Dr. Barnabas T. Bynum's New School Musical Revue and Travelling Minstrel Show

Me Cheeta

2009-05-20T03:01:23Z

Let me see - an autobiography by a famous chimpanzee. I'm open to that. This one deals with Cheeta of Tarzan movie fame. Cheeta is now 76 and living comfortably in Palm Springs. The autobiography chronicles Cheeta's entry into the U.S., career in Hollywood, and his retirement. Of course Cheeta didn't write any of this at all. So who is it ghostwritten by and what's the motivation? The book dishes out a lot of gossip and salacious stories, but is it true? And who cares? Cheeta did the bulk of his work in the 30's and 40's. A golden age of Hollywood for sure. But the audience for this book is probably already dead. The writer infuses Cheeta with a cool way of talking that is more appropriate for someone of Generation X. And Generation X probably doesn't care about the escapades of Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, and problems on the set of the ill fated Doctor Dolittle. I don't. A book that would have been sensational in the 40's and 50's is merely a tired gimmick in 2009. What's next? The long lost diaries of Mr. Ed?

Slap Happy (Pride, Prejudice, and Professional Wrestling)

2009-05-20T02:40:19Z

I swear director Darren Aronofsky must have read this book before he made his brilliant film The Wrestler . Writer Thomas Hackett delivers an entertaining and sometime heartbreaking look into the world of professional wrestling leaving no stone unturned. What makes fans of professional wrestling tick? The wrestlers themselves? And if everyone is aware that moves are choreographed and outcomes predetermined, why does wrestling's popularity linger in today's culture? Hackett delves into such matters reminding us that spectacle as it relates to modern day wrestling is nothing new. What is new is the extreme lengths wrestlers and fans go to in their quests to fulfill fantasies that often have very little to do with wrestling. Hackett interviews the rabid fans as well as wrestlers with names like Asshole Andy Armageddon, The Hardcore Homo, and the Sandman. He also interviewed the biggest of the big - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson after he left wrestling for Hollywood. The character of Randy "The Ram" Robinson permeates the book. But these are real people with real fears and anxieties that revolve around a sport that's fake. That's the sad part of the book. The young men whose hopes and dreams of becoming professional wrestlers will never be realized and the men like "The Ram" who have stayed too long.

The Hardest Working Man (How James Brown Saved The Soul Of America)

2009-03-13T02:20:21Z

An audacious title about an audacious man and a tumultuous time by Boston writer James Sullivan. In fact the title was so compelling, I felt the need to read it almost immediately. But it only took a few pages for me to get bogged down in the minutiae that was 1968 Boston race relations and politics. The book attempts to focus on Brown's Boston Garden concert the day after Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered. Along the way we're treated to a meandering bio of the godfather of soul. Nothing wrong with that, but again Sullivan seemingly namechecks every single member of Brown's considerably large and constantly changing retinue along with all the folks who influenced him over the course of his career. I greatly admire Sullivan's knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject but if you read the book don't be surprised if your eyes start to glaze over. While James Brown's dedication and committment to the African-American community is beyond question, he was first and foremost a "capitalist". Everything else was secondary. Even the celebrated '68 Boston Garden concert almost didn't take place because of monetary and contractual concerns. (The concert would be televised live in an effort to keep potential rioters off the streets.) Brown would later be called a sell-out due to his ardent support of Richard Nixon. And Brown's efforts at reaching out to disaffected black youth meant little more than releasing sloganeering preachy songs. That having been said, he will always be remembered as one of the best entertainers of his generation. And his music did help bring the races together. Did James Brown save the soul of America? No, but like countless others he helped to mend it. Unlike Brown's over the top theatrical cape routine which left the audience wanting more, this book unfortunately will not do the same. The hardest working man? Yes. A great entertainer? Yes. The godfather of soul? You bet. However, Sullivan's attempt to transform Brown into this great civil rights icon that he never was creates a disservice not only to the readers but to the godfather himself.

1960 LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon

2009-03-05T02:02:37Z

Writer David Pietrusza examines the 1960 presidential campaign in his new book 1960 LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon (The epic campaign that forged three Presidencies). At times scholarly, at times journalistic (harking back to a time when serious journalism was treated seriously), and at times tabloid style; Pietrusza weaves a narrative that concludes with the election of JFK. An otherwise fine book is marred at times with innuendo, gossip, and rumors. For example, Pietrusza uses as one of his sources Frank Sinatra's valet/personal assistant. What did Frank supposedly do? He was used as a courier by the mob to deliver large sums of cash to the Kennedy campaign. Of course we know from a number of reputable sources that this campaign was probably not run cleanly especially when you add Joseph P. Kennedy and his millions into the mix. But Pietrusza's Sinatra allegation is never definitively proven along with other assertions he makes based on dubious sources. Pietrusza is far more successful in analyzing broader political themes such as twice defeated presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson's hold on the democratic party as late as 1960 and the sobering warnings from without and within the Republican party concerning a Richard Nixon presidency. Also the Nixon/Kennedy debates are examined in detail. Everyone remembers the first debate. But what about the other three? Pietrusza fills us in. LBJ is often depicted as a helpless despondent bystander in this great campaign. Pietrusza's final chapter summarizes the fate of each man in spectacular prose which makes me want to forgive him for his previous lapses.

