Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood [Paperback]

Eric Burdon (Author), Jeff Marshall Craig (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2002

While Eric Burdon may be best remembered for his unforgettable vocals on the Animals' platinum hit, "House of the Rising Sun," this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member has never stopped having adventures. Burdon was ripped off by unscrupulous agents, accountants, and record labels, hounded by the police, and framed for a crime he didn't commit. Yet through it all, he never became bitter. He was the first rocker to play behind the Iron Curtain. He sang with Jimi Hendrix, chased Jim Morrison out of his house with a .44, and introduced John Lee Hooker to the toughest venue Hooker ever played. Eric Burdon explains how he became the "Egg Man" in the Beatles' "I am the Walrus." With the enthusiasm and good humor of his live shows, Burdon recalls the tense reunion between John Lennon and Lennon's long-estranged father; racing motorcycles across the California desert with Steve McQueen; picketing the offices of MGM Records for nonpayment of royalties; performing in wartime Sarajevo with a symphony orchestra; getting run out of Meridian, Mississippi for promoting black music, and singing his heart out year after year. A complete discography and fifty photographs, many never before published, are included in this unforgettable memoir. "Burdon has lived like a real rocker." —The New York Times Book Review "Riveting and informative."—Los Angeles Times "These reminiscences will delight Burdon's fans ... in general."—Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If Burdon's life story accurately reflects the life of your average rock 'n' roller during the last 40 years, then readers will quickly understand exactly why many a young boy has come to his ruin by that route. Once and always the lead singer of the Animals (as well as the lead for Eric Burdon and the New Animals and Eric Burdon and War), he recounts riding the crest of the British Invasion, moving to L.A., and birthing San Francisco's psychedelic rock scene; getting drunk, laid and stoned; hanging out with the likes of Lennon, Hendrix and Morrison; and spotting Elvis. In one revealing (if not disenchanting) bit, Burdon tells the whys and hows of being the Eggman of the Beatles's song "I Am the Walrus." He also elaborates on his longstanding dismay with the recording industry eloquently captured in a low moment when he "drunkenly" tried to play a gold record he'd received ("It wasn't a chart-topping Animals album at all it was an old Connie Francis record") and gripes about getting ripped off for arrangement rights to the Animals' version of "House of the Rising Sun." This book is a celebration of tried-and-true music, but other new memoirs prove more engaging (see Gene Simmons bio, above). While this account is a primary source for the history of rock 'n' roll, readers may find this story of an overindulgent, middling rocker burdensome. Photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his first autobiography, I Used To Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now (1986. o.p.), Burdon recounted his youth and rowdy years as lead singer of British R&B-sters the Animals. Here, he presents a pastiche of anecdotes from the last 30 years, with relatively little space devoted to the band that got him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not many Sixties icons could get away with two memoirs, but Burdon has been around the block and then some, and he regales readers with plenty of new tales. Take, for instance, his bizarre stint in a German prison, his trek into Israel's Negev Desert, and a visit to the actual House of the Rising Sun (the New Orleans whorehouse that inspired the Animals' biggest hit). Also covered are both ill-fated Animal reunions and the business deals that probably cost the author millions. Those wanting a history of the Animals are better off hunting down Burdon's previous book or Sean Egan's Animal Tracks (Helter Skelter, 2001). Still, these reminiscences will delight Burdon's fans (a fine discography is also included) and followers of British Invasion rock in general. Recommended. Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560254483
• ISBN-13: 978-1560254485
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It Is What It Is - Which Ain't Enough, January 11, 2002

By 

Christian LeMu (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir (Hardcover)

