Customer Reviews

Marvin Gaye, My Brother (Book)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found Francis "Frankie" Gaye's amateurish biography of his famous brother, of some use, but not much. Some of the anecdotes ring true. I believe that Marvin Gaye was the impulsive, sometimes unintentionally amusing person Frankie describes. That is why I have given the book a couple stars. But, Marvin Gaye was much, much more than this book suggests -- and much of the personal aspect was rather awful. I would urge anyone interested in the brilliant singer, musician and songwriter, who was also a misogynist and drug addict, to read other sources. Foremost among them would be David Ritz's biography of Marvin Gaye.

I will correct a few misconceptions a reader will get from "Marvin Gaye: My Brother." Another reviewer, A Reader, has corrected others.

*It is well-documented that Rev. Marvin Gay, Sr., was physically and emotionally abusive to his wife and children. He seldom worked and was a drinker, despite his religious zealotry. He also was a cross-dresser and there were questions about whether he was bisexual or homosexual, as ran in his family. Frankie Gaye skims over or tries to cover up these facts.

*Frankie and Marvin Gaye were not close as adults. Though Frankie was on hand for some of the later significant events in Marvin's life, he was living a separate life in Washington, D.C., and later, California, when his brother descended into drug addiction, sexual profligacy and possible insanity. Oddly, neither he nor other family members ever sought psychiatric help for Marvin Gaye.

*Marvin Gaye's impressive contributions to American music occurred in spite of, not because of, his warped family. Frankie Gaye's attempt to credit the Gay household for his brother's talent is ludicrous.

Just how dishonest was Frankie Gaye, who died before this book was published? Gaye 'erased' his first marriage and children from his life. You will find no mention of his first wife, Judy, and their two daughters in "Marvin Gaye, My Brother." Instead, he gives the reader the impression that he had never been in love until he met a Scottish woman delivering a lei to his brother in London. She became the only wife he acknowledges, Irene. I believe that such shameful behavior reveals Frankie Gaye suffered some of the same problems with interpersonal relationships as his father and brother. He is not a reliable source.

What of co-writer Frank Basten? As someone with enough distance to be objective, he could have improved the book considerably by adhering to the truth instead of helping Frankie Gaye obfuscate. His name is on the book, but he seems to have contributed little work to it.

I won't reiterate what the other reviewers have said, because they make a great point--the book is light on real information. Much of what Frankie covers is what we already knew about Marvin (drugs, women, mental woes), which leads me to think Frankie didn't know Marvin that well at all.

I was hoping to learn the hardcore, real reason Marvin Sr. shot Marvin. Frankie can only speculate, and since Marvin Sr. is gone, the world will never really have a clear understanding what happened the fateful day that shook the music world. What was appalling then--and still is now--is that Marvin Sr. didn't even get much of a slap on the wrist. The crime is given the almost-justifiable gloss of "Marvin had it coming." Like another reviewer mentions, no one in the family ever sought professional help for Marvin, and if everyone thought the man was such a loose cannon, why didn't they? It's my guess that Marvin Sr. would have blocked that attempt anyway, given that he was such an attention hound, to hear Frankie tell it. Frankie makes it clear that Marvin Sr. caused a significant amount of pain to his own family, through routine unemployment, anger-loaded outbursts, and all-around childishness. I had heard that Marvin and his sibs were abused sexually as children, but not a word of that appears in this book.

The book isn't bad, but I agree with the reviewer who noted that the co-author didn't seem to have a voice within the pages, and I believe that would have made the book much less subjective. Frankie writes as if he is sitting in front of you, just talking about his brother, so the tone and style are very loose and informal. Not a bad book, but I think there are better, more meaty biographies out there. It's my guess that Frankie left a lot of family detail out to spare those still living; maybe he felt that Marvin's very public demons were enough embarrassment.

Side note: Frankie makes mention of Ritz and claims that what information he spewed out isn't reliable and that Marvin only met him one time. I think I'll read that one next...

This book was a major disappointment and filled with half-truths and "cleaned up" versions of Marvin's Life. Yes this was written
by Frankie Gaye, brother of Marvin but his view is clouded, in an attempt to clean up embarrassing details in his family. For instance; his mother is quoted as saying her husband never loved Marvin and told her so, she also says her husband was a cross-dresser and wore her gowns, panties, and hose. Which is reiterated by Marvin. But Frankie in a couple of sentences says his father never cross-dressed and loved Marvin dearly and moves on. He claims David Ritz (author of Marvin's first Biography) only met Marvin briefly one day overseas, and that Marvin didnt open up or discuss much, but yet Ritz puts out his 1985 book filled with Marvin quotes and stories, including interviews from family and friends. Frankie also dedicates a whole chapter to Marvin's letters that were written to him while he was serving in Vietnam. Yet he was quoted as saying in the early 80's that he was so hurt that Marvin never wrote him back while he was in vietnam leaving his fellow soldiers to believe he was lying about Marvin being his brother. Marvin left Washington D.C. for Detroit and only wanted to keep in contact with his mother. But his father, brothers ,and sisters remained in her house for years and they kind of came with the territory. He deliberately kept his real family away as he started over again with the powerful Gordy family. He claimed them as the family he always wanted. Even the pictures in Frankie's book are skimpy and reprints of what we have already seen. Marvin makes very little mention of Frankie in interviews and claims Smokey and Harvey Fuqua as dear friends. Frankie means well in his book and wants to take the dark cloud from over his family's head, but the truth in the matter is Marvin's career and rocky life was not witness by Frankie firsthand. Although he knows Marvin better than we the fans know, he doesnt know him nearly as well as Motown, his women, and his dealers did.