Somebody

2009-02-03T02:54:30Z

In his bookSomebody(The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando), author Stefan Kanfer cobbles his bio of Brando together with fact, anecdotes, and rumors. It is an interesting book but too often Kanfer relies on unreliable sources such as Brando's own autobiography or books of questionable veracity such as Brando Unzipped and Brando for Breakfast. When Kanfer refers to Peter Manso's definitive bio of Brando, he perhaps unwittingly is inviting an unwelcomed comparison. The troubled youth, the tortured soul, the dysfunctional family...blah, blah, blah are all topics delved into by Kanfer. However I'm not sure we learn anything new here. The author does shed a much needed light on Brando's tragic last years. This is ground no one has covered up until now.

The Helicopter Above Our Heads

2009-01-29T03:36:07Z

The helicopter above our heads used to carry the most important man in the world. It would take him "home" to a ranch in central Texas. A home he adopted, a home I can't escape. A home that was more of a prop than an actual working ranch. The people of this ranch town were merely extras in a melodrama that has come to an end. It's a wrap. Payment was deferred and meals were not provided. The helicopter above our heads would shine in the sun. The light, the power, the glory would blind us. But the man inside would lose all connection to reality, so he created his own reality to the detriment of his subjects. No one told the emperor that he had no clothes. The helicopter above our heads used to carry what some referred to as a genuinely nice man. I won't quibble with that assessment. Nice men have their moments. Nice men sometime get in over their head. They become belligerent and vain. Nice men should be running small coffee shops and restaurants, not a country. The helicopter above our heads necessitated a father-son talk about the dirty business of politics, the failings of democracy, and the myth that every vote counts. For you see, the helicopter above our heads was never supposed to be above our heads in the first place. The helicopter above our heads used to carry the most powerful man in the world. It no longer does. We remain powerless and he has become powerless. The ranch town has become meaningless and the helicopter flightless, a museum piece - a symbol of ineptitude, hubris, and what might have been.

Deconstructing Sammy

2008-11-18T03:12:37Z

The lessons I learned after reading this book by Matt Birkbeck are: 1.) Pay your taxes 2.) Pay your taxes 3.) Pay your taxes and 4.) Pay your taxes dammit! We've all heard this story before. Most recently, actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to the big house for IRS troubles. In this case, the book tells the story of one of the most beloved entertainers of the last century - Sammy Davis Jr. and his tax woes. Birnbeck also makes salacious and sensational claims concerning Davis, his troubled widow Altovise, Sinatra, and assorted cronies and associates. Perhaps the biggest bombshell dropped by the author is that Davis knew who killed JFK! Who would of thought? Sammy Davis Jr. knew the answer to the greatest mysteries of the last century all while singing Candy Man. A humorous tidbit mentioned in the book is that Donald Rumsfeld (yea that Donald Rumsfeld former secretary of defense) used to stay at Davis's pool house. Birkbeck does his best writing when he shines a light on Albert "Sonny" Murray who singlehandedly settled IRS claims on the Davis estate and resurrected the career and iconic stature of Davis years after he passed away. Murray's relationship to his parents and their historic resort in the Poconos is touching and endearing. If all lawyers were like Murray the world would indeed be a better place.

Willie Nelson : An Epic Life

2008-11-08T02:23:04Z
An epic life and an epic book as well. Written by Joe Nick Patoski, this is not a Willie Nelson For Dummies. No, at 567 pages it is more of a textbook on all things Willie. The diehard fan (Willieologist) will love this book. A serious tome written by a serious writer. A former editor at Texas Monthly, his Texas connections serve him well as he has written about Nelson for 35 years. From reading the book some of the things we learn are: (1.) Nelson's gypsy lifestyle was probably influenced to a large extent by his wandering wayward parents. (2.) Throughout the low points of a long career, Nelson has remained tenacious, determined, and driven. This has served him well when others berated his singing, writing, and even his playing. (3.) It's hard for Willie to say no to any request. That's why he has people to say no for him. (4.) The genesis of the much celebrated Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnics. (5.) His love/hate relationship with fellow outlaw Waylon Jennings. (6.) Willie really does love the wacky weed, I mean really loves the weed. (7.) What you see is what you get, warts and all. (8.) There's no one better to play Willie in a movie role than the red headed stranger himself. (9.) The many humanitarian efforts and benefit concerts Nelson has undertaken for the downtrodden and disheartened. (10.) There's a lot more but hey you'll have to read the book. Patoski has presented a well balanced portrait of one of America's favorite icons. From ex-wives to club owners to fellow troubadours to even a guy Nelson pumped gas with in his salad days - Patoski has tracked them all down. Don't be surprised if this doesn't turn out to be the definitive bio. --

