I have never been Linda Ronstadt’s biggest fan, but her music was a part of the soundtrack of my life in the 1970s. I still think “Blue Bayou” is one of the most beautiful songs ever, and I loved her work with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. Also, I saw her at the Mountain Aire festival in Calaveras County in 1979 and was charmed by her stage presence. When I came across this book I was excited to find out more. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment. It’s described as a musical memoir, but it read more like a laundry list of random events. So many names were mentioned I couldn’t keep track, and it was almost devoid of context, background, or feeling. It was superficial and seemed to have been written in great haste. There were bizarre segues and little or no structure that I could discern. Lastly, and this is a small thing perhaps, but photographs were captioned thusly, “Me and Dolly Parton sitting on a swing.” Where was her editor?
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Many autobiographies are anecdotal and filled with references to people the writer thinks his or her readers will know inside out without a description of their character. I just finished the last volume of Mark Twain’s autobiography. I would say that even he is guilty of dropping way too many names and assuming the reader will know of whom he speaks. He isn’t just anecdotal; he is a master of digression. I can’t really fault Ronstadt for the “me” reference in a caption, after all her literature is the literature of the popular song. Have you heard of “Me and My Shadow”, “Me and Mrs. Jones” or “Me and Bobby McGee”. Showbiz bios and autobios are seldom published because they are good literature. It’s for the fans. Ronstadt isn’t even a songwriter. She is a song stylist who is at her best when she is doing the standards of rock and roll or the big band era. Blue Bayou was a big hit for her in the 70s, but it was written and performed by Roy Orbison in 1963. Perhaps her haste might have something to do with Parkinson’s Disease.
Thanks for your comments Mike and I think you make some valid points. Sometimes incorrect grammar is used consciously as a form of stylistic expression, like in the examples you mentioned here. I don’t think that was the case for the photo captions. I for one would have enjoyed this book and probably gotten something out of it if it had been better written. I think a strong editor could have made a big difference.
Good points, Mike, about the objective case in songs. But books, especially nonfiction books, are not songs. I know I am immediately tripped up by grammatical errors–as I say to my clients and students, they impede a smooth read. I’m hoping it wasn’t funds that kept Ronstadt from hiring an editor.
I have been waiting for this one to come out as an audiobook. I figured that Ronstadt might do something like Carly Simon and include musical interludes in the audio version to spice things up. I wonder if the delay in releasing an audiobook has anything to do with readability. Reviews of the text have been mixed. Many are saying it is too matter of fact and not too deep. Since the publisher is Simon and Schuster, I’m guessing the text went through a few copy editors and the choice they made was to go with the author’s authentic voice. There are bios of the singer that have received better reviews. Here is a link to a nice interview with Terry Gross: http://www.npr.org/2013/09/17/223172521/in-memoir-linda-ronstadt-describes-her-simple-dreams.
Thank you Mike. I’ll check it out. She’s a compelling person and I would like to know more.
It’s amazing how things sound great when we hear them but trip us up when we read them. I learned this when I tried to transcribe radio interviews. My audience would say, “Great interview!” and had clearly understood every word. But upon transcription the clarity evaporated and the subject sounded almost foolish at times.
Consumption of the written word is happening on paper and on electronic devices of every shape and size. “The medium is the message,” said I know an author who had to audition before her publisher allowed her to do the audiobook. Evidently, the person who conducted the audition found her performance to his satisfaction. “You nailed it,” she was told. Mark Twain writes that when he was asked to read his books in public he discovered reading from a text wasn’t as compelling to an audience as it is to retell the story from memory. In your scenario, Carolyn, clarity was lost in the transcription.
Wow. That posted before I finished editing. “The medium is the message,” said Marshall McLuhan. I know…