Customer Reviews

Street Player: My Chicago Story

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I'd always hoped that someone in the faceless supergroup Chicago, would write a book. Danny Seraphine, Chicago's original- incredible drummer, finally has made this 40 year hope, a reality. What is also amazing is his storytelling ability. Describing himself as a street corner guy throughout the book, Danny has been through it all. From super highs, to nomad-unbelievable lows, it is all here. Rare pictures of Chicago too, and some great stories "behind the scenes". From Terry's shadow Lee Loughnane, to Terry's pranks of burping in Danny's face; to Walter's rubber duck; to Jim Guercio's complete hands-on control; and Jimmy Pankow's "Cheeky-Sweets"; the scheming of Jason & Bill; Robert's genius in the early years; Peter Cetera tells Danny, "I was forced out"; and Playboy bunnies @ Caribou Ranch-now there's something I never would have expected! In my humble opinion, Chicago are probably the greatest band of all-time. Just listen to Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago II and Chicago III. The music speaks for itself. So does Danny's saga. "My Chicago Story" is a great read. You won't put it down once you start reading. Upon finishing the "My Chicago Story" experience, I thought for awhile, then realized this: These guys had more music to give, accomplished maybe 20 or 25 percent of what could have been delivered. Drugs, pride, selfishness, ego, all got in the way. But lets relish what they did deliver on. Danny's story is another celebration of this joy, known as the music of Chicago. I highly recommend this book. I wish for Danny Seraphine all the best and continued success.

Rock and roll autobiographies tend to have some common threads. rough and tumble beginnings, stupid teenage years, an Aha! moment and eventual hard work and success. Danny Seraphine's book Street Player is no exception. What makes it unique is that first he is a great storyteller, secondly he has a clear point of view, and finally, there is enough internal drama within the band Chicago to move the story at a fast clip.

The book opens with his arrival at the scene of Chicago guitarist Terry Kath's accidental suicide. He spins the Chicago story out from that event. Most of the book revolves around his growing up years, and the time leading up to Terry Kath's death. He gives us a clear picture of the twisted business dealings of the group and paints himself as the band member interested in the business side. The second phase of the book, the post Kath period was a time where the band developed along a new direction with a much less horn oriented sound, more of an MOR direction. Call this the David Foster era. This era ended with Seraphine being fired by the band in 1990. His continued bitterness is evident. The last 20 years are largely summed up in little more than an epilogue.

This is an entertaining book that attempts to lay bare the soul and story of one of America's most famous, successful and beloved musical institutions. I recommend the book. Great read

If you're reading this, my guess is you already know who Danny Seraphine is and what he's done. So I'll get straight to his book.

I enjoyed "Street Player: My Chicago Story." I've liked Chicago's music since I was a kid in junior high and, being a brass player myself, I've kept up with the group over the years. Chicago's image has always been more about the logo than the band members themselves, so unlike, say, the Eagles or Lynyrd Skynyrd, the details of their hard-partying days haven't really been front n' center before. Nor have the details regarding the inevitable band politics and jealousies. Sure, fans who followed the band more closely could pick up on the signs over the years: Terry Kath's death, for example, the departure of Peter Cetera back in 1985, and Danny's own firing in 1990. But for the most part, these types of things about Chicago haven't been discussed openly in a public forum.

Danny changes that in his book. He's not vicious, but he tells it as he sees it. In so doing, a lot of the polish that Chicago has applied to their image over the years is eroded. What's left is a far more human--and far more compelling--story than that which is told, say, on the band's official website.

Danny doesn't try to whitewash his story with the "poor mes," either. He's very candid about his near-thuggish youth, his fiery temper, his child out of wedlock, his series of extramarital affairs, his drug use, his desire to seem connected to the Mob, and the loss of confidence he experienced about his drumming in the 1980s. He also tells the story of Terry Kath's death in a way that I believe is much closer to the truth than is any previous account, the newspapers included.

Those who may think that Danny takes unwarranted potshots at his former band-mates are in for a surprise: most of them come off as rather positive in his book, though their foibles (as Danny sees them) aren't spared. The portrait of Kath is particularly warm; in fact, there seems to be only one band-mate that Seraphine doesn't really care for whom he portrays in a very negative light.

