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The Carpenters: The Untold Story : An Authorized Biography

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In "The Carpenters: The Untold Story" Ray Coleman has written the authorized (with Richard Carpenter's approval) biography of the famous brother and sister singer act, the Carpenters. With many other musical biographies to his credit (John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Eric Clapton, and others), Coleman surely has the literary talent to tell the story of Richard and Karen Carpenter, yet, unfortunately, Coleman fails to deliver the intimate personal details that help one to understand the tragic and bittersweet story that is the Carpenters.

In any autorized biography, there is a tendancy to "sugar-coat" the live(s) of the subjects, and to gloss over their shortcomings. This then begs the question: Does Coleman tell the fans the entire story of the Carpenter Duo, warts and all? In my reading of the book, I have to answer both "yes" and "no". Yes, Coleman tells the entire story of the Carpenter's birth in New Haven, CT, to their relocation across the country to Downey, CA (to further the musical aspirations of Rich Carpenter), to the meteoric rise through the pop charts, and finally, to the sad decline and eventual death of Karen to anorexia at just 32 years of age. The basic framework of their lives is told here with input from many different sources, but what is lacking is the personal and character development of both Richard and Karen. Yes, we learn about their hits, but what do we actually know about their personal lives? What are they like when the stage lights are dim? What did they do for fun? Did they drink, smoke, party, etc.? Virtually nothing is told about their personal lives, and this especially holds true for Richard Carpenter. We know so little about Richard, and yet in the TV movie about their lives, we are given snippets of scenes where perhaps Richard was not lax in partaking of the sexual benefits of being adored by his female fans. Coleman mentions nothing of this. On the other hand, Richard's battle with addiction to prescription sleeping pills is detailed. In an unedited backstage picture with Herb Alpert and Karen, I saw Richard Carpenter with a lit cigarette in one hand, and a drink in the other. I was shocked, Richard smoked and drank?!? Like Jackie Kennedy (and today with Jennifer Aniston), Richard's cigarette habit was obviously a well-guarded secret. In later viewings of that same picture, the frame was edited so that the cigarette was omitted. How interesting it would have been to learn when Richard had his first drink or his first smoke. Did he sneak a smoke in the garage, or did he have the approval of his parents, affterall, his dad smoked a pipe. Details like this would have enlivened the book and given more insight into the complex personality of Richard Carpenter. One gets the impression that Coleman was perhaps limited by Richard Carpenter himself in what details he could reveal.

As far as Karen's personal life is concerned, Coleman offers more, but it is still vastly inadequate to understand the person and personality of Karen Carpenter. Coleman mentions Karen's sadness in her inability to establish a personal deep relationship with someone else but her own family. I learned from Coleman that Karen moved in and lived with her boyfriend for a short while, obviously in direct conflict with her parents wishes. What sort of confrontation with her parents resulted from her actions we are not told. How about the other men in Karen's life? In an interview that Karen did in the early 1970's she mentions (almost proudly) that she was not a virgin. Coleman does not mention this in his biography, nor does he mention any details about Karen's love life.

Of course, Karen's battle and eventual death from anorexia is an issue which fans are intensely interested, as it is so hard to comprehend why a talented and beautiful woman such as Karen would willingly starve herself to death. There is simply not enough detail on these and other critical issues for the reader to begin to understand the tortured mind of a person suffering from anorexia. The Carpenter home life (with mom and dad) was extremely sheltered, and neither Rich nor Karen moved out of their parent's house intil they were both in their 20's. And when they did move out, they bought a house together, somewhat unusual for a brother and sister. Now it is obvious that they loved their parents and that they loved each other, but is there more lurking beneath the surface that Coleman is not telling, or is not allowed to tell? Could the home life dynamics been a factor in Karen developing anorexia? For instance, it is insinuated that the Carpenter parents, Agnes and Harold, held Richard in such high regard that (mother Agnes) seemed almost resentful that Karen received the bulk of the adoration and love of the fans instead of Richard. Was the career of Karen an afterthought compared to that of her brother Richard? "The Karen Carpenter Story", the made for television movie, implies that one of the reasons for Karen's descent into anorexia is a desperate plea to get demonstrative love and approval from her mother, who seems to favor Richard as her favorite child. Coleman could have shed more light into the family dynamics of the Carpenters, but unfortunately does not. As this is an authorized biography, perhaps Coleman was prevented from revealing more details in this area to protect the feelings of the Carpenter parents.

