Book Description

The question follows Lorna Luft to this day: "What's it like to be Dorothy's daughter?" Although by appearances glamorous and truly thrilling, growing up as the daughter of Judy Garland was anything but a journey over the rainbow.

With unsparing candor, Lorna Luft offers the first-ever insider portrait of one of Hollywood's most celebrated families: a rare story of a little girl, her half-sister Liza, and her baby brother trying desperately to hang on to the mother whose life seemed destined to burn brightly but briefly. Lorna makes an extraordinary journey back into the spiral of love, addiction, pain, and loss that lurked behind a charmed facade.

Filled with behind-the-scenes dramas, hilarious untold stories, and little-known details of Garland family life, Me and My Shadows is a tribute to Lorna's victory over her own past, a story of hope, of love and its limitations, and a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past and charting a course of self-love and discovery. ... Read more

Reviews (62)

A real page-turner; I couldn't put it down
Lorna Luft tells her personal story about growing up the daughter of an adored and afflicted mother. As the child of one of the world's truly legendary stars, Luft tells what it was like to love and live with the tragedy and triumph that was Judy Garland. She pulls no punches, opens herself up honestly, presenting both the positive and negative sides of all the members of this difficult family from her own perspective. Yet, the the love and admiration she has for all of them is clear. Her feelings are honest and open (for good or bad). Luft givews you an insight into the real life that the publicity mills hid. Her devotion to her mother AND her father is a testament to true love which loves in spite of as much as because of who you are. Her ability to rise above her own fears and weaknesses, problems and addictions as well as her vivid storytelling makes this a real page-turner. Is it all true? Is it exaggerated? Is it fair? I'm not here to judge that. It's a great read. THAT, I can judge.

Starred Publishers Weekly review (3/16/98)
"It's a funny thing about the past. If you don't watch out, it will become the present." In this candid and often moving autobiography, Luft demonstrates the truth of that observation as she recounts the tribulations of growing up as the child of a show-biz legend (and as the younger sibling of another famous performer, Liza Minnelli). The book's first half chronicles Luft's hectic, often traumatic childhood. By the time Luft was 10, Garland's marriage to Sid Luft was over and her addiction to prescription drugs has grown steadily worse. Here, as in the book's later sections, the author's matter-of-fact reportage ("At twelve years old, I would become my mother's keeper") makes the harrowing episodes all the more believable--and tragic. The book is no Mommy Dearest wannabe, however; Luft repeatedly talks about her abiding affection for her mother and takes pains to clear up commonly held "facts" about Garland's decline and fall. The book's second half covers the years after 1969, when drugs claimed Garland. Luft, then 16, had already embarked upon a performing career--a path that led her to replicate much of her mother's destructive behavior. It's to Luft's credit that, while she pulls no punches about Garland, she is equally frank about herself, her drug addiction (from which she is now free) and her problems with men. Though Luft's life has had its share of melodrama, her tale is far from bleak, as it's spiced up by many humorous asides and incidental dish--and its sales could go through the roof and over the rainbow. Photos. (Major ad/promo; Literary Guild, Doubleday Direct and Stage & Screen Book Club selection; film rights to ABC TV for a four-hour miniseries; author tour. Apr.) (Copyright Publishers Weekly)

Brilliant
I loved this book. Although i wasn't really a fan of Judy Garland's (i had only ever seen her in The Wizard of Oz), i was by the time i finished this book. This book is beautifully written, and i thought the mini-series was fantastic. Lorna writes honestly, covering both the good and bad points of Judy's -as well as her own- life. It is particularly sad at times, but there are some happy, joyful memories that Lorna has of her mom. As Lorna once said, 'I didn't know her as a legend, I didn't know her as an icon, all i knew her as was my mother', a mother who loved her children fiercely, even in her final years of addiction. There is no doubt that Judy Garland was a brilliant and gifted performer - and if she had not had the tradgies of being co-dependent on her pills, or if addiction had been more understood - she would still be alive today, instead of being alive only in the memories of her loved ones.

buy it and read it! completely brialliant.
I thought this book was fantastic. All true Judy Garland fans should read this because it is brilliant. Luft seems to tell the whole truth and it does contradict some other books which makes me feel a lot better.
In Anne Edwards book "Judy Garland Biography" it says that L.B. Mayer hated Judy Garland. It says he treated her like rubbish and didn't care about her at all but then in Lufts book it says Mayer loved Judy like a daughter and she never once complained about him. Although Luft probably does exaggerate some of it and she probably can't quite remember everything so she has to do her best, even if its not true, it is still a fantastically detailed review of the ups and downs of Judy's and the family's life.
At one point Luft says that the night of Judys funeral, she was on the balony looking at the stars and she felt her mothers presence. I thought that was lovely and it really touched me. All the things about Judys ghost haunting Liza is absolute rubbish from the press. I don't know how some reporters can be so harsh and not even seem to care. As Lorna said, if her mother was "haunting" Liza, it wasn't "haunting", she was simply trying to comfort her because she is her daughter.
I love Judy Garland and hope wherever she is that she is very happy and has finally found piece.
This book is fantastic and, as I said before, any fan of Judys should read it and if you still come of loving her as much as you did when you started the book, or more, then you are a true fan of a fantastic legend.

Very Interesting Life
The book starts off with the story of Lorna Luft's grandparents (Judy's parents) Frank and Ethel Gumm and tells the story about how they met and the family they raised. The book then goes into the story of Lorna's mother Judy Garland growing up baby Frances Ethel Gumm. Lorna tells how her mother loved to perform and loved living in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (were she was born) and hated living in Lancaster, California where they moved when Judy was 4.
Lorna then goes into the story of the MGM years of Judy's life going from a radio singer to the star of The Wizard of OZ, one of the greatest hits of MGM's history all in the space of a year. After that, it was all pretty much down hill as far as MGM goes for Judy according to Lorna. Judy started on drugs to help her lose weight and help her sleep, and they soon controlled her life. Lorna tells that when Judy was 18 she got married to David Rose and after only a short period of time divorced him. She did this to get out of Ethel's hair because she could not stand being near her after the death of Frank and Ethel's marrying a man exactly four years to the day after her father's death.
Lorna then goes into the sorted affair that was Judy's marriage to Vincent Minnelli and the birth of their daughter Liza. After only a few years though they divorced and Lorna goes on to talk about the next man in Judy's life, Lorna's father Sid Luft.
Lorna tells the story about her father being raised by a bon-vivent and a Russian Jewish designer in New York City. Lorna also tells a ridiculous story that her father once heard his father tell his mother about a mysterious note a woman wrote to him when his family was in Europe one summer.
Lorna tells about her parent's early relationship and how she never knew that she was actually on the way when they decided to get married. She tells the story about her early years in the house and then the hubbub of having little Joey come into the world. Lorna tells the story about how when Joey was a little boy she actually went into his crib and scratched him so hard that to this day there are still scratch marks on his face.
This leads into the story about Lorna's own life. Going from one step-father to another constantly moving, never being able to see her father, until at the age of 15 she moves in with her dad and several months later finds out that her mother was dead.
After her mother died, Lorna moved to New York to work in plays and things and had some love affairs (one with Barry Mataloe.) She tells about her dabbling with cocaine for several years and the diabolical that was her relationship with Burt Reynolds until she found the absolute wrong man for her-her husband Jake Hooker.
Lorna vividly details her relationship of almost 20 years with her husband. She tells about at first they were fine, and then after their son was born it was more like they were client and clientele instead of husband and wife and their daughters birth only made it worse. She details how their marriage broke up when their daughter was an infant and how only a week later she met the next man she was to marry.
Last, but not least Lorna describes her relationship with her sister Liza Minnelli. She tells that because Liza was seven years older than her she does not really have any memories of her when they were young, but she has a lot when they were older. Lorna details the struggle Liza had with drugs that culminated in Lorna virtually kidnapping her sister and taking her to the Betty Ford Center in about 1984. ... Read more

