Steve Goodman: Facing the Music
by Clay Eals
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Book Summary Information
Author: Clay EalsIntroduction: Arlo Guthrie
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-15
ISBN: 1550227327
Number of pages: 700
Publisher: ECW Press
Book Reviews of Steve Goodman: Facing the Music
Book Review: Good to see that a "good man" like Goodman is not forgotten soon.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Facing the Music" by gifted biographer, Clay Eals, captures not only Steve Goodman's brief but brillian life journey, but also the zeitgeist of his era with meticulous attention to detail. The book is a joy to simply browse, weighing in at almost the same weight as Goodman himself.
Even if you are not familiar with Goodman's impressive body of work as a composer,entertainer and inveterate Cubs fan, or with his songbook that ranges from the anthemic "City of New Orleans" to the bittersweet "Would You Like To Learn To Dance?"; even if you are not familiar with his tragic loss due to leukemia at age 36; this book is to be savored and enjoyed by anyone who cherishes the best of biographies.
So far I have read only two masterpiece biographies this year (May, 2007), Facing the Music by Eals and Einstein; the Man and his Universe by Isaacson. While both books involved enormous quantities of research, it's Eals' work that smacks of "life's obsession." Over nine years in the making, containing hundreds of interviews, never-before-seen photos, and an Acknowledgement section that reads like a folk music phone book, "Facing the Music" gives new meaning to the terms: Opus and Tour de Force.
All of this output would be meaningless, however, if the subject and the writing style were not inherently engaging. Fortunately they are both. Eals writes in an elegant and embracing voice that draws you in further with each carefully placed paragraph. And, having met Steve Goodman on numerous occasions, I can attest that Eals succeeds in effectively exploring the artist's varied dimensions. He offers well-deserved praise without turning the book into an 800 page obituary notice. The style of the book borders on journalism rather than classic biography. Eals works hard to depict Goodman through the eyes of those who knew him best. The constant stream of anecdotes, insights and episodes is addictive and makes it painful to stop reading.
Eals' over-arching theme is that Goodman's recognition of his own mortality colored all of his work. The positive message is that Goodman's artistic reaction to his own imminent demise was not mordant dirges of doom. Instead, he appeared to look death squarely in the eye as he strove to "get it while you can."
In the closing lyric of a tribute song that I wrote in Steve Goodman's memory shortly after his death in 1984, I respond to a query that Steve poses in his iconic "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request," which was: "Do they still sing the blues in Chicago?" The author was kind enough to include my song, along with 17 other tribute tunes, on a CD included with the book. In it I reply:
"Yes they still sing the blues in Old Chicago, boys,
Where a good man's not forgotten soon.
His songs meant so much
To the lives that were touched
By the Man With The Golden Tune."
Thank you, Clay, for insuring that my words will ring true, not just in Old Chicago, but everywhere where people read and enjoy this masterwork biography.
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