Of course, Chicago's story--like almost any other band's--is a blueprint for an MTV: Behind the Music episode (Chicago was indeed featured on that show about 10 years ago): talented band struggles, hits it big, parties hard, faces lean times/tragedy, then makes a redemptive comeback with a mostly clean-n'-sober line-up. If I have a problem with the book at all, it's in the style; Danny writes in what we used to call in school the "passive voice," so in some sections, very dramatic real-life events are stylistically deflated. But that's a small complaint of mine and it probably won't bother you.

All in all, it's very nice to have a book for adults about Danny and the band. It's a quick, interesting, entertaining read, and I hope Seraphine has much success with it.

For years the circumstances surrounding the firing of Danny Seraphine, founding drummer, from the group Chicago remained shrouded in mystery. The two main reasons proffered over the years--- that Seraphine had lost his chops and had become too mired in the business affairs of the band--- rang unsatisfactory. First, the "business affairs" explanation always seemed too bloodless an explanation for the dismissal of a founding member who had been responsible for so much of the band's success. The other explanation--- that he had lost his chops--- seems less and less plausible with each passing year as more and more footage of Seraphine's final years with Chicago surfaces on Youtube, showing the legendary drummer had hardly lost a step.

But what is most sad about the actual revelation of the circumstances of Seraphine's firing is that while he is perfectly candid in outlining the events leading to his dismissal, he seems unwilling or unable to see the reasonableness of his ouster. On one fateful day, Seraphine overreacted to a roadie shoving his mother and niece out of the way of the crew, went ballistic, went backstage, and beat the roadie to a bloody pulp. Seraphine was later confronted by Jack Goudie, a longtime associate of the band (and Walt Parazaider's brother-in-law), who decked Seraphine in retaliation. Seraphine insisted on the firing of both the roadie and of Jack Goudie, the latter of whom would die of a heart attack within a year thereafter. Howard Kaufman would insist that it had nothing to do with Seraphine's playing lapses, intimating that some in the band blamed Seraphine indirectly for Goudie's death.

Seraphine argues that each of the band members had had lapses in their playing ability--- that Walt Parazaider had spent time in a mental institution; that Robert Lamm had spent time in rehab and had missed recording Chicago 16; that Jimmy Pankow and Lee Loughnane had spent considerable amounts of time in drunken stupors. When Seraphine succeeded in convincing the rest of the band reluctantly to fire Jack Goudie, Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin commented that "it looks like violence got its way today."

What Seraphine fails to acknowledge is that they have a terrific point. While all his bandmates had had lapses, Seraphine crossed a line none of the rest of them had crossed. Seraphine acknowledges some problems with his playing in later years--- the inevitable toll of aging and changing fashions in pop music--- but what he does not admit is that his lapses too, like his bandmates', might have been forgiven if he hadn't beaten anyone up. It also seems just a tad unfair to insist on the firing of Goudie for taking a swing but reserving the right to take a swing for himself. I can imagine how that might not sit well with some of his bandmates.

Seraphine's reminiscences of his "Street Player" youth, his fostering of the impression of connections to the mob, and an incident in which he attempts to pull a coked-up Robert Lamm out of a car into Chicago traffic, do little to reassure the reader that his bandmates had done the wrong thing. Count the number of times Seraphine says something to the effect of "I wish I could have decked that guy," or "I was about to hit him."

Seraphine needs to re-read his own book. His bandmates let him go because they were afraid of him. He recounts the ashen expressions of the faces of the bandmates and corporate types who were shocked to be confronted at his formal firing, assuming that it was the ashen expression of cowards who had conspired to do something gutless and hadn't reckoned on being confronted--- but never entertains the thought that perhaps the ashen expressions were due to actual fear that Seraphine intended to do them bodily harm.

I remember very clearly being puzzled by two things when I bought Twenty-1 in 1991. One, was that Danny Seraphine was gone. Two, was that Jack Goudie was memorialized. Even Terry Kath himself had never rated an album in his memory at that time. Little did anyone know how closely these two events were connected.

All in all, the book is a very gripping, well-written account and a fascinating insight into one man's denial (or, at least, vast underestimation) of his own contributions to his problems. A must-read for any serious followers of this august musical supergroup.