Redneck Boy in the Promised Land

2008-10-15T00:34:20Z
Virginia native Ben Jones has been called "a two bit actor from a stupid television show..." And that has been one of the kinder things said about Jones. But make no mistake about it, if you read his autobiography you will find out for yourself the wit, wisdom, humor, and brutal honesty this man possesses in huge quantities. Yes, Ben Jones is best remembered for his role as "Cooter" in the 70-80's hit tv show Dukes of Hazzard. According to Jones the show was to be so much more than a southern stereotype about rednecks in Georgia. The show had a southern creator and many talented writers and actors who were "southern bred" but once the show moved from Georgia to a Hollywood back lot, everything went to hell in a hurry. After the show's demise, Jones became involved in the political scene in Georgia by becoming a Democratic congressman from the Atlanta area. After two terms he was steamrolled by redistricting and Newt Gingrich. Along the way you'll read of alcoholism and recovery, civil rights, numerous marriages, a debilitating knee injury, southern hospitality, working on the railroad, redemption, and tenacity. A remarkable memoir by a remarkable man.

Dali and I

2008-09-29T02:34:46Z
Belgian Stan Lauryssens is a writer and con man extraordinaire. Well if you believe Stan - ex con man. But his memoir Dali and I is so good you don't really care if he's conning you or not. He is an excellent story teller. A motion picture based on Lauryssens book is in the works with Al Pacino starring as surrealist painter/showman Salvador Dali. You see back in the seventies, Lauryssens was an "art dealer" who dealed exclusively in Dalis. Whether they were real Dalis or not did not matter to Stan. With his unique powers of persuasion, he was able to separate many a rich fool from his or her money. Later, Lauryssens would become acquainted with many of the principal players involved in the massive Dali art frauds. To his own bewilderment, he discovered Dali himself perpetuated and condoned a good bit of the fraud. Even his trademark mustache was fake. Dali kept painters on staff to do the painting for him. Supposedly Dali's Last Supper was contracted out for $75. Dali and his wife Gala's lifestyles were so extravagant that they needed an assembly line of paintings to make ends meet. Lauryssens greed and fraud would later catch up with him as he served a short sentence in a Spanish prison. He also amazingly bought a cottage that was next door to the residence of who else but Salvador Dali. With his life of crime behind him, Lauryssens dedicated himself to a writing career, writing about what else but crime. He was bestowed the Hercule Poirot award for best crime fiction in 2002.

08-08-08 Just Tune Out

2008-08-07T02:38:30Z
It is now time for the Beijing Olympics. Let us take a collective deep breath and then get on to something more meaningful. It's a shame that the world has drifted away from the original ideals of the Olympic games. The games have been professionalized, advertised, super sized beyond the bounds of propriety. What happened to friendly competition between nations consisting of "amateur" athletes? The stakes are so high for victory, that athletes feel the pressure to partake of banned performance enhancing drugs. What is so insane is that one can win the gold medal today and several years later be stripped of that same medal due to doping. So much for an emotional investment by the viewing audience. And while I sympathize with the US swimmer who was recently diagnosed with cancer, I don't think the games are of such importance that he should compete and delay his much needed treatment. Our priorities are all out of whack here. The stakes are also high for the Chinese government. It is their responsibility to put China in the best possible light - a new, semi-capitalisic, open, prosperous, tolerant China. And it will stop at nothing to present this "positive" side to the world even if it means jailing, beating, censoring any person or group who would counter the official line. Just look at all the ruckus and trouble the torch carrying touched off a few months ago across the globe. To a certain extent all Olympics are politicized. One can go all the way back to Hitler's Germany to witness the manipulation of the international games for political profit. And while over a billion Chinese people should not be ignored, neither should their government be rewarded with a global showcase by an inept, corrupt International olympic committee. President Bush admonished the Chinese for their many abuses but because he is held in such low regard around the world, they basically told him to shut up and mind his own business. I'm sure NBC feels the same way as it is estimated that ad revenue will top one billion. I guess I no longer care who can run the fastest, jump the highest, or throw the farthest - not under these conditions.

