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| | Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales | | | Music Style : | | Rock | | Record Label : | | Grand Central Publishing | | Store Price : | | $26.99 | | Artistopia's Price: $17.81 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 This book, like the E Street Band, ROCKS!!!
Submitted on: 2009-11-20 |
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This is the most rockin', raunchy, soulful rock book I've read since Rock Scully's Living With The Dead. Yah, so every word may not be true. Springsteen's Santa Claus rap during Santa Claus is Coming to Town isn't true either -- does that make it any less rock 'n roll?
F*(% the negative reviews -- get this book dammit! It's a blast, and you'll love The Big Man even more after you read it. |
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Big Man autobiography
Submitted on: 2009-11-20 |
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| This is a fantastic read, hard to put down. I think anyone will enjoy this book, especially those of us who are diehard Springsteen and E Street fans. It gives a wonderful insight into the Big Man and his relationship with the Boss and the fantastic journey he has traveled. |
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 Hmmm, well, you see, the problem is.......
Submitted on: 2009-11-16 |
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I've always been a big fan of Clarence, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Come on everyone who's buying the book are. I was excited to read Clarence's book. There is absolutely no question in reading this book that The Big Man is a very intelligent and witty guy. The book is really three books in one. The first book is written by Clarence about Clarence, his life and experiences. The second book is written by Clarence and is partially true and partially fiction. The third is written by the co-author, Clarence's good friend (groupie?) Don Rio. All three books are mixed together. This seems to work for a while and then it stops working quite abruptly.
Here are the problems as I see them: Problem number one is the part of the book that is written by the co-author. I didn't know who Don Rio was, but I sure do now. The thing is, this is a book about Clarence Clemons. Let Mr. Reo write his own book! It's not that I don't care about Mr. Reo, just not in this book. He also goes on and on about how wonderful Clarence is, oh yes, on and on. We already knew this or we probably wouldn't be reading the book. Mind you this is a full third of the book! I becomes quite painful and not just a little annoying. If you do purchase the book, a word of advise, skip the chapters that start with, "Don." The second problem is the "Tall Tales." They are amusing at first and then the name dropping really gets on your nerves and it's not just people in the music business, really odd references and they seem to get longer and longer and your mind starts to wander and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The biggest problem with the book is the part that Clarence wrote about his experiences. It's too short. We don't really learn much about him at all. He tells us very little about his childhood. He tells us very little about his relationships or his children. And come on, most of us want to know about his history with Bruce and the E Street band. We get very little of this. I'm not even certain that he mentions everybody by name. Maybe I'm wrong, but there's precious little about the band. What he does tell us about all this stuff just made the situation worse because it was like the first bite of a cookie, but you get no more!
This guy could have written a brilliant autobiography. He really does have a way with words. I certainly don't think he needed help doing so by using a co-author. Or, if he wanted to, he could have written a work of fiction. Maybe he can put out another book called "Big Man, Take 2," and tell us all the things we had hoped to learn about him in this book. I'm really, really disappointed, but I still love the Big Man! See you 11/18! |
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AWESOME
Submitted on: 2009-11-12 |
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| Just went and saw Bruce and the Band last night in Cleveland. I finished this book the day before and it only enhanced the show. The book gives a great insight into the Big Man and his true love of life, the fans and the band. When he stepped forward last night, he was not only flawless, but everything he describes in this book, came out his sax and touched the souls of 20,000 people at once. He has always had a distinctive sound that you recognize when ever you hear him, be it with Bruce, or solo or jamming with anyone else. Through this book, you see why. Because the love and passion comes through loud and clear just as every sweet note from his horn. It is not the sax, but rather, the Big Man himself! What he has gone through and endured in order to never miss a show and let Bruce or the fans down is amazing. He is not the Big Man because of his size, but rather the size of his heart. |
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 The BIG MAN
Submitted on: 2009-11-11 |
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Because The BIG MAN is a talented saxophonist for one of rock's greatest artists he will tell you in this book ad nauseum how he is entitled to:
The absolute best things in life.
Perks everyday that you and I would probably never see once.
The privilege to constantly schmooze with the top of the top in music, movies and literature.
The right to live a promiscuous life for decades (and marry 5 times).
In his 60's finally find TRUE LOVE (this is it, folks!) with his 5th wife, a woman in her 20's. Don't worry folks - The BIG MAN says he has a good pre-nup in case the unthinkable happens and it doesn't work out.
The ability to drink (and sometimes drug) to excess for decades until he is finally forced to stop for health issues.
The humility for the BIG MAN to consider himself SPIRITUAL despite all the above.
Maybe the worst thing about this book. The absolute need to be COOL at all costs even to the point of embellishing the truth to the point of outright fabrication (he admits this openly). It's not enough that the BIG MAN is best friends with The Boss and hangs out with Sinatra, Dylan, Hunter Thompson, Damon Wayons, Norman Mailer and many others in his rarefied air. He has to spice up the stories, perhaps even make a few up to make himself even COOLER.
This man who has worked with Bruce Springsteen (IMO one of the 2 most substantial songwriters in rock) has produced such a work of such shallowness that it could have been written by Paris Hilton. The old saying is true - Trust the art, not the artist. I have been a huge Springsteen fan (not to mention a great admirer of Clarence's work) for over 3 decades and I wish I could unread this book.
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