Customer Reviews

Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd

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Before I go any further, let me congratulate Mr. Bergmann on a prodigious piece of work. This book must have taken a great deal of time and effort and that fact needs recognition. Jean Shepherd was a unique individual who means different things to different people. Because of that, I wonder if the book couldn't have been better with some collaboration in the writing.

I grew up in mid-Michigan. I stumbled on Jean Shepherd quite by accident one night in 1965 while tuning around. I don't think I heard more than a dozen shows altogether because the reception was lousy. When I was at college, reception was completely non-existent. Following college, I was drafted into the Army and subsequently served a year in southeast Asia. Not only would reception be virtually impossible, but also our radios didn't tune down that far. But I came across him again with his periodic stories in Playboy. And there the relationship ended. I did see a couple episodes of Jean Shepherd's America, but nothing else. Not until one of my kids asked me to watch a movie. Of course, it was Christmas Story and as soon as the narration started, I jumped up and yelled "Its him!" The kids were not impressed. Still aren't, 10 years later.

I think this is an important point. Everybody loved the movie, but it took someone special to appreciate Shepherd on the radio. Even today, when my wife and I are going to be together in the car for a couple of hours, I'll pop in a Shepherd CD. Inside of 10 minutes she is either asleep or she wants to tell me about her sister's foot problem. No interest whatsoever in the gems being imparted to us. So my love of Shepherd is something I keep to myself and I wonder how many others find the same thing.

Mr. Bergmann's book bothered me, especially the first two-thirds. I really wondered how much of Shepherd he understood and I wonder how much of the radio world he understands. One example: on page 150 is the sentence "Or styrene, for the low, lost types." This is a terribly funny line had it been copied in its original form which should have been "Or styrene, for the low loss types" indicating the properties of an inductor used in electronic circuits, which of course has absolutely no bearing on the subject matter. Mr. Bergmann repeatedly points out that Shepherd had little or no use for those employed in other capacities at the radio station, such as the engineers, salesmen and executives. He makes this sound as if Shepherd was the only performer in the world to ever feel this way. This is dead wrong and examples can be easily found to back this point. During Shepherd's time, did Johnny Carson ever say anything respectful of the NBC executives? Listen today to the syndicated Neil Boortz Show when he refers to the `sales weenies.' And engineers many times do not understand the creative process the performer is striving for. They are more concerned with flipping switches and reading meters. This I know for a fact because I used to be one. Shepherd was hardly unique in his disdain.

Shepherd referred several times, especially in the early 60's, to having played baseball. From what I gathered, it was only minor league, but still a part of his life. I found no mention of this whatsoever in the book, fabricated history or not.

Quite a bit of print is used to describe Shepherd's dysfunctional home life. This portion did need to be told, but again the impression I came away with was that it was unique to Shepherd, which, sadly, isn't true.

Having said all of that, there are some real jewels here. Unfortunately, the spoken word does not easily translate to the written word. The written excerpts from many of Shepherd's broadcasts are difficult to read and appreciate since there is no way to easily convey his mannerisms, tone, pacing and other techniques used to get his point across.

One of the best statements from the book should have been placed on the cover and at the beginning of each chapter as a continuing reminder of the flaw in how we perceive our personal celebrities. On page 438, Larry Josephson is quoted as saying (in part) "... I was disappointed because he didn't live up to his image- but most people don't. One of my rules- and most people's rules- you don't want to meet your hero. They very rarely live up to your image of them."

Summation: if you followed Shepherd, buy and read the book. If you didn't, then don't.

"Excelsior you Fathead" left as many questions as it answered, but, then again, so did its subject - Jean Shepherd. Punctuated by Shepherd's own words, this insightful book chronicles the most innovative, and underrated, American humorist of all time. Jean Shepherd will forever be known as the creative force, and narrator, behind "A Christmas Story" - a movie that has achieved "classic" proportions. Thankfully, Mr. Bergmann does not dwell on this topic, but digs much deeper into Shepherd's less popularly known, but far more groundbreaking, pursuits - including, particularly, his nightly broadcasts on the powerful New York radio station, WOR. Bergmann weaves together Shepherd's own words with biographical highlights and first-hand accounts of those who knew him. Sprinkled in along the way are Bergmann's personal musings on the often dark, but always fascinating, enigma that characterized his subject's life. Thankfully, and to his great credit, Bergmann stops just short of making sense of it all - recognizing, wisely, as Shepherd himself did, that our world is more about contradictions and pretensions than abject certainties.

