An evenhanded biography that humanizes the guitar hero once dubbed ``God'' by his adoring fans. Schumacher (Dharma Lion: The Biography of Allen Ginsberg, 1993) methodically dissects Clapton's life and persona, beginning with the musician's childhood in the rural English village of Ripley, where he was born out of wedlock in 1945 and raised by his 16-year-old mother's parents. We follow Clapton's metamorphosis from an introverted teenager captivated by blues and rock-and-roll into the most heralded young guitarist on London's fertile music scene of the early 1960s, when he worked briefly in such historically important bands as the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Schumacher effectively captures the yin-yang aspects of Clapton's personality, revealing a complicated, troubled individual who began acting like a petulant rock star early in his career. After leaving Mayall's group, Clapton went on to found the influential trio Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, and Schumacher provides some juicy dirt on that volatile three-way alliance. Also covered is Clapton's relationship with Pattie Boyd, wife of Beatle George Harrison when she served as the inspiration for ``Layla,'' one of Clapton's best songs. (She later married Clapton, but it didn't last.) The book bogs down when covering in excessive detail the string of mediocre albums Clapton recorded during the '70s—a time when he had traded in a debilitating heroin addiction for a near-fatal dependence on alcohol—but picks up steam as it moves toward the present. The story ends on a bittersweet note: After the tragic accidental death of Clapton's young son, Conor, in 1991, the musician's career blossomed anew, largely due to the success of ``Tears in Heaven,'' a song commemorating Conor's demise. Clapton recently returned to playing his first love, the blues, bringing his saga full circle. Meatier than the average fan bio. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen)
Pub Date: April 28, 1995
ISBN: 0-7868-6074-X
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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