Sing Me Back Home (Love, Death, and Country Music)

2008-06-29T04:02:18Z
Dana Jennings, a New York Times editor, has written a brilliant memoir filtered through the prism of country music called Sing Me Back Home. If you read only one book about country music, let it be this one. If you are a fan of superb writing, this book's for you. If you like your beer cold, your dance floor hot, your women hotter - this book's for you. If you like traditional country music (not the neo-traditional bullshit that passes for country music), then this book is especially for you. Jennings evokes the ghosts of Porter Wagoner, Webb Pierce, Flatt and Scruggs, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and many more lost legends of country music to help us understand his family history. And don't be surprised if Jennings highly disfunctional family resembles yours. This yankee from New Hampshire goes out of his way to let us know that he shares more with a plowboy from Tennessee than you might think. But don't worry brother, you're preachin' to the choir. The classic country music of 1950-1970 did indeed cut a wide swath.

Hell's Kitchen

2008-06-27T04:44:13Z
Let me be the first to say that I'm not a big fan of reality shows or cooking. However Hell's Kitchen on Fox is something I'm drawn to like a moth to a flame. It is perhaps the best hour on television (I realize this is not saying much due to diminished expectations but still). It succeeds due to the sheer presence and volatile personality of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Think of him as a Morton Downy Jr. who can cook. This season 15 contestants vied for the opportunity to be executive chef at Ramsay's LA restaurant. It is now down to the final two. Ramsay often berates, humiliates, and physically moves would be chefs from place to place. And while it is up to the two teams to offer up one of their own for elimination, make no mistake about it - Ramsay is in charge. There are no text messaging or numbers to dial for your favorite chef. No, none of that bullshit. Ramsay has even decided to eliminate people not even offered up for elimination. And while he surely plays to the camera, he doesn't suffer fools and demands excellence. Now that's refreshing.

A Boy Named Shel. The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein

2008-05-25T02:06:36Z
A Boy Named Shel (Lisa Rogak, St. Martins Press) is perhaps one of the first comprehensive bios ever written about the celebrated author of The Giving Tree, The Light In The Attic, and Where The Sidewalk Ends. But if you only know Shel from his award winning children's books, then you only know a fraction of the man's work. As Rogak so eloquently lays out in her book, Shel was also a multitalented Playboy cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. As a songwriter, Shel penned Johnny Cash's monster hit A Boy Named Sue as well as numerous songs for the pop group Dr. Hook. He was thought so highly as a tunesmith that even Bob Dylan sought his advice. He also collaborated with David Mamet on screen and stage plays. While Shel had numerous friends and collaborators, he at times remained a bit of a hermit and rarely gave interviews. This reclusiveness makes the biographer's job difficult, but Rogak more than meets the challenge of explaining how this Playboy cartoonist became a writer of songs and books for kids. She treats her subject with plenty of respect but doesn't gloss over his human frailties. This results in a well rounded portrait of the larger than life presense called Shel Silverstein. Shel believed a day not creating was a day wasted. My sentiments exactly.

Demorama

2008-04-04T17:09:21Z
I was recently saddened to learn of the demise of Jim Santo's Demo Universe. Demo Universe was a place where undiscovered/underexposed bands or solo artists could send their recordings to be critiqued by the very able Mr. Santo. Let's face it , when one sends out demos to the various labels; there's a 99.99% chance it will end up in a large mechanical device that's called an industrial trash compactor. If your cousin's friend's brother works in the mail room and gets donuts and coffee for the a&r people, your chances are only slightly better. At least Jim Santo would provide the would be stars with some constructive feedback. If he liked your stuff, he said so. If he didn't, he said that too in very blunt and often humorous terms. Imagine Simon Cowell with a sense of humor. An accomplished musician himself, Santo was well versed in many genres of music. But over the years, he began to get further and further behind in reviewing the voluminous amount of tapes bands were sending him. In fact, at the rate he was reviewing it would have taken more than two and a half years to get to the last tape received. He can now spend time with more rewarding pursuits. You can check out his band at www.myspace.com/thesharpthings and please people stop sending him your tapes. With demo universe out of the picture, who's left to fill the void? Well there's an outfit called TAXI which solicits music for various record labels and assorted music projects. They will critique your music and forward it, if it is deemed good enough. But be advised there is a membership fee and a submission fee for each song submitted. Other than that, the would be music critics at www.demorama.com will review your stuff for free (it appears they have nothing to do anyway). They sort of remind me of people you see working in the mall - perhaps somewhere like Hot Topic. They probably stayed on the job 10 years too long and they no longer look good in goth/punk attire with pink/purple hair. Just about the time mom decided to kick them out of the house, they had the bright idea of reviewing music. Look at me mom! I'm a freaking music critic. Yep you and the rest of the world.