He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond
by David Wild
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Book Summary Information
Author: David WildEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-21
ISBN: 0306817845
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Book Reviews of He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond
Book Review: Diamond charges on at his own pace and style
Summary: 5 Stars
Neil Diamond has said that he doesn't "fit" into any of the accepted pigeon holes to which singers are assigned. He is a multi-faceted entertainer who has produced a body of work that embraces every form of music: ballads, "cracklin' toe tappers," country, reggae, romantic love songs, story songs, and at least one film score. His canvas is large and his talent seemingly endless and certainly enduring. His concerts sell out in minutes, and his fans sing along with his standards while cheering anything new he introduces. And his fans are "FANS!"
Just ask his number one fan and friend, David Wild. "I'm a Believer that Neil Diamond is an altogether merciful and loving musical god," effuses Wild. He claims no objectivity in this loving homage to his idol and is proud of it. A contributing editor with Rolling Stone magazine, Wild is still a true professional, with such credits as writing the liner notes to Diamond's anthologies and producing an episode of "Behind the Music" starring his hero. He has written companion books to several sitcoms and in his role of music critic has (objectively) reviewed much of Diamond's work.
One of the more serious anecdotes he shares is in telling the story of how he convinced the powers that be at Rolling Stone to run with his long and loving interview with the man, the myth, the middle-aged "Hebrew American Hunk." Wild hints that Diamond's generous donation to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner's anti-gun charity, in honor of John Lennon, just might have tipped the scales in Wild's favor --- especially since Neil Diamond is not known to give interviews. It seems like it was a coup for everyone concerned.
Wild's idolatry propels the narrative, and he infuses every sentence with either a pun or a family memory, or a signal of his own personal passion for the man and his music. One of the best tidbits is when he and his family were invited to a concert and given special backstage passes. Just before taking the stage, Mrs. Wild, the person responsible for transforming her children into "Diamondheads," was graciously invited by Diamond into his dressing room just before he was to take the stage. He had a generous pile of Neil Diamond memorabilia ready and waiting for her. But the biggest gift to Wild and his mother was when Diamond told her she had raised a "mensch" (a Yiddish word meaning a person to be very proud of). Wild said he was overwhelmed, and the family was even surer of their love for the music, lyrics and especially the man, their "Jewish Elvis."
At first, readers may wonder if Wild brings any "real" objectivity or "real" research to the book. The answer is yes and no. That he is a wild fan of Diamond is unquestionable and charming. As for the research, he is a professional with the credentials to prove it and he has done his homework. In his breezy style, filled with puns and very funny stories, he keeps the reader engaged and entertained. His insights are not tarnished by his feelings for Diamond.
Readers who are Neil Diamond fans will really enjoy this book. Those who aren't should give themselves a chance to read it because it's a well-written, informative and funny biography. As he ends this paean to the man and his music, Wild chastises those critics who have kept Diamond out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their narrowness and inability to admit that being an entertainer who cares about his audiences does not negate the place he deserves in the hallowed home of other inductees.
Nevertheless, Diamond charges on at his own pace and style, telling Wild: "Somehow, each album means as much to me as my very first record, if not more, and the experience of creation has yet to become easy. In truth, I'm as hungry as I ever was: the `emptiness deep inside' aches even more." Wild ends the book with the hope that Neil Diamond will someday write a memoir "about his music and the singular life to which [his words and life] are inextricably tied." In the meantime, Wild offers his own.
--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Summary of He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond
He Is...I Say examines Neil Diamond?s singular place in the pantheon of popular music. David Wild—who?s interviewed Diamond for Rolling Stone, penned the liner notes to a number of Diamond?s anthologies, and produced Diamond?s scandal-free episode of Behind the Music—now dares to turn on his “Heartlight,? offering a moving and often hilarious salute to his own Jewish Elvis, one based on his interviews from over the years with the Solitary Man himself.
An illuminating snapshot of a beloved American icon, He Is...I Say endearingly speaks to the condition of being a Diamondhead in a hipper-than-thou world, while fully illustrating exactly what it is that makes the man and the artist so special.
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