Book Description

Named one of the "21 hottest stars under 21" by Teen People magazine, Brandy, the chart-topping singer and star of TV's Moesha, is one of today's hottest young talents--a bright, headstrong woman who handles the hurdles of stardom with major maturity, while enjoying life like an ordinary teenager (she talks for hours on the phone, shops up a storm, and loves McDonald's french fries!).Get the 411 on this award-winning superstar and her life in front of the camera, in back of the microphone--and behind the scenes.Find out:

-How she landed her gig as the star of UPN's top-rated sitcom, Moesha
-About her part alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt in the movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
-How she feels about her year-and-a-half-long relationship and break-up with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris
-About her album, Never Say Never, and how she lives by these words
-How she feels about her mom/manager Sonja Norwood
-What the future holds for Brandy, how she manages to "keep it real," and much, much more!

With 8 pages of Fabulous Photos! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

brandy I enjoy your music
5 stars brandy I enjoy your musi

Brandy is THE BOMB!!
I LOVED the book,Brandy:Sittin'On Top Of The World. It was really informative, and since I AM Brandy's #1 fan, it was fun to read. It was great reading about all what Brandy had to do and her determination to reach were she is right now, which IS on top of the world!

It's neat and it gives a lot of info on Brandy.
It's cool and it gives a lot of information about it

brandy is the best!
I loved this book! It is great!I wont really say i am her #1 fan because i know there are alot of other people who really like her like me so i guess we are all her #1 FANS.Brandy is a really cool person and i hope to follow in her footsteps. Well thats all for now. I LOVE YOU! Love, Yomary

brandy
It was a wonderful book to read I could not even put it down.I think that you should go out and buy it. ... Read more

Book Description

American singing sensation Britney Spears and her mom talk about life, love, fame, and following your dreams.

Britney Spears makes success look simple. As Brit will tell you, though, success is hard work--you need talent, belief in yourself, and someone else who believes in you. For Britney, that person has always been her mother, Lynne Spears, who is not just Britney's mama but also her best friend.

In Britney Spears' Heart to Heart, Britney and Lynne share the inspiring story of how one little girl from Kentwood, Louisiana, turned into a music phenomenon. From the days of singing at talent shows and family gatherings to recording ". . . Baby One More Time" and performing with NSYNC, Britney and Lynne share intimate details about Britney's rise to stardom. But this book is much more than just the story of Britney's life. In their own words, Lynne and Britney talk openly about the challenges facing all mothers and daughters. How do you encourage your child? How do you talk to your mom? How do you overcome obstacles? How do you put together your own "dream team" that will always be there for you? How do you deal with success--and failure? How do you talk about dating and relationships, dress codes, self-esteem, and body image?

Featuring never-before-seen photos and dozens of behind-the-scenes stories about life at home, in the studio, and on the road, Britney Spears' Heart to Heart is not only a must-have for Britney fans, it's also an honest look at what it's like for girls to grow up in today's world. Here's straight talk from the heart, from a mother and daughter who know that love, faith, and family always come first.
... Read more

Reviews (87)

Sweet book
When Britney first came out, I thought she was just another singer. Then, as I saw the interviews, I noticed, she's just a normal teenage girl. She kind of reminded me of me. Then, when I read this book, I was blown away. I thought I was weird for having a close relationship with my mother. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's close to their mom. Britney and her mom are like best friends and their relationship is almost exactly like mine with my mother.

This book tells how Britney grew up poor, but rich. Her family may not have always had enough money or even phone service, but she still had love. The respect that her family has for one another is amazing. She had a terrific relationship with her brother, who in typical big-brother fashion, watched over her like a hawk. She has an adorable little sister who admires her.

Britney learned to sing when she was 3. She started dancing the year before. She always loved to perform, but was always so shy about regular conversations.

This book tells the story of the famous teen pop star in a rags to riches sort of way. It examines her friendships, her MMC days, and things teenage girls and moms have to talk about. It shows that with a little faith and love, you can go so far. This book also has a ton of great pictures (including some of Justin and JC of *NSYNC and Christina Aguilera).

I think if you want to read a touching mother-daughter book or you're a Britney fan, you should get this book. It's amazing.

This book is great
When Britney first came out, I thought she was just another singer. Then, as I saw the interviews, I noticed, she's just a normal teenage girl. She kind of reminded me of me. Then, when I read this book, I was blown away. I thought I was weird for having a close relationship with my mother. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's close to their mom. Britney and her mom are like best friends and their relationship is almost exactly like mine with my mother.

This book tells how Britney grew up poor, but rich. Her family may not have always had enough money or even phone service, but she still had love. The respect that her family has for one another is amazing. She had a terrific relationship with her brother, who in typical big-brother fashion, watched over her like a hawk. She has an adorable little sister who admires her.

Britney learned to sing when she was 3. She started dancing the year before. She always loved to perform, but was always so shy about regular conversations.

This book tells the story of the famous teen pop star in a rags to riches sort of way. It examines her friendships, her MMC days, and things teenage girls and moms have to talk about. It shows that with a little faith and love, you can go so far. This book also has a ton of great pictures (including some of Justin and JC of *NSYNC and Christina Aguilera).

I think if you want to read a touching mother-daughter book or you're a Britney fan, you should get this book. It's amazing.

2 all Britney fanz and motherz and daughterz
Not only is this a good item 4 Britney fanz, but also 4 motherz and daughterz. It tells otherwise untold tales about Britney, and what goes on in her life. It also shares advice for parents and teens about family realtionships.

Well-Written, Wonderful Book!
Britney and Lynne Spears have done a wonderful job writing Britney's life story. The book chronicles Britney's entire life from her birth to after the release of "Oops, I Did It Again". The book shows that Britney wasn't always rich, in fact her family did go through some financial problems. Britney and Lynne also write about how from an early age Britney showed her talent for singing and dancing. I specifically enjoyed reading about Britney's childhood, there is a lot of information about young Britney that I loved reading about. It was also interesting to learn about how Britney got her record deal, and how nervous she and her mom were before her audition- the same one that ended up giving Britney a record deal! Britney and Lynne talk about mother-and-daughter issues, such as clothes, serious issues (such as sex and drugs), how to help each other over come obstacles, amd more. This was an awesome book, perfect for any Britney Spears fan. There were also tons of cool pictures, of Britney from when she was a baby, as a child, a teen, and all the way up to the year 2000. However, I feel as though Britney and Lynne should write another updated edition of the book soon, as it has been a while!