Wow! What a read. Very well-written and incisive. I knew about many of the little "factoids" that dotted the storied history of Chicago - a great band until about Danny was canned, no coincidence - buy Seraphine's candid, well-written and enticing book really shines some light on the entire poltical/social balance of power in Chicago during its prime years (1969-1989). I knew that Seraphine - clearly the most talented member of Chicago, along with the late Terry Kath - was chided and disrepected for taking charge of a drug-addled collection of mercenaries, especially Robert Lamm who apparently had a coke issue well beyond normal dabbling. It really sickened me to read with validation that Champlin and Scheff - both of who were suggested by Seraphine - led the movement for Danny's dismissal, even though it was during this period that I saw Chicago 3x and it was Champlin and Pankow that were dragging the band down with their under-rehearsed poor chops. It appears that Danny and Pete Cetera - the two original members no longer with the band - were really holding this band together after Terry's tragic passing. It's ironic that Danny is playing better than ever with his awesome California Transit Authority band, while sort-of-Chicago plods through as an oldies/softies act. FOR GOD'S SAKE CHICAGO DO A FAREWELL GIG AT SOLDIER FIELD WITH DANNY AND PETE AND GO OUT IN STYLE!!!!

I'd heard about this book from various sources such as Danny's band page (ctatheband.com), and through various online interviews he'd done with Positive LIstening Radio, and others. Having heard Seraphine's music for the past 29 years, I pre-ordered as soon as was feasable.
The first three pages are enough to set the tone of the entire work, and are very fast-paced, brutally honest, and above all, heartfelt. Danny details many aspects of his time with the band he Co-Founded ("Chicago Transit Authority" aka "Chicago"), which became one of the USA's top-selling bands of all time, only outranked by the Beach Boys for total units sold. Much of the details of the band's early years are woven through the story of Seraphine's own life as a kid growing up in Chicago's "Little Italy" neighborhood. Danny shares stories of his involvement with a street gang, his struggles in school and his determination and hard-won recognition as one of today's premier drummers and composers. His account of the later years he spent with Chicago is eye-opening to those who have always wanted to see the inner workings of a music-industry juggarnaut and multi-million-dallar Corperate Entity. Since his departure from "Chicago" in the early 1990's, he has produced other artists, and has recently returned to drumming with a more powerful sound, and with greater drive and determination than ever, holding it all down for "California Transit Authority" (debut release: "Full Circle"). This book chronicles the life and times of one of the drumming world's most influential souls. It is a must-read for "Chicago" listeners, Drummers (of all levels), and anyone else wishing to know his personal account of decades in the music industry as a founding father of Jazz-Rock style.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Street Player by Danny Seraphine. I am a huge fan of Chicago all the way back to their early days in the 70s. Being a fan, I could not put the book down once I started reading it. In fact, I was done reading it in 2 days. Chicago is a group that does things without a lot of fanfare and not much has been written about them. So, naturally I was drawn to this book. To me, the most fascinating part of the book was the story of how the group came into being. I loved reading how the band started with the original three: Walt Parazaider, Terry Kath, and Danny Seraphine and eventually how they formed into what became Chicago. Of course, the book is written from the viewpoint of Danny Seraphine. So, it would be interesting to have the viewpoints one day of the other band members. However, what I respected from Danny's writing is that he admits his own shortcomings and tells of situations that he felt he could have handled better. Also, he acknowledges all of his former bandmates at the end of the book. I thought that was a great gesture on his part. So, I believe he is really being honest and sincere in writing this book. The only thing I was disappointed in was that I wish he would have shared what some of the creative processes were in the studio. The first albums Chicago did were groundbreaking. So, it would have been good to have an insight into how some of those classic songs and instrumentals came into being. Again, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other Chicago fans.

Chicago never got the critical respect they deserved. In the beginning the band gave fans a heady mix of jazz, rock, r&b and elements of prog rock and still managed to write 3 minute melodic songs that went to the top of the charts. This unusual mix of musicians--some who could read music and some who like Terry Kath and Danny the band's drummer played by ear and instinct.

Danny Seraphine the band's drummer takes us behind the scenes into the formation of the band, how they developed their distinctive style and, ultimately, how he was ousted from the band. STREET PLAYER gives us a vivid portrait of Danny, his friend guitarist the late Terry Kath and Walter Parazaider and their early struggles before forming Chicago Transit Authority with the Peter Cetera, Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane as well as the other various members that moved through their ranks as members of the band either left (or died in the case of Kath).

