I love to read biographies, specially autobiographies. My favorite autobiography is Wyatt Earp's.

I also liked " MARINE ", which was Chesty Puller's biography. He was truely an amazing person. He fought in every war, starting in WW1 and thru several brushfire wars in Nicaragua and Haiti, WW2 and Korea. He was awarded five navy crosses, and so many other decorations they fill a single spaced typewritten page on both sides. He enlisted as a private and retired a general. He was the most popular leader in the Marine Corps. Yet, he was so sentimental that he sent his wife a dozen roses on the anniversary of their wedding, every MONTH until he died, even during wartime, while he was in combat.

at least he knew what really mattered... i can't remember how many biographies i've read. i remember, in particular, one about walt disney, which was neat.

I've read more biographies than that, but those are the two that stick in my head.

Last one I read was "Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life." A historian wrote it and did a really good job of telling his story factually and in the context of the place and times. Debunked a lot of the mythology, too. Apparently it's accurate that he's always played in the movies by handsome actors -- he was very popular with the ladies.

I've seen pictures of him. He is one of the ugliest people that i've ever seen. Those women must have been pretty desperate.

There's only that one photo. But he had blue eyes that every one said were striking, and he had a fun personality when he went to dances. That counts for a lot with women.

I've gone to dances alot lookin' for women. But before I even get all the way through the saloon doors, I get shot down. Always a woman. They really seem to know when I'm about to be around. My chest holds 13 bullets. My head holds more. You should see me dance, though, after I'm shot. The horses outside get real excited. I'm glad somebody notices. Never met Billy, myself. I heard afterward, sometimes, that he was inside.

Yeah, It was said that he did not have a real keen sense of humor. Probably didn't want the competition.

My favourite biographies, so far, is the two volume life of Klemperer - but stupidly I cannot remember who wrote it, since I read it a couple of years ago. I only remember that I simply could not put it down, it was so excellent.

The last biography I read was about Virgil "Gus" Grissom, the astronaut, when I was in middle school.

Even if you just graduated from high school, that is too long.

I prefer fictitious characters. They're much more realistic than biographical ones.

Could you explainwhat you mean by that?

I guess what I meant (rather tongue in cheek), PT, is that biographies usually chronicle the life of a hero in glowing terms or the life of some notorious hell-raiser with a lifestyle akin to a "Melrose Place" character. What I was saying was that it is often easy for me to put myself in the shoes of a fictitious character when I'm reading a novel, but I don't really see myself in the pages of a biography.

Thank you, that makes a lot of sense.

Dear Boy: The Life Of Keith Moon by this guy Fletcher was pretty interesting and strange to read.

I devour biographies whole. One of my original favorites and most reread books in this category is Gods, Graves and Scholars by C. W. Ceram (a diplomat who spelled his name backward to use for a pen name.) Lots of very good Biographies are published in The New Yorker Magazine and are excellent reads by some very famous authors.

Yes, I read that book, too, possibly even within the last twelve months. I forgot... Nice old copy I have, though.

I have just never gotten into biographies as a concept for my reading pleasure, which I'm sure is depriving me of many good books. I may have to re-think that after reading a novel written in pseudo-biography form this summer, Memoirs of a Geisha, which was the best book I read in 1999.

Just read the autobio of Billie Holiday, Lady Sings The Blues - now I wonder: wasn't she rather a jazz singer? ;=}

Jazz, blues, kinda the same thing...rather, blues is a subset of jazz, no?

Rather, the other way round. Or? Where's the John when you need him... Or any jazzed out Louisianian? Blues is where everything comes from, I guess.

I'll ask him for you...be right back!