Fantastic book!
Well, I want to keep it brief because I am writing several reviews for items I have bought. I really wanted this book and I bought it. It is a very toucing book. It puts you to dream high, it fills you with hope. It makes you want to aim high in life, it is written in such a way that wow, the book pratically says, "see? you got a very good book". Hehe, worth it!! ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive biography, now updated to include the tragic death of Maurice Gibb in February 2003. Most famous for having created the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb have also written countless hits, both for themselves and others, and this new edition contains a list of every song written and recorded by them. This extensively researched biography covers four decades from their early days in Manchester and the Isle of Man before the family emigrated to Australia and returned to London to find fame in 1967. Over the years the Bee Gees career has mixed triumph and tragedy in equal measure and this biography covers it all. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

This book is huge!
I had already ordered the book when I started reading some of the reviews on here. Some people did not like that the authors wrote about the Bee Gees family or about their younger brother Andy. I tend to disagree with this popular mode of thinking. In order to understand their success and failures, it was their families that were always there for them. The support and love of their families is what molded and shaped them into the successfull and well-rounded individuals they are today. I truly enjoyed getting a glimpse into what life is really like for the Bee Gees.

This book was very well written and researched. In many cases, it will give many views from different parties to a particular story. And if the authors felt that some of the stories were embellished or untrue, they would further research the stories and give their opinions to what really may be the truth.

This book may not give die hard Bee Gees fans any new information but it is a great book for those just discovering their music. It is a very realistic book that not only follows their success but show each Bee Gee as an individual person, not just as a group.

A true homage!
After reading about Maurice Gibb passing, I picked this up as a casual read. I've never read so much deail about any group before. WHat an amazing life these guys led. I wish I had seen them in concert. I'll have to settle for the ONE NIGHT ONLY concert. Very interesting (if long) book.

Clip Job Has Moments
Sad but true. The Bee Gees did an amazing lot in four decades, writing songs for themselves and others that topped charts in every corner of the globe from the 1960s to the 1990s. But for most people, even those who know the Beatles didn't originally record "To Love Somebody" and "New York Mining Disaster 1941," they were the ultimate purveyors of pop music's guiltiest pleasure, disco.

For 667 pages, "The Ultimate Biography of the Bee Gees" offers a somewhat more rounded take on who the Bee Gees really were and what their music was about. Not that it will change much. This is not a book for anyone but the sincerest Bee Gee fan. The first 300 pages are like a massive loyalty test: Can you plow through pages of choppy narrative, contextless quotes, and drawn-out references to nearly every person who sold the Gibb brothers an ice cream or recorded one of their songs?

The Bee Gees were made up of three very creative and somewhat unstable people who never would have spent much time with the others except for the sometimes inconvenient, more often redeeming fact of their brotherhood. Each was a real character onto himself. Since the quintet of authors behind this book didn't have access to the Bee Gees when writing this in the late 1990s, they rely on press clippings and fail at providing adequate attribution, editing, or context.

So we get long transcript-like statements from Music Maker articles and the like, say from Barry about not liking Robin's wife Molly. There's no follow-up to say how or if that was ever resolved. All three brothers, talking long ago in various forums, throw up a number of wild comments. These are often long and sometimes contradictory, with little attempt at contextual insight from the authors. The narrative is weak throughout the book; it really lacks a central voice or point of view. Especially early on, it reads like an artless clip job, because in essence that's what it is.

The book picks up right when the Gibbs tap into R&B. Being able to interview studio insiders like producer Arif Mardin and keyboardist Blue Weaver first-hand make a difference. The next 100 pages are the most readable in the book, but as it deals with the Helium Years (their 1975-79 disco heyday), that only serves to feed the white-satin stereotype many will have of this band going in. Also, I'm more than a little concerned about the factual integrity of a text that refers several times to the singer of the Gibb-penned hit "Grease" as "Franki" Valli.

The authors do try to cram every fact they can into the book, but the result is cumbersome and at times unreadable, especially at the beginning. I'd say this is two stars for fans, one for everyone else. Here's hoping that now that the Bee Gees story is at an end with Maurice's sudden death last year, some writer will come along to give it the class-A treatment it deserves. I'll just hang on to this while I'm waiting.

Poorly organized book
I read the book carefully and the it's a real shame that the authors did not spend more time on research! Many reviewers complained about lack of information of Bee Gees main asset, their music, I regret to say that it's true. Now, should we wait for a Bee Gees Anthology? Official, Authorized and Informative?

Book is horrid. Pictures okay.
This book is a disorganized, poorly researched piece of drivel, generally. Filled with direct lifts from uncredited sources, it gives the impression that the subjects of the book were recently interviewed. The book is totally unauthorized and no one connected with the Gibbs would have anything to do with it. The quotes are uncredited and undated so that forty year old quotes are used as if said yesterday. There was no fact checking, because they couldn't interview the Gibbs. It is shamefully misrepresenting itself as a complete history, when in fact it is no such thing because there are so many mistakes and fallacies. Don't bother. ... Read more

Book Description

She lived at full throttle on stage, screen, and in real life, with highs that made history and lows that finally brought down the curtain at age forty-seven. Judy Garland died over thirty years ago, but no biography has so completely captured her spirit--and demons--until now. From her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days, Gerald Clarke reveals the authentic Judy in a biography rich in new detail and unprecedented revelations. Based on hundreds of interviews and drawing on her own unfinished--and unpublished--autobiography, Get Happy presents the real Judy Garland in all her flawed glory.

With the same skill, style, and storytelling flair that made his bestselling Capote a landmark literary biography, Gerald Clarke sorts through the secrets and the scandals, the legends and the lies, to create a portrait of Judy Garland as candid as it is compassionate. Here are her early years, during which her parents sowed the seeds of heartbreak and self-destruction that would plague her for decades...the golden age of Hollywood, brought into sharp focus with cinematic urgency, from the hidden private lives of the movie world's biggest stars to the cold-eyed businessmen who controlled the machine...and a parade of brilliant and gifted men--lovers and artists, impresarios and crooks--who helped her reach so many creative pinnacles yet left her hopeless and alone after each seemingly inevitable fall. Here, then, is Judy Garland in all her magic and despair: the woman, the star, the legend, in a riveting saga of tragedy, resurrection, and genius. ... Read more

Reviews (75)

Get Happy, and get the book!
Gerald Clarke tackles a very difficult subject, Judy Garland, in his newest biography "Get Happy". We all realize that probably one of the most complex lives in modern times has been that of Judy herself. She was a singer extraordinaire, gifted actress, beautiful woman, and a human, none-the-less. What Clarke's biography manages to capture is her humanness. There is a succinct danger in deifying someone so much that they lose those essential qualities that endear us to them in the first place. Judy was troubled, had drug issues, marital problems, all true and well-documented, and she also could belt out a song like no one else. I loved Judy Garland since childhood, and now, knowing her foibles and follies as well as her gifts, makes me love her all the more.

Clarke's book moves very quickly. He doesn't dally on any points, and the chapters are organized into short sections. I rated it four stars because I wished he had "dallied" a little bit more in certain areas, especially in her later singing career!

Give Me A Break!
Now, I have loved Judy scince I was two. Gerald Clark's book is nothing but a tabloid make money biography! Now, don't get me wrong,there are 1 or2 good stories but 99.9 percent of them are pure fiction! if you want to read a good Judy book, read Lorna's book!!!

Judy Garland by Clarke
The reviewers who believe that this is an accurate portrait of Judy Garland are pathetically misinformed. To begin with nearly 85% of this book - if not more - is based entirely unpon speculation and conjecture, from both the author and his sources. The number of unnamed, unsubstantiated and uncorraborated sources is astounding, but then again, you couldn't write the type of salacious, tabloid "Confidential magazine-like story that Clarke has using named, credible and reputable sources.

