Customer Reviews

Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation

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When I bought this book, they had only one in the store and it was not on the shelf yet. I believe I may have been fortunate enough to get the one they had for their own perusal. In any case, I found the book to be one of the most absorbing stories I can ever recall reading Yes, I was a real fan of Rick Nelson, especially in later years, so my opinion of the book may be prejudiced..I recall seeing him in a coffee house in Bryn Mawr, PA in 1972,I believe it was, and was saddened to see that the show of attendance was very sparce. There were no tickets to be purchased in advance, and I attended two nights in a row with no problem of getting in. It saddened me, however, I was priviledged to be in a small room while he sang with the Stone Canyon Band, and found it to be a stunning performance. The book was very easy to read text-wise, but very difficult to read content-wise. His hermit-like lifestyle after his divorce broke my heart. What a sad existance, preceding a disastrous ending to what almost was and could have been a "story-book life".

Rick Nelson knew by the age of 16 what he wanted to do with the rest of his life! He wanted to be a Rock n' Roll singer! Yes, Rick had very famous parents and did not come from 'proverty'. But Rick worked very hard to achieve and keep his success, regardless of his parents' position in the entertainment world! And he kept on working until his tragic death at age 45 in a plane crash on 12/31/85. Rick had it no better than anyone else in life, nor did he have it any worse. He had his good qualities and he had his bad qualities. After all, Rick Nelson was a human being. Somehow, I think Americans had really bought into the idea that the "Nelsons" they saw on tv every week were really the way they appeared on tv. Or did we only NEED to believe that a family could be so perfect? No person, let alone a family, could be that perfect! It was all make-believe! Somehow, the author, Joel Selvin, while reporting/writing accuratly about the human Rick Nelson, does seem to write about Rick's life in a very negative, hurting way. It's alright to write about a person's fallicies, all human beings have them, but there is never a good reason to simply tear a person apart, just to be tearing a person apart!

Singing Fats Domino's "I'M WALKIN'" as part of his parents' sit-com (OZZIE & HARRIET SHOW), it probably seemed that this was just a ratings gimmick in response to the current "fad" of rock & roll.
Although that particular performance is less than inspiring (and an insult to Fats Antoine Domino), Ricky soon found his voice and with major assistance from guitarist Jim Burton and good material from the Burnette brothers, Gene Pitney and others, Ricky (later "maturing" to just RICK) left an indelible stamp on the roots of rock & roll, and even managed a hit with a personal social comment ("GARDEN PARTY").
Along with Elvis, Little Richard, and the aforementioned Fats, Rick Nelson is a vital component of the roots of the music that turned out to be a "bit" more than just a "fad".
Put "POOR LITTLE FOOL", "NEVER BE ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU" or "HELLO MARY LOU" on your CD player (or even better, on your turntable!!) and read about Ozzie's boy.
A good solid read..

I was a fan of Rick Nelson's and though it was hard to read parts of this book, Joe Selvin provided an insight to Nelson's life.

This book by a big-city rock music newspaper critic is poorly written and filled with condescending subjectivity. Instead of just telling a story, Selvin slams people (particularly Ozzie Nelson or anything considered traditional), critiques song ("puerile" and "trite" seem to be favorites, which could describe this book as well) and interjects his own thoughts instead of just letting the facts tell the story.

Much of the material is from secondary sources and even though the author got to interview David Nelson, the brother doesn't contribute much insight. The book also glosses over a major change in personality that occurred in Ricky's teen years--he went from gregarious and outgoing to introverted and rebellious. The only explanation given is that he didn't get into a boys club at school, with no depth of detail. The Ricky Nelson of the early Ozzie and Harriet shows is not the same person who became the singing star. Why?

There are also a number of gossip stories mentioned but the writer doesn't take the time to do the research to find out if they are true.

The author makes Ozzie sound like a tyrant without providing any specific details. He says Ozzie "pulled the strings" on everything his family did, that he was "demanding, imposing," a "perfectionist" and control freak. But there are few specifics given that would actually lead the reader to believe those conclusions.

There are times when the narrative veers off course. There will be asides that describe people Ricky worked with in sessions, such as producers and backup instrumentalists. That may be of interest to a music historian, but for the average reader it slows the progress of the book and the 300 pages could be cut by a third.

It's hard to say if the author wrote this out of respect for Ricky or to make light of his status. The singer and his father are accused often of not telling the truth about things that happened in their lives. Songs are ridiculed and in the end one has to wonder why this writer picked this subject, since he doesn't seem to like him as a musical artist. A better approach would have been to quote others about Nelson's career instead of trying to tell a story while inserting jabs at the singer.