In his landmark book, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" (from which much of "A Christmas Story" was drawn), Shepherd posed a question. He wondered whether the coming-of-age, Midwestern-value-laden innocence embodied by his childhood best friend, Flick, had managed to survive in modern America. Immediately after the book's publication, graffiti artists all over New York City answered with the spray-painted declaration, "Flick Lives" - which was read by millions, but only understood by Shepherd's clued-in fans (who he often referred to as his "gang"). Now, forty years later, and six years after Shepherd's passing, Bergmann should be justifiably proud because, due his comprehensive and entertaining book, I can happily report that not only does Flick live, but so does Shep! I strongly urge you to buy a copy and join the gang of those whose lives have been forever enhanced by Jean Shepherd's genius.

At yet another point in history when radio's doom was imminent, Jean Shepherd expanded its capabilities. He was a stunning performer, not just in his skills, but in the volume of his work. A Vegas or nightclub performer does the same 50 minutes every night, sometimes for years.
He did a brand new 45 minute monologue every single night of the week for over 20 years.

This book captures the spirit and genius of his work. I listened to him regularly from 1966 until the end. I saw several of his performances especially the ones at Seton Hall. (I have a recording of that.)

Here's what the book does not emphasize, Jean was not on NPR or some obscure station. He was on the most commercial of radio stations. The most dominant station in the largest city. WOR was both "important" and credible. WOR was the station your mother and her friends listened to all day, but they didn't listen to Jean. Jean's voice came from the transister under the pillow in hundreds of thousands of suburban teenage bedrooms and college dorm rooms throughout the Northeast. The fact that he was on WOR made his riffs all the more subversive. If he had been on an obscure non-commercial station it is doubtful his work would have been as thrilling.

Interestingly, and this is a consistent impression among my friends who grew up listening to him, the movie the Christmas Story isn't nearly as entertaining as the stories he told on the radio that are the foundation of that movie. We had heard those stories many times before the movie's release and the "sets" in our imaginations were more dramatic.

There is nothing as powerful as a skilled broadcaster in front of a radio microphone. Nothing. This is a great book, get it.

Imagine doing a radio show every night and not just ANY radio show but one in which you told stories that sounded like you'd made them up on the spot. That was part of the unique charm, eccentricity and genius of Jean Shepherd, a man who was a wonderful writer as well (anyone who has ever seen A Christmas story, complete with Ralphie and his coveted BB gun, has come in contact with one of Shepherd's works).

Bergmann has really done his homework in writing this bio of Shepherd and the results make for a wonderful read and a glimpse into days when radio really had an impact on people, a time when people took the time to listen to stories on the radio, something that may be making a bit of a comeback (as evidenced by Prairie Home Companion and other shows which feature short stories and other works read aloud). Shepherd was a pioneer, however, and no one has come close to his skill and genius. This book goes a long way in explaning why while it also reveals the particular demons that tormented and drove Shepherd. Highly recommended!

This book is not a biography. It is an in depth study of the many faces of Jean Shepherd. A storyteller in the first person, it was often thought by his fans that he was telling us stories of his real childhood experiences. Shep claimed none of it was true, but we've learned that Shep was a master of disguise in this respect, cleverly weaving fact and fiction in a way so that the audience was drawn unknowingly into that same fictional world as if we were a part of it.

Gene Bergmann presents us with a perspective of Shepherd that only a true fan could. Having listened to Shepherd during his 'feckless youth' Gene has now gone back to re-listen to hundreds of the surviving recordings of Jean Shepherd's WOR radio shows, and interviewed dozens of people who were in some way associated with Shep over the years.

From his years of research he has compiled a book which begins with the "Formative Years" when Shep was just getting into the business and takes us through Shepherd's career stopping along the way to look behind the scenes at the Shepherd we never saw or heard. Gene clarifies some of the mysteries that surrounded Shep, things that many of his fans had often wondered about, and he brings to light many new things we didn't know.

Using excerpts of Shep's own words, and the interviews he did with others, Gene weaves these together with his own thoughts to present the Shep fan with a deeper understanding of the man we all listened to in our beds at night telling tales of childhood, the Army, or travels around the world.

Jean Shepherd was notorious for always talking, not just on the radio, but also away from the mike whether it was by the water cooler, a restaurant, or a party. Yet with all the talking he did there was much we never knew about him. Gene uncovers many of those enigmas that kept us shrouded in mystery over the years.

If you are a Shep fan this is a must read. If you're not, you missed a lot and need to catch up.