As for the tapes and the so called autobiography; do your research admirers of Clarke's tome. The so-called autobiography is only an 80 page outline of notes which Judy never edited or reviewed. The so-called most scandalous details were revealed and worked though by others only AFTER she died. All of the other stuff in the notes were previously published in McCall's magazine during the 1960's.

Sorry, but Judy never spoke about the most "deliciously scandalous" items printed in this and other books. The person said they were Judy's words, but could never show any proof. Those tapes....listen to them for yourself. They say nothing of the stories told here. That's the way it is throughout the book. Just read his sources, one after another anonymous source.

Do yourself a favor and read World's Greatest Entertainer, Judy Garland The Golden Years and Judy Portrait of a Legend or even Judy by Frank and Rainbow by Finch.

Good But Ho Hum
This book is what made me a Judy fan, where before I had only been a Judy admirer from afar. I read this book without having read any reviews or knowing anything about the controversy surrounding it. I found Mr Clarke's treatment of Judy candid and sympathetic, but not sentimental or rose-colored - which is what I have a feeling Judy fans didn't like about it. In spite of the sordid details, and as the trajectory of her life story spiraled downward, I found myself liking Judy the Person more and more - flaws and all. I appreciated the quotes Clarke used from Judy herself to describe her life - they show how refreshingly honest and humble she was, especially toward the end. I did not appreciate his long-winded, professorial essays about various side subjects and the sex-obssessed leaning of the book. I did not appreciate the $10 words he uses that leave you running to a dictionary to figure out what he means. I ended it feeling that I wanted to know a little more about the making of her films than just start and end dates and a little less about the sex. Where the book excels is at the beginning, where Clarke really did his research into Judy's parental history, unhappy aspects of her early life, her father's pederasty and her "love affair" with her Dad. It explains much about her subsequent histrionic behavior and constant striving for normalcy, especially in the romance and marriage departments. Controversial or not, trashy or not, I still recommend the book. If you can't love her, or at least sympathize with her, by the end of this book, you're probably not a true fan.

LITTLE GIRL [BLACK AND] BLUE
Somewhere over the rainbow, Judy Garland ain't very happy. That's because her entire life---and we mean her entire life---has been laid out, in minute detail, in Gerald Clarke's latest biography. We all already know about the evil stage mother, the gay father, the hospitalizations, the pill popping, the marriages to gay husbands, the abortions, the mean managers.. Here we learn about Judy's lesbian affairs and about the one (unnamed, of course) male lover who made her she sing "Over the Rainbow" after giving him oral satisfaction. Yikes! Still, even though Judy has been the subject of too many books already, Clarke manages to write with candor and clarity, thanks to interviews with sources who kept mum before, as well as the benefit of an autobiography Garland herself had started, but never finished. Wonder if Liza still thinks life is a cabaret after this one. ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating look into the life of one of Hollywood's hottest film stars.

For twenty years Gabriel Byrne has been to the forefront of Irish actors and producers internationally. From his appearance in John Boorman's Excalibur in 1981 via Miller's Crossing in 1990 through to Stigmata and End of Days in 1999 and 2000 he has turned his diverse skills and brooding good looks to many different roles.

With Stigmata and End of Days, his appearance on Broadway and the new NBC sitcom, Madigan's Men, which he produced and in which he stars he has hit a new high point in his career.

In vivid cinematic sketches this absorbing memoir presents a series of fascinating glimpses into his public and private life. He leads the reader through his career on stage and screen as both producer and actor. Along the way he shares his impressions of Hollywood, New York and his native Ireland and takes us behind the scenes of his many films.

He has worked with many of the cutting edge directors of international cinema including Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders and the Coen bothers and with many of the finest actors of the late twentieth century-Liam Neeson, Kevin Spacey, Gerard Depardieu, John Turturro, Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci to name a few.

Gabriel Byrne's unique narrative style colors every page, mixing colloquial dialogue with evocative descriptions. The result is a frank, intimate account that reveals the man-and the writer-behind the actor's many faces. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Pictures in my head, was straight to the point.
I think that Gabriel Byrne did a superb job in writing this book.

He is quite talented as an Actor, but, the Creme de La Creme of being an Author. I admire everything he could account from his childhood in Dublin, Ireland, to how he was treated by his family, his marriage to Ellen Barkin, and to his two children (Jack and Romy), being born.

I don't know if Ellen and Gabriel are still together, but from reading of how Jack was born first, and to Gabriel's daughter, Romy being born three years thereafter. His Prayer to Romy, was simply fantastic! I truly believe he is an excellent father, and I am very proud of him.

If anyone out there has an address for Gabriel, I want to send him the first holy comunion cross, that was stolen from him.

Gabriel Byrne a different side
So you like Gabriel Byrne do you? Well this book will make you like him even more! In the begining it takes you to when Gabriel Byrne's mom and brother are getting ready to come home from the hospital. Gabriel's uncle often adds comical relief to many situations in the book. My favorite part of the book was when Gabriel talked about a nun that hit him with a ruler, I found what Gabriel kept saying to be extremly funny. Anyway this book gives you a perspective on one of hollywoods hottest stars from a different point of view. If you're looking for a laugh or just a great book, "Pictures in my head," is it.

Nice, But Lacking
This is a very sweet book, written by a wonderful actor. Sadly, it lacks a few things. Details, for one. It's very good in some places, and then it seems to rush on when you want to know more. And it jumps around like "Pride and Prejudice"...I had a hard time keeping track of where he was in his life.

All in all, it's a nice story. However, if you read this and "Angela's Ashes" right tight together, you realize something. You realize that even though you thought at first that Gabriel had it kind of bad growing up, he is almost a spoiled little rich kid, compared to Frank McCourt. Let's see some real life, here!

Vivid
I get the impression that Mr. Byrne is superbly sensitive to his surroundings and absorbs everything. I envy his photographic memory and ability to live completely in the moment. :o) This is the perfect book to curl up with under your favorite green soft blanket.

I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK
I must say this book really surprised me! I got it as a Christmas present last year, and I never expected it, because I had only been a Gabriel Byrne friend for about three months or so, but after I had read it, I felt I knew Gabriel personally. I have never met him, but I am longing to see him. The book is very well written, so I wonder why he doesn't write more. Probably because he doesn't have time... I'm awaiting his new film or book. Whatever it is, I'll buy it. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're a Byrne fan, it's a must! If you're not, after reading the book, you will be! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (22)

A Fitting Tribute for an Artist Who Never Sought Tributes
Yes I'm biased, but Laura Nyro was THE greatest singer/songwriter of her generation. She remains unrecognized,underrated,and unappreciated by the general public. Ask anyone over the age of 40 if they've heard of Nyro and chances are they haven't. Then start listing the songs she's written that others have had hits with,and a recognition begins. Michele Kort has written a thoughtful book that reveals why Ms. Nyro was never meant for superstardom. She was uncompromising, and unwavering when it came to the production of her music. It was the vision she had for her music and her refusal to cave in to the commerciality of the music industry, which gives her a cult, rather than household name status. For example, listen to the single version of "Save the Country" (on the remastered "New York Tendaberry"), and then listen to the superior album cut.
Kort paints a portrait of a woman who did things her way, without overglorifying this artist. I'm sure if Ms. Nyro was alive she would not want a biography to be written. However, Kort has done a masterful job of describing recording sessions, the mixed reviews of Nyro's work, and an overall sense of the humaness of Ms. Nyro. This is not easily done, considering Ms.Nyro's need for privacy. Read this book and if you've never heard her music you will want to, and if you're a fan, you will want to listen to Laura's compositions and her angelic voice, over and over.