While much detail is given in regards to Karen's battle with anorexia, the enormous number of laxatives she took, her dieting tricks, etc., there is not enough space given to the possible reasons for Karen's disease. Obviously, Karen suffered from a severe mental disorder, yet, no causative factors are spelled out. Perhaps the answer to this is that anorexia and bulemia are still misunderstood mental illnesses, and at the time of the writing of this book, even less was known. How enlightening it would have been to have had Karen's psychologist/therapist from New York, share with the readership his insights into Karen's illness.

Another area in which more detail is needed is in Karen's marriage to Tom Burris. There are no interviews with Mr. Burris in the book, in fact, I have never seen any interviews anywhere from Mr. Burris on his relationship to Karen Carpenter. If Mr. Burris was unwilling to be interviewed, then surely, the couple had friends that could have shed light on their relationship. All we are given is that the two were married, and about a year later, Tom Burris abruptly and mysteriously "gives Karen back to her parents", stating, "You can have her back". There is much to be read into his statement, but Coleman fails to bring out the details of why the marriage failed. Was it Karen's anorexia? Was it Karen's attachment to her parents (her mom and dad accompanied the newlyweds on their honeymoon)? Obviously for a marriage to fall apart in a year's time, there is something terribly wrong, yet the reader is left guessing as to what the underlying factors were. Was Burris at Karen's funeral? Again, no details are given. Did Burris remarry? Unfortunately, there are too many unanswered questions.

Karen Carpenter was and is a much beloved figure in the music industry. Her multitudes of fans absolutely idolize and love Karen for her innocence, her sweet girl-next-door personality, and of course her astouding vocal ability. Coleman fails to truly bring out the inner Karen Carpenter, the Karen Carpenter behind the sweet smile and image. This is the major failing of his book.

Fans of the Carpenters will enjoy the book for the pure nostalgia factor alone, but I believe most readers will feel that there was so much more to tell about both Richard and Karen's lives that would have helped us to understand them better. Perhaps someday there will be an unauthorized biography where the details will come out. Until then, their lives, and especially the life and death of Karen Carpenter will remain a mystery.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

This is the single best source of definitive material on Karen and Richard Carpenter's lives, but might be of interest mostly to Carpenters fans or those who love to read rock bios. The book attempts to delve deeply into their lives, what went right and what went very, very wrong.

As most fans know, the Carpenters had overbearing parents who were attempting to make Richard famous when Karen ended up (reluctantly) in the front. While fans enjoyed their sweet hits, "Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun" and many others, their lives descended into Richard's pill-popping and Karen's tragic anorexia.

As one who owns extensive printed materials on the Carpenters, including all their fan club newsletters, it is interesting to see a slight subjective emphasis in this book. Yes, some bios will laud the subjects at hand, while still telling the down side of the story, and this does that to some degree. But oddly, there is too much high stature given to Richard. Though he and Karen were close, it does seem that his control over their career put an extreme amount of pressure on her that helped contribute to her anorexia. Actually, this book has more of an insider picture on her anorexia than anything else ever published. Believe me, it was bad, and you find out just how bad here. I simply wished more information had been developed about when Karen wanted to release her solo album and the family basically talked her out of it. Also, couldn't the author had found more people to talk about the parents' behavior toward Karen and Richard? There's something more there.

Other reviewers have suggested this book is somewhat sanitized. While I don't fully agree, I do think there is a tendency to blame everything/everyone else for the decline in the Carpenters' popularity. They were stuck in a groove. Richard wouldn't change his sound and wouldn't let Karen change hers. All groups must change to stay popular. Plus, no record company is going to fully support a band whose leader is sick with they don't know what (they knew little about anorexia then) and looks like a skeleton.