There are a couple of surprises in the book (Elvis was hooked on the Ozzie and Harriet show, memorizing episodes) but it's mostly rehash of material from elsewhere. The more you get into the book the less interesting it becomes because you tire of the author's demeaning attitude toward Ricky's musical ability and Ozzie's supposed negative influence.

Despite the remarks in the above reviews concerning Joel Selvin taking a negative position concerning some aspects of Rick's life, I find this book to be a TOTALY unbiased examination of one of the most interesting lives of our times. Mr. Selvin cuts to the chase in his effort to seek the truth and follow it where ever it may lead. I had the honor of being co-president of Rick's national fan club during the mid 70's and I knew many of the people aluded to in this book. I can say with only one exception that Joels appraisal of these people is right on the mark. Remember, the function of any biography is to show a true picture of a subject's life. Joel Selvin has accomplished this in a most artful way. His very readable biography can at times be disturbing to those who resist seeing this most talented rock star as he was. Joel Selvin, I salute you!

Joel Selvin set out to destroy Rick Nelson's reputation with his book, and he succeeded. He seeks to disparage Rick as a person at every turn, and he has little praise for his body of work as a musician. Ozzie Nelson doesn't come off much better in this mean-spirited book. Ozzie is portrayed as a control freak, who wields absolute power over his sons, particularly Rick and his career as a singer. It's even suggested that Ozzie was a womaniser, cheating on Harriet with some of the attractive girls from the tv show. Rick is portrayed as incapable of standing up for himself, and unable to express himself as a songwriter, with drug addiction ruling his life. It's stated that the only reason he was constantly touring in the latter years was to "hook up" with groupies. I guess it makes a good story for those who like gossip and trash, but it's not the real Rick Nelson. For that, I recommend "The Ricky Nelson Story" by John Stafford and Ian Young. They have much more insight into Rick as an artist, and present a much more fair and balanced view of who Rick Nelson was. Gunnar and Matthew Nelson have gone on record as being against Selvin's book, and that's enough for me.

I enjoyed this book, though it told of a lot more dirt on Rick than the other Biography did. Selvin tended to sound like he was slamming the people at times, and he told the real name of the teenage hooker Rick had an affair with.

One thing that did rather offend me and make me wish he had expounded on it a bit more was the part in the end where Selvin insinuated that Rick's twin sons were lovers because they "shared the same bed" in their new apartment, which is an asinine assumption.

What possessed Selvin to write a one-sided, character assination about Rick Nelson? Was it that such writing is easy to do when the subject is no longer able to correct the facts or even to defend himself? Maybe he thought a negative shock and tell bio would sell more books. Even the very unflattering cover photo is an intro into the book's style.

Those that knew Rick personally contend that he was a shy individual who went out of his way not to hurt other's feelings or be rude even to those who'd treated him in that manner.

Selvin will never win a Pultzer prize for literature; both his writing style and author's slant are tiresome. He follows the adage that if he can't say something negative, he doesn't say anything. He doggedly drags the narrative along, page after page, not only maligning Rick but also his father, Ozzie, whom he portrays as tyrannical and controlling. Contrary to Selvin's portrayal are the many documented incidents from other sources who say that the atmosphere around Ozzie on the long running show set was anything but what Selvin claims.

Sometime after writing the book, Selvin took a LACE course, Listening and Communication Enhancement, and pubically claims it made a marked improvement on his listening ability. Perhaps he should relisten to Rick's music, of which he seems to have nothing good to say, and realize Nelson was ahead of his time in several music genres and had much more talent than Selvin credits him for and, just maybe, he'd realize what a turn off such a one-sided negative book is.

Selvin's book is a self serving, cheap shot at Nelson, his family, and even his children. If he was attempting to write a how to book on tiresome trash talk, he did that.

I once read in an interview given of the late Rick Nelson's son, where he was asked about a recent biography at that time about his father. I remember verbatim what he said, in that he recommended nobody read this the book, and was amazed at what people will do to make money. Out of respect and loyalty I didn't read it. As a few years had past, I had by accident came across this biography at the library, and curiosity overcame and I read it. In the beginning of the book I liked the little story about greek mythology, as I studied it in school. I shut the book when I read a bad word, as I don't use words, and don't hear much either. I found this biography to be rather disparaging. I think, the songs of his life captures the true essence. It's all in the listening. Over the years I have relatives and friends that have known or met members of the whole Nelson family, and had asked what were they like. The word gracious was mentioned more than once. As that word can apply to many.The Nelson family were and are exactly as they appear. After finishing the book in an hour, I discovered it was constructive, at least, in understanding why my mother and great-aunt don't play bridge. And, why his son said what he did in that article ten years ago. He inherited, at least, two things from his father: musical talent and personal integrity. Rick Nelson lived an extraordinary life, and always remained his own person and part of his life he couldn't share. He was always uncompromisingly true to his convictions.