A fitting tribute to Nyro
Laura Nyro is one of the most underrated artists in music. As each new generation of female musician knowingly or unknowingly carries on her legacy, Ms. Nyro's story is long overdue. Michelle Kort has done a superb job of bringing alive Nyro's music, as well as providing a perspective on her life and times in the music industry over 3 decades. It is fascinating to consider that at one time, Nyro was thought to be the "it" girl of the music industry. Though superstardom never came her way, her influence continues to be felt (something that undoubtedly would please Nyro). Ms. Kort does an incredible job of collating previous reviews and articles into a coherent narrative.

While I would have loved to read a lengthier biography, Ms. Kort is to be commended for being the first to attempt to tell Ms. Nyro's story. I believe any other authors who will follow in her footsteps and try to present a more definitive biography, will use this as a template. Though Laura would perhaps initially be less than thrilled with a biographer's invasion of her privacy, I think ultimately she would approve of this book, which focuses largely on her music, and provides anecdotes from family, colleagues and friends, without resorting to gossip or heresay.

Listen to Laura's music as the soundtrack to this book. Then thank our gods and goddesses that we were blessed with the talent that is Laura Nyro.

An ace job.
Considering the lengths Laura Nyro went to to keep her private life out of the public eye, it's amazing that we have this book at all, let alone that it's as well put-together as it is. Michele Kort does a first-rate job in showing the evolution of Nyro, her music and her outlook on life, which was always key to how her muse took hold. What you end up with is a portrait of a woman steadfastly true to herself, no matter the cost to her career. I'm left with admiration for her, admittedly tempered by a feeling that not every choice she made was a good one. No matter; this is a well-drawn biography of an interesting and uniquely talented person who made some unforgettable music.

The "Secret Key"
Reading this book finally gave me that special "secret key" into a world no one was privy to until now. Laura Nyro's mysterious persona was always very compelling. She was someone you never could get too much of, because there never was much we were allowed to know. So, those of us who fell in love with her amazing music always were forced to read into the lyrics, to wonder, to get lost in a trance while listening as we saw visions of New York streets and imagined the people in her songs. I was 17 years old the first time I escaped into Laura's music, and that was decades ago. My reaction as I listened to each song, was that I was literally stunned. It was that melding of jazz, gospel, Broadway and how every note she played on the piano was purposeful and significant. How her voice captured all the raw emotion of real life. She was the pioneer, a woman whose creative abilities were, in my opinion, up until that time, unsurpassed by anyone, male or female. That's why the book is such a treasure. It unlocks so many of the mysteries that many of us had resigned ourselves to. Unlike the other reviewer, I relished the details of the recording sessions and everything else. At the risk of sounding snobbish, I suppose you have to be the following to truly appreciate what is offered here: 1) an absolute die-hard Laura Nyro follower and fan from the 70s, and 2) probably a songwriter and musician yourself in order to understand what it takes to create the kind of work she created. (I am both).
I suppose to sum it up it just felt really great to finally have the real Laura, unshrouded and revealed to us. The great thing is that--it was so refreshing to know that she really was just a regular girl, not someone who particularly wanted that dark aura, just someone who had a real life and didn't go for the showbiz thing very much. And, even better: someone very wonderful in her personal life as far as her generosity and kindness--and full of laughter and loving friendships. I took away the details of a woman who had an unparalleled musical gift, many friends, and a generally nice life. After all these years, and with her death, it is nice to know that she could have just been one of us. I guess you might say this book gave me some "closure". And, I felt happier as a result of reading AND re-reading it, for its endearing, real-life stories about this lovely human being.

Very easy to read, though not perfectly detailed
"Soul Picnic" was, in the words of author Michele Kort, written in an effort to keep the legacy of Laura Nyro alive after she succumbed to ovarian cancer at the age of 49. Nyro was an extremely private person, and Michele Kort is very careful about describing her intentions in writing "Soul Picnic".

Nonetheless (or perhaps because of Nyro's privacy), "Soul Picnic" is by no means a difficult read at almost any point. The book is structured in a very clear chronological way, from Laura's beginnings to her last recordings in 1995. We see very clearly that Nyro was the child of some strongly left-wing immigrants and that this gave her an impressive social vision on her recordings, and later the example of her maternal grandfather Isidore Mirsky in avoiding meat. We then learn how Nyro grew up singing to the sounds of doo-wop and Motown in the early 1960s, beginning to write songs at a very young age before being discovered in the middle 1960s.

In the following years, Laura Nyro developed incredibly with her music through the use of extremely complex chord shapes that were actually her own devising. However, though we see how her songs were altered by such artists as Three Dog Night and the Fifth Dimension to make them palatable to mass audiences, Nyro herself was determined, once a seemingly "edited" single version of "Save The Country" failed to chart, never to compromise again. Here, we see, though, many descriptions that cannot fit my impression of her work - I find Michele may not have what I would call an accurate perspective on it. The book is not as good in describing Nyro's actual recorded output as it is in giving a good impression of her life.

[Actually, her post-"Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat" recordings were much more conventional than her seminal early albums, but the later albums were so ideologically stringent that she could never attract more than a tiny cult audience for them].

We see in detail the significance of her influence on generations of singer/songwriters beginning with the mystical "Sophia", Kate Bush and the enigmatic confessional Rickie Lee Jones, and there is a good discussion of how singer/songwriters eveolved while Nyro herself was out of the spotlight during her failed marriage. We also see a reasonable description of Nyro's romantic life, including several failed romances with men in the music business (including Jackson Browne) and an unsuccessful marriage to carpenter David Bianchini and a romance with "gypsy" Gregory Bennett before she returned to make "Smile" and "Nested" in the late 1970s.

After this untimely comeback, we see that most of the rest of Laura Nyro's life was lived with her son (fathered by an Indian man whom she refused to marry) and painter Maria Desiderio. She recorded only occasionally during this time, but Kort very clearly shows how she was not a reclusive woman, frequently moving away from her quiet cottage in Danbury, Connecticut to more urban environs in Massachussetts and Ithaca (upstate New York). She even would stay for a month in places as far afloat as Florida, and we learn about her very sweet tooth and love of fancy food - even though she managed to become a vegan and quit smoking, she always has problems with her weight.

We see that she became a working musician - though not recording much - before she was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer after Patti DiLauria had noticed she was not well in early 1995. In these days, she was not interested in much more than her "tribe", yet she got a few quite respectable reviews for "Walk The Dog And Light The Light" - after having moved away from Columbia due to its demand of a studio album back in 1988 when she toured for the first time in ten years. We also see how she created "Mother's Spiritual" while at home rearing Gil, her son, and how she devloped the material of her later albums.

Michele Kort concludes with an impressive finale about the originality and importance of Laura Nyro, and the way in which her music has retained its relevance six years after she died. Yet, she does admit that her enduring originality as "the mother of all earth mothers" (the inventor of intensely feminine popular music) is not fully appreciated.