No memoir is perfect and Seraphine's is not exception. It is very well written with a great amount of insight into his own motivation, behavior and the changes the band faced with time as they struggled to reestablish themselves on the charts after the death of Kath. The one area I would have liked to see discussed more is the band's music such as the genesis of some of their major works but since Seraphine didn't write their biggest hits early in the day his observations on those songs (many of them written by Robert Lamm although all the band members wrote material and Serphaine does give us some thoughtful observations about some of the material he wrote)is somewhat limited based on his experience with the material.

STREET PLAYER is still a marvelous examination of a pivotal band from the 70's through today (although key personnal have changed)and their development/influence on other artists at the time.

Recommended.

Chicago's story is truly fascinating, and I would recommend this book to anyone. Though, if you don't start out caring about the band, I can't see you enjoying the book. So keep that in mind.

What's so engrossing about them is that they began as a band of musicians committed to being musicians and making good music, but they became part of the bigger system (as so many bands have and do), they fell from the highest highs to rock-bottom, then climbed back on top again . . . and have now journeyed into that seemingly inescapable realm of "celebrate what we used to be" concerts.

I would give my left leg to sit with each original member--the late Terry Kath included--and hear the whole story of the band from each of their points of view. But honestly, if I had to pick ONLY one, after some thought I'd definitely go with Danny. Terry's ends too soon; Peter's solo career would shine too brightly; the remaining four original members, Robert, Walt, Jimmy, and Lee, have lost their edge (as Seraphine more or less says at one point in the book, to my complete agreement); and I doubt anyone really cares what Jason or Bill would have to say. Danny still carries that "the music is what matters" attitude with him.

So this is as much Danny's autobiography as it is the story of Chicago from Danny's point of view. And it's great. The informal writing style, which some would find an easy target for criticism, give it a casual air so it feels like you have the chance to sit down with him and listen to him talk over a couple of beers. He keeps a general, chronological progression going, but jumps around here and there to story after story after tidbit after footnote. There are familiar stories that any fan of Chicago has heard before, like the switch of the band name from Chicago Transit Authority to just Chicago, or Peter Cetera having his jaw broken at a Dodger's game brawl, or the split with producer Jimmy Guercio, all of them approached with a tone like you've never heard them before, which I appreciate. Beyond those are Danny's stories, such as his ties with famed mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, the establishment of his nightclub B.Ginnings, and being the only band member to see Kath's body at the scene of his accidental suicide. There's much more than that, though. At times I laughed out loud with Danny, times my jaw dropped in shock to some of the stories; I felt bad for him, wanted to slap him in the head for being a jerk or an idiot, and ended with a feeling that I know this one person from one of my favorite bands a lot better.

I would imagine that the people that would give this book a bad review would focus more on literature quality vs. content, or perhaps would side with the band in their decision to fire him (it's mind boggling the many "sides" there are among Chicago fans--Cetera vs. the Band; Seraphine vs. the Band; pro or anti Champlin and/or Scheff; Pinnick vs. Kath (yeah, really), etc.), but I found no fault with it. It's an interesting look at an often-overlooked musician from an incredibly influential but often-forgotten band.

I consider Chicago my all time favorite band. They had the most impact on me musically and I connected like millions of others. The early Chicago (Kath, Seraphine, Cetera) was the best.....and I play it when I want to go back in time. Although Chicago is one of the more successful American rock bands of all times......I had never read anything solid or indepth about the band. I just liked the music.

I really thought the book was a good read. It confirmed things I guessed, and opened my eyes to new parts in the Chicago story. Danny Seraphine was much more than just the drummer. He fills in the gaps of my knowledge to give me a better understanding of the group. Danny talks about the roots of their sound from its first days backing Chuck Berry and the Four Seasons in Chicago clubs through his unceremonial 1990 firing. This is the inside story of one of the most popular American bands of all time.

As I read the book, I played Chicago's box set in the background. As I came to a part in Danny's story about writing "Take me Back to Chicago" or "Little One" or "Street Player".....I would put that song on to get the full story. It was a great way to read a book.

Throughout the book Danny Seraphine is very honest and he has a comfortable writing style. It does have highs and lows, but that is what you get with an honest look at life. This book is a must for any Chicago fan and others will find "Street Player" an interesting read.