From John Burnett Both are African-American music forms. The blues, which is older, simpler and more primal, started out as vocals only spirituals sung by slaves, such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a song about the Underground Railroad. The forms evolved into the Delta blues, an unplugged form with acoustic instruments (guitar--never banjo, which sounds too "happy") which Robert Johnson ("Crossroads")may have been the most famous proponent, and the Memphis blues, which mixed blues with a countrified folk sound, such as Leadbelly ("Goodnight, Irene"). The movements of African-Americans north to factory jobs and the advent of the electric guitar changed blues forever and also hastened the birth of jazz. Blues added uptempo elements of boogie and shuffle music and became the Chicago Blues under legends such as Chester Burnett (a.k.a. "Howlin' Wolf," Little Walter, Muddy Waters and Albert King). Memphis blues added horns (B.B. King). Blues also evolved into rock-and-roll by adding the backbeat drumming favored by big bands. Jazz is a more complex music form, with multiple time signatures (blues is always played in common or 4/4 time). Brubeck's "Take Five," for example, got it's name because it is played in 5/4 time signature (five beats per measure, a quarter note denotes one beat). The instrumentation is also more varied and everybody gets to solo, which causes long jams with some interesting improvisation. I love hearing how different trumpeters can take off on their solos on songs like Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia." Jazz also incorporated elements of classical music (Brubeck's "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" is a variation on a Bach/Mozart style improv over a basso continuo) and guitarists such as the late Django Reinhardt used Spanish flamenco and classical guitar elements to flavor jazz music. All that stuff is missing in the blues. Both are African-American music forms. The blues, which is older, simpler and more primal, started out as vocals only spirituals sung by slaves, such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a song about the Underground Railroad. The forms evolved into the Delta blues, an unplugged form with acoustic instruments (guitar--never banjo, which sounds too "happy") which Robert Johnson ("Crossroads")may have been the most famous proponent, and the Memphis blues, which mixed blues with a countrified folk sound, such as Leadbelly ("Goodnight, Irene"). The movements of African-Americans north to factory jobs and the advent of the electric guitar changed blues forever and also hastened the birth of jazz. Blues added uptempo elements of boogie and shuffle music and became the Chicago Blues under legends such as Chester Burnett (a.k.a. "Howlin' Wolf," Little Walter, Muddy Waters and Albert King). Memphis blues added horns (B.B. King). Blues also evolved into rock-and-roll by adding the backbeat drumming favored by big bands. Jazz is a more complex music form, with multiple time signatures (blues is always played in common or 4/4 time). Brubeck's "Take Five," for example, got it's name because it is played in 5/4 time signature (five beats per measure, a quarter note denotes one beat). The instrumentation is also more varied and everybody gets to solo, which causes long jams with some interesting improvisation. I love hearing how different trumpeters can take off on their solos on songs like Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia." Jazz also incorporated elements of classical music (Brubeck's "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" is a variation on a Bach/Mozart style improv over a basso continuo) and guitarists such as the late Django Reinhardt used Spanish flamenco and classical guitar elements to flavor jazz music. All that stuff is missing in the blues. Hope this explanation isn't too complex. It's easy to hear the difference, but difficult to explain it. To use an analogy: the blues is simple arithmetic, jazz is anything from algebra to calculus. BTW, when Alexander asserts that with (American music forms) everything comes from the blues, he's right.

Of course he is, whaddaya think, I'm a PROFESSIONAL.

Professional bullshitter, that is. 'N case anybody wondered.

Thanks, John, though I'd of course want to add Bo Diddley up there where it says "Muddy Waters", "B.B. King" and "rock". Bo put the rock in Rock 'n' Roll! As every Rock comes from Bo, Bo comes from the Blues. (Be patient with me. See, I have this odd Bo Diddley-fixation; he was the start of so much - Iggy Pop, The Rolling Stones, THe Who - that was great in it's own right, pretty much like the Ramones spawned the whole punk music thing by just being there - BEFORE London '77). The curious thing is, blues never really got as fashionable and trendy for a long time as jazz managed. Jazz was - as rock 'n' roll later - a very danceable young folks music, before it got too smart for it's own good (or was that: too smooth and mannered?). Let's just summarize that history shows that all jazzers can have the blues, while not many bluesers are jazzy about things.

That's a good way to remember it!

Good stuff, Alexander and John! Your posts are on their way to John and I will post anything he cares to add to his super essay on the subject. I KNEW you had a BS degree, self-awarded, though it may be...*grin*

From John Burnett I agree, Alexander. Jazz was very danceable at one time...mostly before bebop, Coltrane and Miles. And then, as you mention, the "smooth" stuff. Especially danceable was big band jazz and swing. As for the blues-punk connection, you don't have to look any further than Ted Horowitz, a.k.a. "Popa Chubby," killer blues guitarist who was once lead guitar for Richard Hell (punk's onetime poet laureate) and the Voidoids. When Popa came to Hilo about 3 years ago, he and I got on famously. I interviewed him and he said that there is no current American popular, rock or jazz music that isn't blues based. In his words, "It's all the blues, man." The man is a great musician who's been there and done that. I wouldn't presume to argue, even if I did disagree--which I don't. I don't like what some "artists" have done with the blues, but Bo belongs at the very top of the list of great American music icons...rock, blues, call it what you want.