There have been many stories written and televised about the life and tragic death of Marvin Gaye. But non comes close to the compelling story told by his brother Frankie Gaye. He was the only one with Marvin when he died and the true circumstances of his death have never been told until this book. It's well written and finally gives us a REAL look into the talented and tragic life of Marvin and his brother. To add to the tragedy, Frankie passed away before the book was published. But now thanks to his wife Irene, the story is available to us all.
I highly recommend this book and I hope it makes a great movie someday soon.

I enjoyed this book very much. It made me laugh and it also made me think about life in terms of how Marvin lived his life. His brother, Frankie, gives us an insight on Marvin not just being a troubled man but gives us specifics. Marvin being a rebel, stubborn, and provocative man, Frankie lets us know that Marvin was also a shy, loving, gentle, God fearing man. And lets not forget their sense of humor as brothers. Frankie's take on the reason for the events that stemmed from childhood leading up to Marvins death makes more sense and puts a closure of any rumor (ie: arguing over insurance money) regarding that day on April 1, 1984. Marvin got the attention, among other things, that his father never had or tried to get. His father resented and was jealous of Marvin for public attention as an entertainer as well as attention from his Mother. This book is good reading I would strongly recommed it to any Motown or Marvin Gaye fan!!!!!

I read this book, and I think that it is an honest book written by Marvin's brother, Frankie. He was someone who was close to him and knew him better than a paid writer. Most people would rather read spicey sensationlism, and juicey gossip written by someone who never really knew Marvin than to read about the not so spicey truth from one of his sibling. Most people get so used to hearing the rumors, and he-say she-say junk until the real truth seems like a rumor. In real life Marvin was a man who was talented, with numerous problems, and he was killed by his father, who also was a complicated man with problems. Sad as it was, that's probably what happened. No deep dark secrets there, his father was just a mentally ill man who killed his son in a fit of anger or rage, just as Frankie's book says. Marvin should not have never been living with his parents in the first place, since he and his father were having so many problems with one another. Marvin should have been somewhere getting his life straightened out.

I love Marvin Gaye, but I didn't like this book at all. It wasn't very informative. Only thing that I learned was that Marvin Gaye had bad feet.....2df.

Later!!!!

I've read Divided Soul twice, once when it was first published and again in the late 90's. For me, it was the definitive Marvin Gaye book, until I read Frankie Gaye's book!

Frankie Gaye's book is so compassionate and tender, so factual. After all, he was Marvin's best friend and confidante. Whatever you do, do not skip to the end. Read the entire book and when you get to the ending, you will have gone through Marvin's struggle with him, with Frankie. My only regret about this book is that I never bothered to know more about Frankie Gaye.

....and who are we to dispute it. It is true that 'Divided Soul' provides an incredible and seemingly more realistic portrait of Marvin's life. But I think it is worth reading Frankie's admittedly sanitized and sympathetic account.

A startling difference in the books: Frankie presents a very sympathetic portrait of his father, which is quite contradictory to what David Ritz tells us. Additionally, Frankie details romantic interests of Marvin's that Mr. Ritz does not even mention.

What I call the "Lou Rawls factor" is again brought up. Gosh I wish Marvin would have clocked that guy.

What is of note to me is that there are no pictures of Anna Gaye (that I can recall) in either book. This I find remarkable from a historical perspective.

Piecing together David Ritz's and Frankie's versions of Marvin's final days, it is clear to me that Marvin initiated his own death at the hands of his father, in fact committing a form of suicide. Marvin's steady deterioration due to his destructive drug addiction did him in. He could not beat it and his demons devised the plan to also take his father down with him. Apparently, when sentencing time came around, the judge agreed that Marvin was primarily to blame. Other reviewers do not seem to come to this conclusion.

As a final word, I would like to say that I believe Marvin Gaye to be the greatest R&B/Pop/Soul vocalist in the history of music. He is without a doubt the gold standard of this category. I have loved his music for over 40 years. Although he receives so many accolades for 'What's Going On' and "Let's Get it On', my personal feeling is that "MPG" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" are his two greatest achievements. In both of these records, we begin to hear the desperation coming through, the darkness taking over, with the most incredible vocal intensity I have ever heard over entire albums. I literally shake my head in disbelief every time I put these albums on.

I am hoping that one day, Marvin's whole catalog will be remastered for very high-fidelity like they have done for the Beatles.

I found the book insightful in some ways, with Frankie Gaye's stories behind the songs, Marvin Gaye's personal relationships with his wives, etc. However, at times, I felt Gaye was still holding something back, and not fully disclosing the real Marvin Gaye, warts and all.