An evenhanded biography that humanizes the guitar hero once dubbed ``God'' by his adoring fans. Schumacher (Dharma Lion: The Biography of Allen Ginsberg, 1993) methodically dissects Clapton's life and persona, beginning with the musician's childhood in the rural English village of Ripley, where he was born out of wedlock in 1945 and raised by his 16-year-old mother's parents. We follow Clapton's metamorphosis from an introverted teenager captivated by blues and rock-and-roll into the most heralded young guitarist on London's fertile music scene of the early 1960s, when he worked briefly in such historically important bands as the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Schumacher effectively captures the yin-yang aspects of Clapton's personality, revealing a complicated, troubled individual who began acting like a petulant rock star early in his career. After leaving Mayall's group, Clapton went on to found the influential trio Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, and Schumacher provides some juicy dirt on that volatile three-way alliance. Also covered is Clapton's relationship with Pattie Boyd, wife of Beatle George Harrison when she served as the inspiration for ``Layla,'' one of Clapton's best songs. (She later married Clapton, but it didn't last.) The book bogs down when covering in excessive detail the string of mediocre albums Clapton recorded during the '70s—a time when he had traded in a debilitating heroin addiction for a near-fatal dependence on alcohol—but picks up steam as it moves toward the present. The story ends on a bittersweet note: After the tragic accidental death of Clapton's young son, Conor, in 1991, the musician's career blossomed anew, largely due to the success of ``Tears in Heaven,'' a song commemorating Conor's demise. Clapton recently returned to playing his first love, the blues, bringing his saga full circle. Meatier than the average fan bio. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen)
Pub Date: April 28, 1995
ISBN: 0-7868-6074-X
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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