When not busy chipping away at icons, Goldman (Elvis, The Lives of John Lennon)—as evidenced by this prickly collection of magazine and newspaper articles and a few book extracts—can be one sharp musico-cultural critic. In People magazine in 1984, for example, he pinpointed Michael Jackson's newfound success: He ``is the first hero of a new youth culture that is essentially Kiddie Kulture. His is the innocent world of boys and girls who have not yet reached the age of puberty. Never before have kids of this age exercised a commanding influence on pop culture''; in Disco (1988), Goldman characterized the ``normal'' state of Studio 54 as ``an immense can of frantically wriggling worms.'' Goldman throws darts at a few familiar targets here (``The Elvis of 1956 looks like a traffic signal: bright green or red sports jacket over navy blue socks...''), but, mostly, in these 31 pieces written over the past two decades, he roams afield from the subjects of his bestselling bios, analyzing the societal implications of soul music and the blues, the tango, carnival in Rio, R.D. Laing, the rock-opera Tommy, and myriad other phenomena with spunk and relish.
Pub Date: May 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-41196-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1992
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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