It has also been said in other reviews that the book had a terrible writing style. I didn't see that. I thought it was perfectly readable. My only comment is that the book has way too much detail. The editors could have cut 75 pages at least and given it a better pace.

That said, it's a pretty decent book. True Carpenters' fans will always take a side or find a fault. But there are no other books on them that are this in-depth, and as time goes on, there probably won't be. Surely Richard won't write his life story, and if so, who cares--it was Karen everyone wanted to know about.

To outsiders, it seemed as if Karen and Richard Carpenter were living a dream. And they certainly seemed to have it all - looks, wealth, fame, fans, and an abundance of talent that has gone almost unrivalled in 30 years. Critics from the era and hard rock fans dismissed them, labelling them with phrases such as "Squeaky Clean," "Too Good To Be True," "All American," and many, many others. But appearances can be deceiving.

Richard had a drug dependency (the substances he abused were legal, by the way) which almost cost him his career and could have ended his life had he not been rehabilitated, and for 7 years Karen was in the terrible psychological grip of a then unknown disease - anorexia nervosa, a disease which ravaged her emotionally as well as physically, in an identical manner to the fashion in which cancer and AIDS ravage their victims. But despite their personal troubles and turmoil, the Carpenters music remained beautiful, enriching, and touching.

With the exclusive co-operation of Richard and Agnes Carpenter and their family and friends, entertainment writer Ray Coleman describes the Carpenters adolescence, their rise to fame, their years at the top, their legendary music, their struggles and Karen's ultimate tragedy in a way that is objective, emotional, and touching, painting a sad portrait of a beautiful woman who never realised how beautiful she was, a beloved woman who never knew how much she was loved, and a famous woman who worked in a corrupt and CORRUPTING industry but never lost her down to earth morality and values, whose greatest wish was to have a family of her own, a wish that sadly, she would never obtain. But if Karen's story achieves anything, I hope it is this - that it may save the lives of other anorexia sufferers. Surely that is what Karen herself would want.

It is now 2000, 30 years after the Carpenters debuted. Their records are still being bought, their songs listened to and admired while the artists and critics who deplored them have long been forgotten. Finally, their talents are being acknowledged - Richard is praised for being the great musician that he is, a superior producer and arranger with an unparalleled ear for quality and timelessness. And Karen's voice, that haunting, gorgeous voice, is recognised as being one of God's greatest gifts to music.

Growing up in a Christian household, The Carpenters' music were among the few secular artists we listened to. My introduction to the Carpenters was when my parents bought their 1980 Christmas album. We played it almost to death! In fact, I remember as a teenager overdubbing harmonies with my own voice using two tape recorders, just like the Carpenters did on their albums. I was about to turn 10 years old the very month Karen Carpenter died. I could hardly believe she was gone, because the memory of her beautiful voice was so powerful. I was 15 when the ABC movie on the Carpenters came out, which let me see a glimpse of the reason for the tragic end of Karen's life.

As an adult, reading Ray Coleman's book brings back fond memories of the Carpenters and their music. It also gives disturbing insight into the sadness, the anorexia, the complex relationship with their loving yet undemonstrative parents, and the overwhelming need of both Richard and Karen to be perfect yet both desiring to be human.

I hope to see a documentary video based from this book, along with updates on Richard's life today. The Carpenters will always have my respect for being true to their talent rather than trying to fit into the "image" of everyone else. I will always enjoy their music.

This is by far the best music bio I have ever read. I am 20 years old and LOVE the Carpenters' music; I own every one of their CDs, including Karen's solo CD.

I love the prose style it was written in, and you really felt as though you were with Karen and Richard as they grew up, moved to California, began recording, and the rest is history. I loved how Mr. Coleman wrote out some of the song lyrics and compared them to Karen's tragic life.

Some questions do form in the reader's mind (especially regarding her disasterous marriage) and this book really makes you think. You really feel Karen's hurt because she wanted so much what so many of us do...everlasting love and children.

