Not a great biography but it does fill in a lot of useful details about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. It's a good introduction to the lives of BriaNot a great biography but it does fill in a lot of useful details about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. It's a good introduction to the lives of Brian and the band. I know a lot more about them than I did before I started. It's a good place to discover whether or not you want to dive deeper into this story. ...more
This is an exhaustive biography of Sam Phillips. It covers everything from his classic recording sessions to a time he told a mechanic who was trying This is an exhaustive biography of Sam Phillips. It covers everything from his classic recording sessions to a time he told a mechanic who was trying to rip him off to go f#ck himself. I have seen some reviews that say the book is too long, too exhaustive. It may be. The last third of the book feels like Guralnick doesn't want to let Sam Phillips go because in the end he dies. Sam Phillips and Guralnick were friends, not only is it an excellent biography, in the end it's a tribute and a farewell. ...more
I found this book on this list by Pitchfork. It was also recommended by a friend.
I found it a bit meandering at times and it does jump back and forth I found this book on this list by Pitchfork. It was also recommended by a friend.
I found it a bit meandering at times and it does jump back and forth in time thought it is generally in chronological order.
I did discover some new artists to explore, if nothing else it gave me a new appreciation for early Fairport Convention. I jumped Spotify and listened to some of Boyd's Fairport productions and it really is amazing music, especially Liege and Lief.
I would recommend this to someone who is already pretty well versed in blues, jazz and late 60s English pop music. If you go in cold you will find a lot of names he drops to be just names. My jazz knowledge is minimal so a few times here I was resorting to Wikipedia just to see who the hell he was talking about.
But, it can also be challenging in a good way. Once you get into this book and appreciate Boyd's music knowledge you will find yourself on Youtube or Spotify discovering a lot of really good music with a better appreciation for where it came from....more
I tore through this book. Like the history of Saturday Night Live called "Live from New York" this is an oral biography of Chris Farley (interestinglyI tore through this book. Like the history of Saturday Night Live called "Live from New York" this is an oral biography of Chris Farley (interestingly, in this book the "Live from New York" book takes a pretty harsh hit from someone claiming he was misquoted in the SNL history). The oral format worked for me. As Tom wrote in the introduction, Chris Farley lived the type of life where all his friends had "Chris stories."
This book, like its subject's life, is funny, revealing, touching, maddening and ultimately tragic. There is a period in Chris' life where he really had his stuff together he was on top of the world and I was unaware of that. I was not prepared to for the Chris Farley that was sober and on top of things and brightening the world around him. That high period in his life makes his ending all the more depressing. Especially since it really seemed he was going to keep his addictions down and go on to break out from the "fat guy falls down" comedy and truly make something great one day.
What surprised me was the unanimous love for Chris by everyone that is interviewed. Surely they could have found someone out there that knew Chris that thought he was a jerk? Even at his most outrageous he could still find a way to make people love him. To me, that's another tragedy of his life. He was greatly loved and it seems he really didn't see it or, if he did see it, feel he deserved it.
It's also impressive for the honesty of all those interviewed. Sure, they all loved Chris but they do not airbrush his faults. Even some of things that made him endearing could become a pain in the behind if a schtick was carried on too long. His drinking, his drug use, his rehab and the problems of and caused by his family are all addressed here. It's an honest book and in a biography, that is all that you can really hope for. ...more
Martin traces his development as a comedian from his days working at Disneyland as a child to his eventual creative burnout as the most successful staMartin traces his development as a comedian from his days working at Disneyland as a child to his eventual creative burnout as the most successful stand up comedian in the country.
It's a memoir of an act. Every personal detail of his life that is included is not there because Martin wants you to know him better but because he wants you to understand how he created the persona that eventually made him rich and famous.
He gives equal credit to the famous and the equally creative not-so-famous that helped him during his journey from bumbling but enthusiastic magician that did comedy to a highly polished stand up where every gesture and phrase was tweaked to perfection.
If you are some stupid kid that thinks he can make it to the big time by going the route of stand up you should definitely give this book a shot. It took Steve Martin ten years to fine tune his act. Do you have what it takes, punk? ...more
I'd really like to give this book a four or five star rating because there is a lot of great information here concerning Bobby Allison and his extendeI'd really like to give this book a four or five star rating because there is a lot of great information here concerning Bobby Allison and his extended racing family. The other book I've read by Golenbock, "Last Lap," was essentially an oral history of some of NASCAR's more colorful early drivers. This book also is mostly told in the oral history fashion but it suffers from a lack of important background information and could have used some serious editing. Portions of the book feel like documents that were merged without any consideration for information that was needlessly repeated. There are surprisingly obvious problems with syntax in many places that a careful editor should have found and fixed.
The book is also very one sided, very much in Bobby Allison's corner. I know it's an 'authorized' type of biography but almost everything is told from the Allison family's viewpoint with very little to no input from those that are portrayed negatively.
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