Bo is da MAN. And he's BAD. And... Damn, he's soooo good. There's this incredible collection of until then unpublished cuts, outtakes and the like on this CD called RARE & WELL DONE. That's, oh man, oooohhhh so good! It can make a guy honestly sing and shout and dance! P.S.: Moves dem girls nicely, too....

From two guys I respect enormously, this is high praise, indeed. Makes me think I should hurry to my nearest CD source and deplete the bank account! Thank you, gentlemen.

John: Alex, have you seen the _Eddie_&_the_Cruisers_ movies (parts 1&2)? Bo did a cameo as himself in #2 and a younger actor portrayed him as he was in the early-mid 1960s. Both flicks are way cool, but you have to see both to make sense. The bulk of the music is by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band...a very Springsteenesque band out of Newark, New Jersey. Worth your time when you have 3-1/2 to 4 hours and feel like doing fictional rock and roll movies that seem even more real than _La_Bamba_ and _The_Buddy_Holly_Story (which ARE excellent R&R biopics). You go away feeling Eddie Wilson and the Cruisers were real. Good stuff, although dramatic...not hilarious like _Spinal_Tap_. Bo IS way cool!!!

I gather the Bo rocks! Bo Rules! Bo is where it's at...! But, this raises musical questions in my mind. Is there not some topic in the Music Conference dedicated to the history of this type of music? Or, indeed, any music?

Let me put it this way: So I was off topic. Shucks, do I feel bad. But I praised BO the MAN who's a very much underrated musician. I mean, EVERYBODY knows about Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard, Bill Haley... But who has respect for the Diddley-Daddy? You simply can't go off topic on this issue often enough, I say. And if you'd listen to something like the Rare & Well-Done CD, you'd not know what I mean, you wouldn't understand a word I said but FEEL it! Does that man wield a guitar! If in doubt, have John play something to you.

I mean, B.B. King ain't half bad, but Bo is... Like, EVERYBODY was influenced by Bo, he was to the guys in the Sixties what Iggy and the Stooges and the MC5 were to the guys in the Seventies. And the first thing recorded by Iggy Pop was a Bo Diddley track. The Who covered him. The Stones did. Didn't the Who, too? All of London did. But where's the credit?

Be not sorry! This is the most activity this topic has had in a while - the entire conference, actually! I think I shall have John play me something if he can work it into his program ( not sure how much of what he plays he actually chooses - but, I'll ask!) Thanks for the suggestion!

I just happened to notice that there's one thing about biographies - they always make me angry. Mad. W�tend und zornig.

What about Biographies makes you angry? I love them best of all. I find people's lives fascinating.

There so much futility in people's lives.

Why do you say that? Do you mean that the things people write about you think are just dross and not worth reading about? You'll never read my biography but I don't think my life is futile. I agree it may not be interesting to anyone else, but I have read a few biographies that have really gripped me. I think on the whole i prefer biographies to autobiographies.

Alexander, could it be that the biographies of the people you wish to read are in a business (popular music and the subculture to which it attaches)whose practitioners tends to be on the edge of insanity and courting death with mind altering medications?! Perhaps you should read about Churchill or Wellington (they all had problems - we are all mortal and subject to the vagueries of our mothers)...or Lord Baden-Powell...?

Let's see: Iacocca: An Autobiography - Lee Iacocca and William something-or-other A Man Called Intrepid - William Stevenson (no relation to Sir William Stephenson, a.k.a. Intrepid) The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X (Malcolm Little/Malik El-Shabazz) and Alec Haley Those are the only biographies I can remember reading straight through. I tried reading Reach For The Sky, a biography of legless fighter ace Douglas Bader, but I didn't get far beyond the air crash that cost him his legs. I read about half-way into Papillon.