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Ray Coleman (1937–1996)

Autor(a) de Lennon: The Definitive Biography

14+ Works 625 Membros 3 Reviews

About the Author

Ray Coleman is the author of The Man Who Made the Beatles about Brian Epstein, Clapton! about Eric Clapton, and the coauthor with Bill Wyman of Stone Alone. He lives in London.

Obras de Ray Coleman

Associated Works

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1937-06-15
Data de falecimento
1996-09-10
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
UK

Membros

Resenhas

This has got to be one of the worst biographies I have ever had the misfortune to read. Poor Brian! The Beatles' manager died tragically from an accidental overdose at the age of thirty-two, for heaven's sake, and yet Ray Coleman's idea of a suitable tribute was to rip the man's professional reputation and private life to shreds. Dubious content aside, Coleman's biography is also badly written - repetitive (brought to you by the words 'aghast', 'naive' and the phrase 'flew into a rage') and padded out to make a life story of just over thirty years drag on for 500 pages. And Coleman's talent for placing a malicious spin on quotes from people who knew Brian would make a Daily Mail journalist proud.

My biggest issue, however, was the unrelenting homophobia! If Coleman stated once that Brian was 'A HOMOSEXUAL' - like his sexual orientation was a kind of contagious disease - then he must have repeated himself a thousand times! Every. SIngle. Chapter. Every interview, which I'm sure he primed with leading questions because they all use the same words to judge Brian's life. Instead of dedicating one chapter to Brian's struggle to accept his sexuality at a time when being gay was still illegal, which would have been interesting, he uses Brian's personal life to mock and belittle him with an immature interpretation of gay men that would shame school boys! 'He was not a very camp man', one 'colleague' or 'associate' of Brian's comments, and 'There was a very feminine side to him - not bitchy, but he could not take failure well'. Or 'I think that he had Jewish guilt from the beginning, and because he was gay, he reacted to it more like a woman'. When Brian didn't receive a MBE with the Beatles, apparently 'he felt the reason could be that he was known to be a homosexual or because he was a Jew'. This was the theme throughout the entire goddamned biography! Coleman, apparently unable to grasp that Brian didn't match the usual homophobic stereotypes, suggests that Brian actually wanted to be straight and had 'a basic wish to be a family man with a wife and children'! Apparently this was because he was 'never attracted to other homosexuals' but preferred 'very macho people like hard hat construction workers and truck drivers'. Never heard of the Village People, then, Ray? Brian liked 'em rough, you flaming moron, he wasn't a closet HETEROSEXUAL. Coleman also interviews some pathetic woman who Brian clearly used as a beard in the early 60s, but who claims Brian was 'a complete man' and the only reason they never slept together was because she was still married and didn't believe in adultery. Sure, princess.

Warped takes on Brian's personal life aside, Coleman also seems to have limited his interviews to people who hated the man - Yankel Feather, who sounds like an extra from Fiddler on the Roof, admits to hating Brian and adds for good measure that John Lennon deserved to die because he 'wanted fame and stood in the nude for pictures', and non-entities like the guy who started a local music rag in Liverpool and blamed Brian for buying him out and increasing publication with national syndication. If anyone says anything nice about Brian - because he was, by all accounts, a sweet, charming, friendly, generous and loyal gentleman - then Coleman adds his own interpretation, rewriting Brian's obsession with micro-managing stars as having a huge ego, for example. Talking heads who are willing to slag off a dead man are professional, logical and respectable, whereas as Brian is always 'vulnerable' and 'sensitive'.

This dated trash is going in the recycle bin, and I'm ashamed I bought even a secondhand copy. Mr Epstein, you deserved so much more and your soul lives on. Ray Coleman (1937-1996) - good riddance.
… (mais)
2 vote
Marcado
AdonisGuilfoyle | Dec 16, 2020 |
An excellent account of the different 'phases' of John Lennons life. The author was a friend of John as well as a journalist and writer who seems to have embodied who John Lennon was and became.

This is a heartbreaking read in some respects because it shows just what the world lost when this gentle man was murdered. So much more could be said of this biography but it must be read. Must be.
 
Marcado
Heptonj | 1 outra resenha | Aug 5, 2008 |
The definitive Lennon bio.
 
Marcado
BooksForDinner | 1 outra resenha | Oct 3, 2011 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
14
Also by
1
Membros
625
Popularidade
#40,302
Avaliação
½ 3.6
Resenhas
3
ISBNs
44
Idiomas
4

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