Back in the late 60's and early '70s, Shep was the AM Buddha who showed my wiseguy friends and me the path to enlightenment. We tried to observe, think, and tell stories like he did--something our teachers and parents weren't thrilled to see in 12-year-old kids, but it was too late. Shepherd's lessons have stayed with me for many years and I still rank them among the greatest gifts I've ever received. Almost a year after learning that a book on Shep's life was forthcoming, I finally have my copy. "Excelsior, You Fathead" is a like discovering an old attic steamer trunk crammed with family treasures. Each page brings back overpowering memories and peels away another layer of complexity from the guy I always thought of as "Ralphie". The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed the clever approach Bergmann took in weaving the three Shepherd personas into a single biography. Read "Excelsior" once to learn everything you never knew about the voice of the Night People: his family, his relationships, his pet peeves. Then read it again to fully appreciate the man's wit and genius.

I've loved reading Excelsior, You Fathead!, no question about it. There is a wealth of detail here, allowing long time fans to peer deeper into the man and the artist and I am very grateful to Mr. Bergmann for that. It is something that any Shep fan will love to read and to savor.

There is one "however", however. Mr. Bergman has an admitted bias toward the "jazz" style of the 1950s Shep (which is when he listened to Jean Shepaherd as a young man). He puts down the "shorter" programs of the 60's and 70's on more than one occasion as not being Shep's best. I must disagree strongly here with Mr. Bergman. I discovered Shep around 1970, also as a youth, and instantly caught the bug. Later, as I have collected all available recordings and have listened to them all, I think there is a more finely honed artistry in the material from about 1960 through about 1974.

It's impossible, of course to keep one's bias from showing in a work where there are real feelings of devotion in evidence. I just wish the editor had toned it down a bit. That said, if you haven't already - buy the book, you fathead!

Forget "A Christmas Story" for a moment. Even this long love letter to Jean Shepherd only covers it to the extent of two pages. This book attempts to document the body of work Mr. Shepherd produced, within its contemporary context, and relate it to the present-day descendants. At least, that's where I think the author intended to go.

What ended up happening, from what I can tell, is that there was a great deal of research done 'breadth-wise' and not enough 'depth-wise'. Mr. Shepherd had two children who he disowned, which was a bit of a shock considering his on-air persona. This alone merited an entire chapter of material, analysis, interviews, anything. It barely made it into the book, except to lightly underscore some mild point about Mr. Shepherd being a bit of an SOB. There are all these interesting inflection points throughout, but no attempt is made to root out anything other than a mere mention or two. Instead, the author chooses to use radio transcripts to either demonstrate some thinly-connected theme (Shep as a jazz talk-radio guy, Shep as an anti-corporate loner, Shep as a 'realist'). The transcripts are hit and miss on the coverage of the point being proposed as well. Yes, it's great to read some Shep transcripts, but what's the point being made here?

As a full spectral coverage of Mr. Shepherd's work, it fails to catalog along some consistent continuum all of the work, in its proper context. The author could've used a timeline structure to place all of the known media, which would have made an extremely useful supplementary guide for the book as well as a nice 'wish list' for fans. I feel as though this review could easily turn into the kind of editorial feedback the author needed *before* he submitted his final galleys.

For all the heft of this hardcover, I expected far more analysis or even a somewhat cogent thesis. Even as a comprehensive biographical reference book, it falls far short in the editing department. Still, it merited three stars because it does bring much to the table. It never really organizes it, though.

-Fred

What a disappointment. Like most poor souls who will buy this book I was a teenaged fan of Shep 40+ years ago. Shep deserves more than this hack "cut and paste" job. It's a compulation of easily available previously published material and long quotes from Shep's shows that anyone can get on the web. The author's personal opinions are totaly lacking in insight and add nothing. The author has unearthed absolutely no original information about Shep's career, marrages, Army days or education. Hopefully someone who knows how to do research using primary sources will take up Shep's life before too many of his friends (and enemies) are gone.

Jean Shepherd was the one great genuis radio has ever produced. There have been other great talents, but Jean worked in unplowed fields. Eugene Bergman has written a literate and observant literary analysis of Shep's work in the medium he mastered. Jean was a difficult person, a bad father, which is sad because we like our heroes to be without flaws-- however, as an artist he was without rival. When I was a kid I wanted to be Jean Shepherd. I still do. I make my living in radio, and not a day goes by that I don't think my best day on the air doesn't equal Jean's worst. Shep's life is nearly impossible to capture in a linear biography. He told so many versions of events it really is a work of forensics to piece it all together, however. Bergman did a wonderful job of presenting Jean's art in its proper context, including important observations about the influence of Jazz on Shep's art. (Radio is inherently a Jazz medium) As a writer who tried and failed to write a biography of Jean Shepherd I know exactly how hard this project was and applaud Eugene Bergman and thank him from the bottom of my heart.