On the whole, very easy reading even if you are not familiar with Nyro, but could do with more accurate song descriptions. ... Read more

Book Description

Inadequately described as the John Lennon or the Bob Dylan of his country, Caetano Veloso has virtually personified Brazilian music for thirty-five years. Now, in his long-awaited memoir, he tells the heroic story of how, in the late sixties, he and a group of friends from the Northeastern state of Bahia created tropicalismo, the movement that shook Brazilian culture--and civic order--to its foundations and pushed a nation then on the margins of world politics and economics into the pop avant-garde.

Tropical Truth begins with a childhood in the Bahian hinterland, where Caetano (as Brazilians of all ages now call him) first heard not only the musical traditions of his own country and her Latin neighbors, but also the giants of postwar American song: Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Chet Baker, to name but a few. While teenagers in America would soon be enthralled by the primal (and commercial) beat of rock’n’roll, in Brazil it was bossa nova, that sublimely sophisticated music, that was to become the soundtrack of a generation. Inspired above all by bossa nova’s supreme master, João Gilberto, Caetano and his crew would set about creating a totally new sound. Tropicalismo would aim to “cannibalize” the extraordinary beauty and richness of Brazil’s musical past but at the same time to assimilate eclectically the most original elements of Anglo-American pop, an influence many rejected as yet another form of imperialism corrupting Brazil’s “authentic” character.

The birth of tropicalismo coincided with the wave of counterculture sweeping Western nations, but in Brazil that wave would hit the breakwaters of a brutal military junta. While supporting resistance to right-wing oppression (and the terrible social inequities it perpetuated) the tropicalistas nevertheless rejected the automatic connection to the Left and its unreflective nationalism, then the politics de rigueur of the artistic class. Their third way foresaw a Brazil open to free markets but likewise free in itself. It was a vision so subversive of both the political and musical status quo that before long Caetano faced imprisonment and was then forced into exile until the early seventies. But when he returned, it was in triumph: Brazil, no less than the state of her popular music, would never be the same.

Rich with the satisfactions of a novel, weaving the story of a country with that of its most idealistic generation, Tropical Truth recounts the odyssey of a brilliant constellation of artists: Caetano and his sister Maria Bethânia, the queen of Brazilian song; the black musical genius Gilberto Gil, Caetano's closest collaborator, with whom he was jailed and then banished; the great diva Gal Costa; the revolutionary filmmaker Glauber Rocha; the brothers de Campos, those luminaries of concrete poetry, who were among the tropicalistas’ learned mentors. Here is an unparalleled confluence of highbrow and pop, and with it the genesis of what has become one of the most wildly successful cultural exports ever produced by a nation other than the United States.
By turns erudite and playful, dreamlike and confessional, Tropical Truth is an utterly unexpected revelation of Brazil's most famous artist, one of the greatest popular composers of the past century. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not your average pop star
I can't think of any other pop musician in the world besides Caetano Veloso who could pull off writing a book that gives so much insight into the personal relationships, political climate, and artistic influences that help form their own work. The brilliant "Tropical Truth" is something of a combination between an autobiography of Caetano's earlier years, an analysis of his work, a document of the "Tropicalia" movement which he started, and a look at Brazilian counterculture and politics. It illuminates his early work in such a way that I felt after reading it I appreciated his early work on a much higher level. Non-portuguese speakers like myself will probably appreciate the explanations of the wordplay that occurs in songs like "Alegria, Alegria". Caetano writes knowledgeably on a variety of topics, and if there are particular weaknesses about this book, it is that is written in a quite roundabout way in places, and I imagine it would be difficult even for the relatively well-informed non-Brazilian to keep up with his discussion of Brazilian musical styles, European cinema, Brazilian "Cinema Novo", Latin American literature, and contemporary art. I found this book a joy to read however, and essential reading for anybody interested in Brazilian popular music.

first the music
I believe good musicians should do music first and last. I own all of caetano's cds and I really appreciate his music, but I found this book a bit too apologetic and pretentious at times. It must be because I wasn't born at those times, so I cannot know how it was to live under a military dictatorship; yet I simply can't understand why you have to explain all those details inherent to one song (sem lenço, sem documento). The writer is definitely better as a musicians, so, buy one or ten of his cds first.

Great book!
This is an exciting and unusual book -- it's a memoir of the life of one of the century's greatest songwriters (according to Rolling Stone), who is probably fairly unknown in the US because he sings in Portuguese. It's also a history of the 60's and 70's in Brazil, a time that included rule by military dictatorships (who imprisoned and exiled Veloso). It's also a passionate history of Brazilian music, through the lens of the tropicalia movement created by Veloso, Gilberto Gil (also imprisoned with Veloso, and recently named Minister of Culture by newly elected President Lula!), Gal Costa, Tom Ze and others. It's personal, scholarly, revealing, and will offer a glimpse into the mind and soul of a fascinating musical genius.

Crucial history of Brazilian popular music
Songwriter Caetano Veloso is one of Brazil's most iconic artistic figures; along with Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and others, he created the "tropicalia" movement, which reconciled the magic of bossa nova with the psychedelic splendor of '60s rock. This is an English translation of his autobiography, a densely-written, super-intellectual, but also quite charming and down-to-earth account of the "heroic years" of the tropicalia movement. Veloso gives an intimate, immensely informative account of Brazilian music, from the pre-bossa "radio singers" he grew up with to the intense ideological rivalries between the hippie-ish tropicalia artists and the left-wing party-liners of the bossa nova crowd. The book is also a memoir of life under the Brazilian military dictatorship which took power in 1964, eventually sending Veloso and Gil (and countless other artists) into political exile, while attempting to censor their work and silence their voices. The role of the artist in all aspects of life -- social, spiritual and aesthetic -- resonates throughout this book, as Veloso gives an invaluable insider's view of an artistic movement that changed the course of Brazilian culture. This book basically ends in the early 1970s... it would be great if he could follow up with a second volume exploring the growth (although some might call it decline) of Brazilian music in the decades that followed. (PS - this is the perfect companion to Ruy Guerra's similarly wonderful book, "Bossa Nova, The Sound That Seduced The World.") ... Read more

Book Description

Many musicians sing about heartache, despair, and confusion, but few have experienced those feelings more intensely than James Taylor, who rose from a childhood of privilege as the son of an affluent medical school dean to become a modern-day troubadour and pop superstar.

When he was seventeen years old, his demons led him to a Massachusetts mental institution where he confronted them the only way he knew how, by writing his first songs. Thirty years later, Taylor's songs are among the most popular in the annals of music, but the demons are still with him.

But unlike many of his contemporaries who faced a similar struggle, Taylor managed to emerge as an inspirational figure. Fire and Rain traces this remarkable path, including his troubled marriage to pop star Carly Simon and the premature alcoholism-related death of his brother: Taylor's ten-month stay in the exclusive private psychiatric institution where he finished high school; His self-imposed exile to England where he submitted some of his music to the Beatles' Apple Records, which signed him to his first record contract in 1968. Paul McCartney mentored Taylor's early career; The story behind his second album, Sweet Baby James, which contained the song "Fire and Rain" about the hopelessness of mental illness and suicide; As Taylor's fame increased, so did his problems with heroin, alcohol, and mental illness. In the seventies, the singer nearly fell over the edge many times. ... Read more

Reviews (87)

For JT Fans Only
This book has been long awaited and for this reason was a little disappointing. Halperin's journalistic techniques do not provide enough depth for a subject like Taylor. I was looking for more reliable information and found that the author,obviously short of sources, interviewed James Taylor fans who provide information that I already know ie. "He's great, he's a legend, he's open, he's inspirational and I love him" - for that and concert experiences, Halperin could have interviewed me! Secondly, Halperin spends a lot of time talking not just to journalists but to gossip writers (eg, from magazines like the Enquirer) who neither know Taylor nor have any respect for him. Most of these interviews are repetitive and if they have a place in this book at all should have been kept to a minimum so I could have been spared reading and re-reading how at first people were only interested in talking to James about his drug habits and not his music and how difficult it was to get information out of Taylor or Simon about their divorce (as it should have been!!). It was painful for me to read shallow rumours about someone I really respect. Also, some extra proof reading should have been done on this book, there were way too many typing errors and missing words which made the book look cheap.