Besides being THE greatest female singer that ever was, you can relate to Karen, as if she's your sister or your best friend, someone in your life that you really love and cherish. And I'm happy that Richard overcame his pill addiction and now has a happy family of his own. And he is an excellent musician, too.

A MUST HAVE for any Carpenters fan.

I honestly don't know if the reader below is mocking The Carpenters or simply criticizing them, but I feel it's an unfair and biased review, and one that makes me wonder if this person is anything BUT a Carpenters fan?

I read this book when it was first issued almost 10 years ago, and even today, the story contained within its pages has long since stuck with me. I certainly didn't detect any "kissing up" to The Carpenters, as the previous reader mentions. In fact, I found it to be a well researched, in-depth, most informative book on one of the finest female singers of the '70's, and her genius brother. From their humble childhood days in New Haven, CT, to their move to California and the fame that would ultimately take them the world stage, this is by far the definitive Carpenters biography (and sadly the only one) that has ever been written. Sure, there have been other books which speak of The Carpenters contribution to popular music, but none of them go quite as deep into detail as this one does.

Also, I don't know what the other reader means when he says that it was The Carpenters fault because their career stalled. Well, doesn't that happen to EVERY artist at one point or another? Elvis went through a slow period, Neil Diamond, John Denver... It wasn't just them that experienced a slow period. It's safe to say that every musician has released that "dud" album that was a blight on their career. It's no seceret that almost every other artist of The Carpenters genre such as Anne Murray, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, Helen Reddy, and several others experienced a setback in their record sales, although Anne Murray made a strong comeback in 1978 with the beautiful and heartfelt "You Needed Me" (a song that has yet to be equalled IMO). It was simply a reflection of the music industry in general...

The close of the 1970's saw the rise of disco and punk rock. Country Music too experienced a huge resurgence in popularity with the "urban cowboy" period. It was a time when not only music was undergoing a change, but society in general. The public's tastes were changing. I'm sure that given time, the right material, and had Karen made a full recovery, they would have come back strongly, perhaps even taking 80's music in a whole different direction. And anyone who was an "80's child" will remember how awful the clothes and music bands were back then. (And I ask you, where are most of these bands today)?

There is one thing I agree with, and that's the fact that almost 22 years after Karen's passing, we're still not being told the entire story, and likely never will. There are lots of questions that remain, but we have to remember that those are questions that only Karen herself can answer, and unfortunately she is no longer with us to do so. I only wish someone could have helped this dear woman, and I also find it hard to believe that nobody had a clue of what was going on until it was almost too late. Richard too battled drug addiction. It all started innocently enough with a simple desire (and need) to get to sleep. That was just one more pressure of "life on the road". The endless gamut of one-night stands and sold-out tours all over the world simply took its toll. Unfortunately, he became addicted to a sleeping drug and had to enter a treatment facility in 1979. He fully recovered and is happily married to a beautiful wife with 5 kids.

The year was 1981 when Karen finally admitted to having a problem, and entered treatment in New York with famed psychotherapist Steven Levenkron. She was there for nearly a year before deciding to return home to California, having pronounced herself cured. Many of her friends and family however, were concerned that all was far from well with Karen, and sadly, they were right. We all know what happened next, so I won't go into details, but what I can tell you is that her anorexia was FAR worse than what most people think. (her weight hit a low of 77 lbs at one point)... It's a sad, sad ending to such a beautiful woman with an even more beautiful voice.

I simply don't understand what the previous reader means when he said the author was "buttering up" to The Carpenters. Mr. Coleman was merely repeating what many people stated to him. He travelled from East to West, coast to coast, interviewing over 100 people in the process. I certainly didn't detect any favoritism at all. I simply found that the author wanted to give us a sincere, detailed story on who I (and many others) consider to be one of the finest female vocalists of her generation. It's also a sad reminder of what we ALL lost on the morning of February 4th, 1983...

In closing, I would like to quote the author's simple, yet heartfelt tribute:

"For Those Who Cherish Beautiful Music, And To The Memory Of An Irreplaceable Voice"

Amen!

