Customer Reviews

Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye

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Despite the involving history of its freakishly dualistic and tragic subject, author Turner misses the mark here. After catchingx a couple of filmed performances from late in Gaye's career on cable - a thrilling rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a Lakers Game and an incandescent in-concert performance of "Sexual Healing", I realized how completely the author fails to convey the Gaye's mastery of his art . Both of these performances came after an extended period of slumping sales and inactivity and marked a final, ultimately failed attempt at a rally. Yet these brilliant appearances get scant mention in the book. As does Marvin's breakthrough appearance in the T.A.M.I. Show lineup. Often quotes by family and associates are riddled with Britishisms (the author is English) that are incongruously sprinkled into the speech of these urban African Americans. I believe that when biography writers take broad liberties in paraphrasing the words of those he interviews, it calls into question the overall accuracy of their work. (Couldn't the guy have used a tape recorder?) The book is riddled with minor errors of fact. For example, Turner refers to a town as being in "Upper California" and he often gets the names of venues wrong. I plan to read David Ritz's biography in the hope that he has done a better job in recounting this tragic soul man's life and work.

To the outside observer, Marvin Gaye had it all. Millions of adoring fans around the world, a seemingly endless money supply, a loving family, and the presence of mind to deprive himself of no desire no matter how sexually deviant or socially inappropriate.

Many people would jump at the chance to trade places with Marvin Gaye during the height of his career. As fans we tend to fixate on the accomplishments of those we admire while overlooking any shortcomings they may possess until we've created the image of a perfect icon who probably never existed. These perceptions changes of course, as his fans watched his glamerous world come crashing down. In retrospect, what we are left with are countless questions and an incredible string of shocking circumstances that the music world has never recovered from.

"Trouble Man" gives readers the joy of actually knowing not only the history of Marvin Gaye but an astounding vision into the type of person he was, the lives he touched, and the inner demons that haunted him until the day he died.

The author brings us back to the upbringing of Marvin's father and his father's role in the church as a minister. The issue of religion was key in young Marvin's struggle between gospel and secular music. That battle with his family and his conscience would be the first of many struggles that ultimately defined the man we knew as Marvin Gaye.

"Trouble Man" is easily the best biography I have read to date. Readers will be taken along on a life full of so much change and up's and downs that I was left awestruck

The significance of perhaps one phrase of the book sums up Marvin Gaye's inner life - and that was that his father didn't want him. And thank God he went on to try and heal those wounds through his music. He was a such a wonderful musician, with such a troubled soul - which seems to be commonplace for many of our very gifted artists. It sometimes takes the complexities of inner conflict to product an alternative inner universe to escape to; a universe of unconditional love and affection - which is what Marvin sought his entire life.

The connnections between Marvin and his father, were unmistakable. From the Hindu point of view, it would have seemed that they were karmically entwined in a life/death struggle for recognition and acceptance, and that only one would win out in the end. Unfortunately, Marvin SR.'s own feelings about himself were projected onto his son, and given Marvin was so empathic, he accepted the load. My feelings about the end of his life were more than perhaps Marvin, Jr. wanting to egg on his dad to kill him. He was also releasing a lifetime of rage and frustration at his father; eventually that kind of toxic emotional backup will surface. I'm surprised it didn't surface years before.

His own demons were engrained from birth; in spite of them, he went on to make a solid contribution to the world of music. This book is extremely well researched; I would have liked to have had more information on Marvin himself; the book focused a lot on the musical connections he had. At any rate, its a book worth reading; and is a testimonial to the benefits, perhaps, good therapy might have had for Marvin, had he chosen that route. Marvin might have conquered his demons if he realized that his father's opinion really didn't make one difference to his creative soul's expression.

Most books on musicians consist of a series of songwriting sessions, recordings and tours but Trouble Man really has a story to tell. If you like Marvin Gaye's music it's a treasure rove of new information but even if you've never bought a Marvin gaye record you'll still be entertained by this drama of love, sex, jealousy, drugs, paranoia and revenge. The research is tip-top and the style is easy to read. Great photo section too with previously unseen shots of Marvin's bedroom after the shooting.

