine" and the chanting isn't working.

What ever happened to the Greg Allman character Ram Dass hooked up with in India, you know the 7-foot Norwegian-American from Long Beach who hadn't exhaled in three years. Probably picked up some chick and drove off with the Land Rover, spitting peanut shells out the window. Now, THAT's enlightened!

Dr. Frey's remedy: collect one cat per week from the Humane Society, mixing it up with FAIR to avoid them getting suspicious, preferably a breed or color you don't already own. As you immerse yourself in an ever-growing crowd of felines (remember the pack animal thing doesn't apply here), you will reach a point where, wherever you look in the room, your gaze will be returned by that of a lover, and this, my friends, is a good thing.

So much has already been said & written about this amazingly talented man that although his talents have always been savored like fine wine....talking about his painstaking incredible stop-motion animation abilities almost seems to be redundant. Suffice it to say that so many of us monster kids sat in awe of Ray's work as we watched " The 7th Voyage of Sinbad " circa 1958.Harryhausen has always accomplished more on the movie screen with his special effects techniques than computers will ever be able to do. This book lovingly details all of the richness of Ray Harryhausen----Thanks for a great book, Ray !

This is a top-notch compilation of genius on the cutting edge of our cultural history.

Die-hard fans of special effects master Ray Harryhausen may recall Jeff Rovin's book "From the Land Beyond Beyond", which arrived in 1977. It was a welcome addition to the Harryhausen legacy, but was too subjective and fan-based for some tastes. Hard to believe it took almost thirty years for this definitive, color version of the Harryhausen story to arrive on the scene. Some will feel it is merely an extension of Ray's previous work, the Film Fantasy Scrapbook, and in many ways, it is, but there's so much detail here that this deluxe volume is worth picking up. Though of course modern special effects have become almost ridiculously complex, it's wonderful to hear Ray describe in great technical detail the processes and techniques he used to bring his animals and fantasy creatures to life in films like "7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts". He's also candid about which films worked for him (and audiences) and which somehow missed the mark. Even readers who prefer modern spectacles to Harryhausen's classical, stately epics should find something of value here, and there is plenty to inspire any animator, filmmaker, or budding cinematographer. This book isn't just a special effects guide, it's a valuable and integral part of the history of film: Harryhausen's career spanned five decades, and he worked with some of the greats in the industry--not only effects geniuses like Willis O'brien, but actors like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, James Franciscus, Honor Blackman, Richard Carlson, Jane Seymour and Raquel Welch. A little pricey, but worth the cost. A must have for Harryhausen fans, naturally, but anyone interested in the movies will come away satisfied.

I just recently purchased Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.
Mr. Harryhausen was influenced by King Kong for his remarkable career. I was influenced by his first movie released in theaters
entitled BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. Ever since I gazed at the
incredible effects when I was six, I wanted to know why and how
something could seem so life like. Unfortunately, all I did was manage amateur special effects with an 8mm camera, but enjoyed thrilling friends and relatives with what talent I had. Now I can appreciate all the patience and imagination that this
genius has somehow transmitted to the screen. All of his movies are showcased with the wonderful behind the scenes stories and photos that made such magic in my childhood. Anyone who has ambition to follow the FX trade, should definitely read this book. Granted the technology is greatly improved today, but that even made Mr. Harryhausen seem more adept at his work. How tedious it is to move a model just a fraction of an inch until it appears fluid on the film...how educational it is to realize what props were used and what artistry was projected to make everything REAL. This coffee table book will be a treasure
in my collection of literature.

Computer generated effects are standard in movies now, and any big-budget action film can be expected to have plenty. We didn't always have computers, so the effects such as putting fantasy creatures on the screen, like King Kong, had to be done with meticulous stop-motion filming, whereby a movie frame picture would be made of a model Kong, then the model's arm would be slightly raised, one more frame of the movie shot, and the process repeated until a smooth arm movement could be seen when the entire strip of film ran. It was Willis O'Brien who animated Kong and many other creatures in early movies. It was Kong who inspired Ray Harryhausen to start making stop-motion films. In _Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life_ (Billboard Books), Harryhausen and Timothy Dalton tell the story of Harryhausen's entire career, including his humble beginnings. He was crazy about dinosaurs as a kid, and at the age of thirteen, he was taken by his mother and aunt to see _King Kong_. He studied up on the movie's techniques afterwards, and started making his own movies, first using a home camera that he could merely hope took only one frame at a time when he tapped it, and then purchasing his own 16 mm camera with a one-frame shift. He was one of those lucky kids who knew early what he wanted to do in life, and was able to do it; Harryhausen was the special effects wizard behind _Earth vs. The Flying Saucers_, _Jason and the Argonauts_, and _Clash of the Titans_, among many more. This beautiful book, filled with photographs and drawings to show how the models and effects were made for each of Harryhausen's films (and pictures of the artist's work as a thirteen-year-old as well), is a fascinating record of a career that could only have taken place in a restricted window of time.

To start with a clearing of the record: Harryhausen's first model, a cave bear, was covered with fur cut from an old black fur coat hanging in his mother's closet, but despite reports to the contrary, his mother _did_ know all about it and _did_ give her permission beforehand. This reflects the support his parents gave him toward his youthful enthusiasm, and he is certainly grateful. Most of the book describes his work for the studios; it devotes pages and pictures to all his films, and he gives detailed descriptions of just how he managed particular shots. Harryhausen isn't boasting; throughout the book he lets us know what he thought worked and what didn't, what he is proud of and what he winces at. If stop-motion is no longer going to be an art form, it is good that we have this documentation of what he actually accomplished, for the complexity of his creations and the way they were shot is astonishing. For instance, the Hydra in _Jason_ not only had a serpentine body and a double tail requiring their own movements, but also seven heads. In every frame, the model's movements might be only a millimeter, but there were sometimes more than thirty movements to do. He would have to remember for each head whether it was in the process of going up, down, right, or left, if the mouth was opening or closing, if the neck was flexing, and so on. Astonishingly, he was so in tune with his creation that he did not keep notes on what each head was doing, except if he were taking a break at the end of a work period.

Harryhausen has real affection for his creations. He has used real animals in some films, like an iguana made to look like a giant lizard in _One Million Years BC_. The trainer in charge of the iguanas was ready to use an electric prod to rouse the usually torpid lizards, but Harryhausen would not allow any cruelty, so action could only be obtained by a little prodding. Nonetheless, it was a lot harder to get the iguanas to move in just the way he needed compared to his obedient stop-motion models; he says that using models would have been more cost-effective and more realistic, too. He refuses to call his creations monsters; they are mostly creatures who are simply out of place. Of the tyrannosaurus in _The Valley of Gwangi_, he writes that he felt sorry for him, "... because all he wanted to do was live his life and eat a few people along the way." When he had to dismantle one creature to use its armature for another in a succeeding feature, he confesses, "It always breaks my heart to have to cannibalize my models. It's like losing a close friend." Gentle, self-deprecating humor is a hallmark of all the chapters here, no matter how technical the descriptions become at times. This is a handsome, large format book suitable for the coffee table; however, along with the beautiful illustrations, the written record of work here to show how creature features were made before the computers took over will be enjoyed by any fantasy film fan.