The Carpenters music is timeless. 100 years fom now, their songs will be just as beautiful, just as jubilant, just as fresh as when the world was first introduced to their sound nearly 35 years ago. If The Carpenters weren't particularly "hip" during their heyday, time has only reinforced that good love songs--and a timeless voice--never go out of style. I highly recommend this bio to anyone, and feel free to add your comments. I'm sure you won't be disappointed, and I found this to be a very heartwarming book, and a beautiful tribute to a lady who is still dearly missed all these years later. If only these "Britney Spears" of today could hear what a TRUE singer should sound like, our radio and airwaves (and our kids) would be FAR better off. Rest in peace Karen Anne Carpenter. Thank-you for sharing your music-and life-with us.

Yes, this book is missing some of the more intimate and probably painful details of Karen's life. Regardless, it's still an excellent read and it does shed light on certain issues which Carpenters fans never knew about back in the 70's.

The late Ray Coleman gives us a glimpse into the personal lives of Karen and Richard. While it leaves many questions unanswered, they are questions that only Karen herself could answer. Besides giving the reader a peek into the mind of an anorexic, it also demonstrates how the pressures of fame, fortune and perfectionism contributed not only to Karen's illness, but to Richard's addiction as well. Karen was and still is the finest female singer of all time, her vocals were always clear, perfect and heart-wrenching, a legacy that remains of a woman who had so much talent and fame, yet yearned for love and family. If you loved Karen's voice, The tears WILL fall when you read this book.

Mr. Koenig is a sharp and perceptive man...and he is correct...the true story of the Carpenters has yet to be written or told...but I know it...I know who and what the real, inner Karen was...I know why she developed her eating disorders...I know why Tom Burris demanded a divorce...I know what they argued about on the night he demanded a divorce...I know how Karen felt about her family (she told me)..why not have Richard and I take lie detector tests?...I know because in 1969, Karen and I had a relationship very few knew about, a very close relationship emotionally which we both planned to esult in marriage one day...I can tell you that Karen did have at least one man in her life who loved her with all of his heart and soul...one day, her mother forcibly ended our relationship against our wishes, and I was threatened and traumatized by it...Richard tells people he has never heard of me...he knows who I am...we met in person in 1969 in the kitchen of a man named Julie Rifkind...there are Carpenter family secrets which Richard has protected well...one day I hope all of you will find out what the truth is...I am told that the hospital's main lawyer found out PLENTY which he threatened to go public with...somehow Mr.Koenig has hit the nail on the head...read and believe his review.,,I know for a fact that he is correct...except for Karen, the Carpenter family shunned me in 1969 and they do again now in 2005...Karen was a wonderful, compassionate,and caring person inside...the outer Karen was an act...her last words to me were "I am afraid that they will try to hurt you...I just can't take the risk of them hurting you."...yes, Mr. Koenig, the true Carpenter story has yet to be told...and anyone who does, will immediately be facing a lawsuit...that's "the Carpenter way."

Like all the other reviewers of this book I am a long time fan of the Carpenters.

I bought this book in 1994 when it was first published and was pleased to be able to read about the history of Richard and Karen and to get an insight into their lives. I learned a lot about them both.

Looking back, and having read some of the other reviews here I can only speculate that yes a lot of things will have been kept out of the book. Richard Carpenter is a very private man, and I suspect that he will have been involved in deciding what would be included in the book and what he wished to keep private. Why should he bare every single detail of his family's business for worldwide consumption? Would you or I do the same?

The Carpenters' story is a cautionary tale: Be careful what you wish for. Karen and Richard craved success but success ultimately killed Karen Carpenter didn't it?

There will be certain things which will stay in the Carpenter family forever and we must accept this. There are no conspiracy theories here. Richard worshipped his sister, yes they came from an extremely close family and were incredibly protective of each other. Karen's demise came at a time when anorexia was virtually unheard of. If this was happening now things would be different.

Let's not get too excited about whether Richard smoked, or how many times Karen had sex Mr Koenig. Do we really need to know? This is a very informative book which is very revealing in lots of areas.

God bless you Karen. Thank you for your beautiful legacy. And thank you Richard for your artistry.