The good side is that alot of the gaps in what I knew about Taylor were somehow filled and now my view of his life has some kind of continuum. Particularly details about his musical "training" and his point of view about it. I was interested to find out about all the people who have helped Taylor build his career and their first impressions of him and his music.

If you are a serious JT fan, this book is for you. It is protective of Taylor to the point that in some places it makes excuses for some of his past personal inadequacies and even attacks some women for being bitter when he hurt them. As I have admired him,I hate to think anything bad about him, these excuses suited me and allowed my to keep my illusions intact.

I was thankful, nonetheless that this book was released but would feel more comfortable reading something that not only is approved by Taylor, but provides better research and more real insight into a very brilliant and complex man.

James Taylor Rules
The best tribute that can be paid to any artist is a tribute - that's what this bio is. My only concern was that the author went too out of his way to praise Taylor. I would have like to know more about some of his demons. The book reads more like a tribute. Otherwise, there are many interesting facts about the life and times of one of the greatest artists to emerge from the late sixties and early seventies.

I enjoyed it!
Perhaps more of the seventies and eighties should have been featured. But the early part of JT's life is well written. I was referred by a friend to read Fire and Rain. It did not disappoint. I used to live in North Carolina. Thoughts of my childhood sprung to my mind by reading this book. Great memories - great music. This book proves how valuable an icon JT is to the music industry. And, convincingly, the author portrays his life how he overcame lots of demons to become one of music's most notable stars - ever!

The worst piece of journalism I've ever read!
As a long-time JT fan, I was excited about reading more of his life in "Fire and Rain," and was sorely disappointed by Halperin's poor writing style. Regardless of the information he presents, the numerous typos, grammatical errors, unexplained quotes, quotes from the National Enquirer of all things, misspelled words, words left out of sentences, run-on sentences, and overly repeated phrases, made me want to call James Taylor myself and ask him if he knew his quality character was being described in such a non-quality way! How does a publisher let this happen? I was appalled to read quotes from Paul McCartney (in quotations) without one reference to how he knew McCartney said what he said. The words didn't even sound like something anyone would say in conversation. He also quotes fans who speculated on Taylor's personal love relationships. What would a fan know about that? The whole thing was so bad, that I finally just skimmed through the last chapters because I was so incredibly distracted by the poor writing and ridiculous quotes. Don't waste your time on this one!

Don't think the author really get's it
A lot of simple errors in the book that were not caught, boring drible, and a complete lack of any "inside knowledge" into a very interesting person. Who funded the reseach of Ian Halperin? they obviously knew Ian about as well as they know James Taylor. ... Read more

Book Description

Courtney Love. The girl with the most cake. The girl with the loudest mouth and the fiercest guitar. The girl of many talents -- not least among them the power to shock. Not since Madonna declared that she was like a virgin has someone in the public spotlight so consistently challenged the notion of what it means to be female -- and what it means to be well behaved. In Courtney Love: The Real Story, Poppy Z. Brite tells the whole truth about the lead singer of the band Hole and uncovers more about this pop culture heroine than any music magazine could ever hope to.

Replete with revealing details and photographs, information from Love's inner circle, and excerpts from Love's diaries and letters, this book has the intimacy of secrets told to a friend and delivers revelation after revelation. With equal parts compassion and black humor, Brite chronicles the turbulent lives of Love and introduces us to Love Michelle Harrison, the troubled girl who would be queen of postpunk rock, and her childhood spent shuttled from reform school to former stepfathers to family friends. As a precocious, flamboyant teenager, she hung around backstage after concerts, soaking up the star power she knew she had to possess one day, and then traveled to Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong to work as a stripper. Brite also takes us to new-wave Liverpool and to that citadel of grunge, Seattle, to see Courtney come of age in the circus that became alternative music, dishing much along the way about some of the biggest stars of that show from past and present.

Brite also sets the story straight about Love's life with Kurt Cobain; the allegations of her drug use that surrounded the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean; and the wreckage of Cobain's suicide. But what emerges out of all the drama is a woman determined not only to survive, but to succeed more than anyone ever expected. As seen from her stunning performance as the wife of the publisher of Hustler magazine in The People vs. Larry Flynt, and her transformation into a runway acolyte, she just may catapult herself out of the mosh pit and into the mainstream.

Only Poppy Z. Brite, the acclaimed author of literary horror fiction, whom Publishers Weekly called "a singularly talented chronicler of her generation," could have written this outrageous, comic, and ultimately moving tale of ferocious femininity and fishnet stockings. Courtney Love: The Real Story is a no-holds-barred biography that is as raw as a three-chord punk song -- a work that is as uncompromising and as unforgettable as its subject. ... Read more

Reviews (70)

REVELATIONS GALORE..but not enough.
My dad bought this book for me on my thirteenth birthday and I was awed. Since then, I have probably read this book over and over. Although I do not see Courtney as a pleasant person, she has lived a life less ordinary and she is a quirky, odd person at that. There were many details that were left out of this book (her plastic surgery, her towering height and the allegations towards her possible involvement in Kurt's death). Melissa Rossi's "Queen of Noise" is better, in my opinion. Overall, "Courtney Love: The Real Story" is a must-have for any true Courtney Love/Hole fan.

This book is very informative,if you're a true Courtney fan!
Courtney Love: The Real Story is a must have book, if you are a hardcore Courtney fan, ( which I am). Poppy Z. Brite gave me yet another perspective on her. She put in my mind that Courtney is loving, caring and generous. But is a brutal bitch to those she hates. Poppy made me Live Through Courtney's childhood, teens years, and some of her adult life. This book made me cry when going through the custody battle of Frances Bean and the suicide ("murder"according to Tom Grant ) of her late husband, Kurt Cobain. you'll LOVE this book if you LOVE Courtney Love Cobain.

in awe of the woman..never knew she was good
Every thing i've ever read on Courtney Love talks about how bad she is, (...), well, after this, she is my icon. She knew what she wanted from the beginning and she knew how to get it, and this book holds your hand and shows you what she's been through, how she made it, and it also touches on Kurt. I started this book because I had a project to do, and we were allowed to choose any person we wanted as long as they had a biography, and i figured "hey, nobody will know what to think when i say Courtney Love, so i did, and i thoroghly enjoyed reading this book, it was very well written (Poppy Z. writes other wonderful stuff), and i recommend it to any rock loving fan, it was a great book.