Man, this is yet another haphazard music bio. Publishers of rock bios must think fans are less than intelligent. Many stories (Bob Dylan stuff, the song "The House of the Rising Sun", the tour with Carl Perkin & Jerry Lee Lewis, etc., etc.) come right out of that great video documentary, "Finally, Burdon and the Animals". Some of these tales are actually word for word, which makes you wonder how much effort went into the book itself. Other stories come right out of Burdon's first autobiography, which was little more than a drug & sex induced flashback - though I admit it was very well written, and was a better book than this new one. This new book is just a completely unfocused mix of everything. Hard to believe Burdon & Craig had an editor who knew anything about rock music. The index doesn't include many of the people and places in the book, which they apparently didn't notice. My guess is that a computer made it for them. Many famous people will find their names spelled wrong in the book (a great blind living bluesman, the keyboard "Rabbitt", a soul legend, half of a great country rock outfit, and the best sax man in the history of rock music are among the many in this unlucky group). The writing is not uniform, switching from slang to British terms to literary references to profanity - all in a matter of pages. Although I am no prude, a 60+ year old man using the F-word used more than 25 times seems a bit much. He claims, more than once, that he is not bitter, but when referring to other people, f-ing along page after page is one of the things bitter people do, isn't it? Even basic factual matters aren't handled well. Midway through the book it is stated that he gave MGM their first number 1 single with the song Spill the Wine, yet the appendix lists this song as #3, and it can't max out at both 1 and 3 - and there are dozens of things like this throughout the book. The book also confuses time frames. Going from Hendrix already being dead, back to when he was alive, til when he is dead, again, without ever accounting for what is going on. The book is over 325 pages long, but this is due to the outrageous layout and spacing used; I think in terms of words this book is shorter than the first autobiography. The text is practically double-spaced. What really adds to the length is the insane number of paragraph breaks. Many, many chapters have dozens of one-sentence paragraphs for no literary or grammatical reason (did a computer do this too?). Big fat books cost more than not so fat ones, so maybe there is a reason for this? Even the text itself is weirdly chosen. For instance, he is over 60 years old and has done more than most people ever dream of, yet he devotes one full chapter of this short book to what is just 5 days of his life in the Israeli desert doing nothing much worth remembering? Why bother telling this story? I think the biggest problem could be summarized like this: the 2nd to last line in the book is perfect, and it should have been the first line ("My first true love: singing"). If this is true, tell us about that instead of goofy theories about masturbation, Hendrix, explosives, the Animals manager, Eggmen, Yakuza, Morrison, and this other stuff. Thunder's Mouth needs a decent editor, someone to make sure Burdon & Craig started here, instead of avoided this for 300+ pages! After all, this is not what got in him the rock hall of fame, and that is why people read a book by him.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's His Life, December 14, 2001

By 

"donnelly117" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir (Hardcover)

Depending on what you expect from Eric Burdon this book will either grab you or repel you. The previous reviews hit the nail on the head when they said the book lacks info on Eric's recordings and creative process, focusing instead on a mix of impressionistic storytelling about his life and times in the rock and roll wilderness. That said, this tome is a quantam leap from his first bio, I USED TO BE AN ANIMAL BUT I'M ALRIGHT NOW, which was dogged by clumsy prose and way too many sex and drug dazed anecdotes. Here, Eric has the sense to hand his story to ghost writer J. Marshall (Jeff) Craig, though the voice---alternately obnoxious, gauche, witty, bittersweet and generous---never ceases to be Burdon's. There's plenty of dirt here, especially with regard to Alan Price, whom Burdon blames for hoarding the royalties from "House of the Rising Sun," but it's not all spite. He becomes nearly giddy when talking about John Lee Hooker or Jimmy Witherspoon. There are some gripping anectdotes about the shallow, backstabbing and even dangerous nature of the music biz (like the gold record alluded to by other reviewers). Best among these are the chapters on War, his battles with MGM and a scrape with the Yakuza during the final New Animals tour in 1968. I also liked the chapter on his friendship with Steve McQueen. On the downside, Burdon still yammers on way too long and way too obsessively about Jimi Hendrix. (Jimi was awesome, granted, but it's been 31 years now E.B. - get over it.) There are a few decent pictures scattered about too, but the drug and sexcapades still take up way too many pages that should have been devoted to his music. Plus, like Graham Chapman's LIAR'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, this is a tome written by a man who admittedly spent much of his life frying his brain with acid and alcohol. Do you really trust his memory? But please don't think I'm sneering. At the very least this is a highly entertaining book and a must-have for Burdon-ites. For a more balanced appraisal of the man, however, I suggest Animal fans also purchase Sean Egan's excellent ANIMAL TRACKS, which includes commentary from John Steel (who says Eric's stories should "be taken with a grain of salt"), Hilton Valentine, Dave Rowberry, Vic Briggs, John Weider and Zoot Money as well as the Eggman himself.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The rest of this Animals life, November 13, 2001

By 

Mirella Umonzar (Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir (Hardcover)

Eric Burdon has written a second autobiography. The first was published more than 15 years ago. This new one covers part of the first book, and his life right up to this past summer. He has many crazy stories to tell about his life on tour, and between record albums. As you might guess, he has stories of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. He also has stories of his managers, and politics in general. Often, these are the better stories. One type of story he doesnt tell is about his own songwriting, and the book really should have covered that - unless he plans a 3rd volume someday. The book is not as reflective as the first autobiography, but might be more blunt. It is a must read for diehard Animals fans, but casual fans might wonder why more was not said about making music. He is a decent writer, but he is a much better singer. I give the book 3 stars instead of 5 because I was interested in Eric the singer, and he is not given much attention in this book. But, if you are a fan of this man, you would regret not reading the book.