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nickburkaotm's review
5.0
Loved it. Lovingly recorded and written down by Van Ronk and Elijah Wald. Van Ronk was known to be a prolific storyteller, and reading this book it feels as if he's telling you these stories you're sitting in his living room. A must-read for any fan of the recent folk/americana scene.
eljaspero's review
5.0
Far more than a memoir, practically a microhistory of the New York folk scare and the New Left politics that surrounded it. Would highly recommend listening to a few of Dave's records before you read it, so you can imagine the prose as he intended it - in his own snarly, sardonic rasp.
annepw's review
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, considering I have no particular interest in the folk revival or that whole crowd. I read this on the recommendation of a friend, and the only knowledge I had of Van Ronk was that he was the source for the very good 'Inside Llewyn Davis.' Reading the book, I did see some anecdotes that were clearly sources for the film, but the tone of the memoir and the film is completely different. Where the film is infused with a kind of hopelessness, Van Ronk's memoir is optimistic, funny, and utterly charming. I flew through it just because I wanted to hang out with Dave some more. And it doesn't hurt that he has some good stories to tell.
richardwells's review
3.0
If your roots lead anywhere near the Village folk scene in NYC, then you've heard Van Ronk, and know he was a major influence to the assembled (and dis-assembled) folkies. He was a rambling, shambling story teller, and much of this book is not news, but it's a great read in his own voice. Dave Van Ronk smoked himself to death, but the music goes on and on...
emckeon1002's review
5.0
Had this on my shelf for a couple of years, and finally got around to reading it after seeing Inside Llewyn Davis. IMHO, I found the book much more interesting, and engaging than the movie (but that's another review). Assembled by the able Elijah Wald, this view of the folk scare in Greenwich Village is totally interesting and enlightening, providing a real insiders view as to who was doing what with, and to, whom. I was privileged to see Van Ronk perform several times, and met him too, and the voice in the book is the voice of the man. Recommended reading, especially for unapologetic folkies.
wdeboard's review
4.0
3.5 stars. Checked this book out at the library after watching Inside Llewyn Davis because I wanted to learn a little about the "real" Llewyn Davis. This isn't a seamless novel but instead it is vignette style, telling a different story each chapter. Some very familiar stories for those who did see the movie. One thing I thought was very interesting was that, at one point in the book he talks about how everybody talks about "the scene," as how "you should have been here five years ago, it was really hopping then!" But it seems as though Van Ronk appeared on the Greenwich Village folk music scene precisely when it was exploding. The days of Dylan and Ochs and Baez as they were finding themselves. It's a pretty interesting look into somebody who maybe wasn't the reason the scene was explosing, but he was definitely a major insider while that scene was happening, and those people have the most interesting observations. There was a little braggadocio at times as well; like when he was invited to become the "Paul" in Peter, Paul and Mary. Still, an interesting read and a pretty quick read.
rupsybooksy's review
3.0
I’d give it a 3.5 if I could! Great stories and really gives you an inside look into the creation of the New York folk scene and the people who really defined it.
princesszinza's review
4.0
When I was in high school some time in the 1970's I saw Dave Van Ronk at the Fountain Valley Public Library. In a sad, dim little room with my mom and maybe 10 other people, Dave Van Ronk performed his heart out. I doubt that most of the audience, primarily middle aged women, had any idea who Dave Van Ronk was. I remember that he looked rumpled and his "on-stage" (there wasn't really a stage, just a chair) banter was very amusing but received few laughs. His songs got only polite applause. I remember wishing I could go up and tell him how much I enjoyed the performance and chat up music with him. Unfortunately, he was engaged in a conversation with the librarian, a woman who had always scared me. Besides, I was with my mother who was kind enough to bring me but not indulgent enough to want to hang out after the show.
I was hoping this book would explain what happened. Why would this 60's folk icon make an appearance in such a sad venue only ten years after folk mania reached its height? This book didn't answer that question because it focuses only on the 1950's-1960's New York scene. That's okay. I still loved the amusing stories and amazing history that Dave lived. Sadly, Dave Van Ronk didn't live to see this book through to completion but his sense of humor, strong political views, and tremendous knowledge of music comes through. Dave is a bit of a music elitist but I'm fine with that. He's earned the right. I still wish I'd been able to have had that chat at the Fountain Valley library.
I was hoping this book would explain what happened. Why would this 60's folk icon make an appearance in such a sad venue only ten years after folk mania reached its height? This book didn't answer that question because it focuses only on the 1950's-1960's New York scene. That's okay. I still loved the amusing stories and amazing history that Dave lived. Sadly, Dave Van Ronk didn't live to see this book through to completion but his sense of humor, strong political views, and tremendous knowledge of music comes through. Dave is a bit of a music elitist but I'm fine with that. He's earned the right. I still wish I'd been able to have had that chat at the Fountain Valley library.
babsellen's review
4.0
More of a window into the evolution of the extraordinary folk/blues/jazz scene in the Village during the mid-'50s through the mid'60s than a biography. Mostly related as a memoir by the lovingly dubbed "Mayor of MacDougal Street," Dave Van Ronk, the book is completed by the co-author Elijah Wald after Dave's death from cancer in 2002. I wish it could have gone on, but fate stepped in. Some day I would like to read an actual bio of this unique man whose music I love.