A Friend Does Not A Biographer Make
It's easy to see why any author would want to write the biography of Courtney Love--a public figure surrounded by rumors, suspicions, and media attention galore. She is also probably one of the most challenging people to get a straight story out of. What was her real name: Love Michelle Harrison? Michelle Love Harrison? Courtney Michelle Harrison? One can only speculate. And that is just in her infancy. From there, she gets passed around by her hippie parents: a Grateful Dead roadie and psychologist of adopted origins; schlepped off to live with relatives, friends--whoever will take care of her, and sent to a reform school during her teens. After leaving and escaping from institutions (at various times she does both), she spends time stripping in Tokyo and Thailand, traveling in the United Kingdom, and toying with the idea of starting a band with future Riot Grrls and friends Jennifer Finch and Kat Bjelland. From there, she meets Eric Erlandson, creates her band Hole (no, the sexual connotations were not the reason for the name), all-the-while becoming attracted to Seattle-based Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. You know the rest, or at least you know some of it because there are probably as many versions out there as there are people telling them. Poppy Z. Brite's is just another story to add to your collection.

What killed it for me was probably the prologue. Poppy Z. Brite explains how Courtney Love had rented a home in Louisiana where she was recording her third album "Celebrity Skin". She talks about how Love called her up and the two went out for the evening. Apparently, this encounter inspired Brite to write the book. She claims that she did not have Love's complete approval for the book, but that having her as a friend helped the writing process. Right there, the reader knows that he or she is not getting an unbiased opinion. You can't be someone's friend and be a nonpartisan recorder of their life. And normally, that would be fine: write the Official Courtney Love-approved biography of Courtney Love. Isn't that what Michael Azzerad did with COME AS YOU ARE? However, Brite then goes on to state that she is not going to defend or condemn Love but simply chronicle her life in the most accurate manner possible. That is where she lost all of her credibility.

Throughout the book, Poppy Z. Brite constantly defends Love and sarcastically puts down her detractors, with a few harmless exceptions. Love's father is portrayed as self-centered and senile from the first page, Kat Bjelland kicks Courtney out of her own band (twice) and claims to want to kill her (although somehow the two end up friends after Kurt's death), even the L.A. Department of Social Services is out to steal Frances Bean. While I highly doubt the claims of Love-bashers that Courtney turned Cobain onto heroin and drove him to suicide, I also doubt that Courtney was always the victim. What is more, there were too many gaps in the story of a woman whose life story is far too complex to be told in a mere 230 pages. We find out when Courtney lost her virginity, hear tales of her being tied up and beaten with a fish by a crazed drama/drag-queen, and lots of other steamy details, but life slows down suddenly when Love starts her band and releases her first record. The book just spreads to thin in some of these parts. What's the meaning behind songs like the vitriolic "Violet" and the bittersweet "Doll Parts". The gaps get even wider after Cobain's death, and by the end, we are left to assume that Love will maintain her relationship with stable, sweet co-star Edward Norton (The People vs. Larry Flynt). A far cry from where she is today, although fair enough given that Brite's tale ended in 1996.

Overall, I found the writing style of this book to be poor as well. Referring to Love's crush on Cobain as a "girl-boner" isn't exactly high-quality journalism. Quotes from firsthand sources are few in this book and Brite fills in what she doesn't know with her own judgments about the people in Love's tumultuous life. Perhaps what can be gained from this book is a sense of understanding of a woman whose aggressive persona stems from frustration at having been held-down for so many years throughout her childhood that she feels the need to lash out any threat against her dignity. My advice to potential readers is to read this book along with WHO KILLED KURT COBAIN? While both accounts are highly biased and border on fiction, somewhere in the middle the truth likely lingers.

The girl with the most cake
Courtney Love has always been hard to interpret. Though this book does not cover the past six years of her life having been published in 1997, it is a comprehensive look at her life until then. From her beginings as a unwanted child and a teenage stripper, to her life after Kurt Cobain's suicide this book is full of detail. It is certainly on the sensational side. As well, it does not try to seriously analyze the events of her life. However, it is highly entertaining and intimate. Before Kurt Cobain's suicide and the release of Live through this, she was, by some, regarded as merely Kurt Cobain's wife. After that, she came into her own. This book does a good job of relating how she accomplished that. The fact that this book ends with 1997 makes you sorry. It would be interesting to read the author's account of the recent years of Courtney's life. After reading this book, you see the truth of what the adult Courtney told her mother: ''The only parents who could drive someone to celebrity are ones who aren't there''. Indeed, her parents were not there as much as they should have been. Courtney Love's life has always been a soap opera and probably always will be. Her latest drug scandal in October only serves to prove that. She is much more than just a interesting personality, though. Just listen to Live through this or particularly, Celebrity Skin. They prove that she is certainly talented. Her first solo album should prove this as well. This is a very readable and entertaining book. If you are interested in Courtney Love at all, read this book. You will come away even more interested. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Ray Charles, BB King, James Brown Can't Be Wrong!!!
For many years, while Bill Haley, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and even bluesman Muddy Waters were all celebrated as having contributed to the birth of rock and roll, the contributions of jump blues/swing/jive man Louis Jordan were almost always overlooked, if not forgotten. It was left to his contemporaries such as James Brown, Ray Charles, and BB King (King recently released a tribute album of all-Jordan material), not to mention such former duet partners as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Bing Crosby, to sing the praises of this very talented but always underappreciated legend. John Chilton seeks to right the wrong with this biographical treatment, and for the most part, does an admirable job. Louis' rural beginnings in oil-boom Arkansas are chronicled, as are his tenure with the Chick Webb band (where he was "cut" in a musical contest by the immortal Lester Young), his many hits, his many marriages, his relentless drive for perfection, his decline in popularity at the hands of rock and roll, the music he helped inspire, and his final vindication (as with many black musicians) in front of appreciative British audiences. Overall, Chilton does a thorough job, but one senses that he is rushing to get through the material; he rarely spends any time on any one subject. Example: Jordan's most famous songs, such as Choo, Choo, Ch'Boogie and Saturday Night Fish Fry, are given no more time and attention than such lesser gems as Honey In The Bee Ball or Sax-A-Woogie. Another example: He mentions the affair between Jordan and Fitzgerald, but leaves it at that; no discussion on how this affair affected his marriages or how the former bandmates relationship changed over time. At 245 pages, the text is a good read, but surely, Chilton could have spent another 100 or so pages reflecting at length on these and other topics. Part of the problem seems to be that Chilton, as a jazz critic, shares the jazzman's disdain for Jordan's overly commercial material and approach. Still, there is a lot of good research here, and a biography of Jordan was sorely needed. Chilton, for the most part, has done a very fine job, however the definitive biography of Louis Jordan will take several years, and should be undertaken by someone who would better put him in context as a founding figure of rock, as well as a leading light in swing and jump blues.

A Legendary Innovator and Entertainer Brought Back to Life !
Louis Jordan's consumate professionalism, and the clean life he lead wouldn't make him seem to be the ideal topic of an autobiography (on the surface)... Nevertheless, between his wit, his horn and his passionate desire not to be upstaged by ANYONE he managed to revolutionize modern music by smashing Jazz, the blues, and a bit of down home entertainment together, paving the way for what would eventually become the music known as rock and roll and R & B.

Written in a well researched anecdotal matter, this book documents the man who was one of the biggest selling artists of his time. His movie shorts managed to inspire an entire generation of artists who would later take his formula and create rock and roll. In his own biography James Brown (The Godfather of Soul) rants and raves about Louis, mentioned the influence that Caldonia in particular had on his life, especially the way he'd go up and shout real high, just like Little Richard (only long before Little Richard.)

In this book you will meet many legendary entertainers (now virtually forgotten