I have studied extensivly the life and music of one of histories most fascinating and interesting artists. I have already read Divided Soul five times over, and Trouble Man uncovers some of the mysteries of Marvin's Life. Trouble Man picks up where Divided Soul leaves off. One of the most interesting facts about Marvin, is that he is the Biological Father of his and Anna Gordy Gaye's adopted son Marvin Jr. Until this book was published, that was a bit of information that few in the musical circles that I run in, knew about. Also the relationships that Marvin kept open with his former wives is informative. In my opinion, the man was a very talented, shy, introverted person, who just happened to also be a star. Women loved him in part because of his sensitivity, and the fact that Marvin acknowledged that he possesed a soft side. Marvin was prophetic, loving, and was years way ahead of his time. It is also reiterated in this book that there was no type of romantic relationship between Marvin, and Tammi Terrell. For anyone who believes that, listen to the end of the song "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" whereby Tammi sings, "Oh Marvin!" If you are a true Marvin fan, you will not be able to put this book down until you are finished reading it!

As a fellow author on soul music and as something of a historian on Motown and its artists, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Marvin Gaye. Mr. Turner's book quickly proved me wrong. Trouble Man turned out to be a difinitive look at one of the most talented, and obviously one of the most troubled artists in the history of modern popular music. Drawing on exhaustive research (particularly about Gaye's father) and utilizing first hand interviews (most notably with Gaye's second wife, Jan), Turner crafts a tome that has you coming away from the book with a clearer understanding of what made Marvin tick. Although not quite as in-depth as Divided Soul, Trouble Man moves quickly, and is entertaining without being scandalous. This is a must-read for all Marvin Gaye fans.

Quick, what's *the* go-to narrative frame when writing about Marvin Gaye? Right, his "divided soul," torn between the fanatical Christianity of his youth and the wanton promiscuity of his career. "Trouble Man" features a few interviews with drug-addled hangers-on, but offers almost nothing beyond this tried-and-true theme.

As with most rock bios, the trouble is with the reporting. Even though he is the subject, the text contains very few quotes actually attributed to Gaye. At several points, the author is reduced to using summaries of Gaye's album liner notes as primary sources. It's a sad state of affairs resulting in almost no meaningful insight regarding his music.

Plenty of Gaye's jump-offs and ex-wives chime in, but where are the perspectives of other musicians? And not just drug gophers who say they cowrote his lyrics, but his peers, collaborators, and the imitators who rode his innovations to superstar success? The text is replete with quotes from the Bible, but has almost no quotes from Gaye's song lyrics.

As a result of these (and other) oversights, the reader learns nothing about his music. Most albums only warrant a cursory mention--not even a sentence, usually only a cliched phrase. Instead of using PRIMARY SOURCES to illustrate the impact of Gaye's work, "What's Going On" is painted as a series of happy accidents, with the end result being Gaye had more money to buy drugs. Despite the huge critical re-evaluation it has enjoyed, "Here, My Dear" is STILL dismissed as the divorce album. "Let's Get It On" is STILL described as a sex album, the raunchy inverse of "What's Going On." In this review, you are learning as much about Gaye's recordings as I did from "Trouble Man."

Most rock biographies are either hero-worship or expose. "Trouble Man" is neither. Gaye is portrayed as a lazy junkie. Sordid details of his downfall are hardly "expose" because we've heard them millions of times. The better rock bios (Spitz "The Beatles," White "Catch a Fire") find a middle ground--an impartiality that comes from exhaustive research. "Trouble Man" could be mercilessly edited into a good magazine feature, but it hardly has the depth and breadth to stand among the aforementioned titles.

Marvin Gaye is one of my all-time favorite Artists.he was something else.he struck a chord with me early on.the honesty&drive of his voice had so much to say&feel.this book deals with the demons&maddness he faced.Steve Turner does a fantastic job here.very essential book that captures the essence of the Man.there will never be another Marvin Gaye he was truly a one of a kind Genius of Hope,Love&Life.a must read that will keep your full attention.

This is a MUST read for any Marvin Gaye fan who wants to figure out this man's legacy. I'd admire him for how well he acheived. Even tho he's gone now he still lives on. There's nobody like him but just 1 Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye is such a Genius I inspired growing. 2 me I'm learning what he had left off from his career. To me if u love the sound of him or never even heard of him, u must pick this up. 'Cuz it'll take u on 4 journies.
This is incl. along w/ Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, Miles: An Autobiography, and Revelations: There's a Light After the Lime.

I could not put this book down. I really enjoyed reading the story of my favorite singer, who led a painful and complex life. You will not be able to put this book down!