Myself When I Am Real

[jostber]

This seems like an interesting book:

http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/books/mingussantoro.htm

Anyone read this one on the Angry Man of Jazz?

Edited August 24, 2008 by jostber

[JSngry]

imo - "highly stylized" writing (and make of that what you will ) but still a good source of information, and in it's own "peculiar" way, flayva.

Look for a used copy, I say.

[marcello]

What Jim said.

The style of writting can be slightly annoying.

I just finished reading it again.

[bertrand]

It's awful. Stay away from this dreck.

[Chuck Nessa]

I know when working on the early Mingus set for Uptown we found tons of info not touched by the book.

[Christiern]

I agree with Bertrand. I got about a third way through it, skimmed through the rest, and gave it to a friend with a warning. He never got through it, either, but decided to spare anyone else the pain.

[JSngry]

Sorry, gentlemen, but annoying as the writing is, I found myself learning details about Mingus' life (especially his later life) that I had then not yet known (and I've always tried to learn/read/hear/etc as much about Mingus as possible). Of course there will always be more to uncover, & nobody will claim (and nobody claimed then, iirc) that this book was an exhaustive biography, but I don't recall there being any dispute as to the veracity of what was included in this book. I still maintain that unless you're a hardcore, front-line Mingus scholar and/or family member that there are things to be learned from this book if the writing style doesn't totally repel you.

I still say that finding a used copy cheap (or checking a copy out from a library) is the best way to experience this one. Unless, of course, style is deemed to trump substance. In which case, by all means, feel the zeitgeist & ignore the information.

[jazzbo]

I feel the way Jim does about this book. Sure wouldn't want it to be the ONLY Mingus bio ever available, but I learned from it and I had fun reading it.

[B. Clugston]

I seem to recall the book was riddled with errors, such as a confident description of Mingus at Monterey which had so many errors about personnel and such that it made me wonder if the author had ever heard the album.

[relyles]

Is there a Mingus bio that the assembled masses here finds acceptable?

[WorldB3]

Is there a Mingus bio that the assembled masses here finds acceptable?

The only other Bio on Mingus is the one by Brian Priestly titled "Mingus: A Critical Biography".

Its a pretty good resource with some good theory breakdown, quotes and antidotes. The discography is extremely thorough, however the writing is awkward/dry at times and the book is short at 230 pages.

Worth checking out but I think the definitive bio on the man is still waiting to be written.

[Jazzmoose]

In which case, by all means, feel the zeitgeist...

Personally, I enjoyed the book. To a point. Come to think of it, I never finished it, so maybe this isn't a positive review...

[Bluesnik]

i think i have a different (auto)biography about Mingus. i still haven't read it, but i think it's good. i'd have to look it up, but it has the word underdog in the title. so much i remember.

[Niko]

i think i have a different (auto)biography about Mingus. i still haven't read it, but i think it's good. i'd have to look it up, but it has the word underdog in the title. so much i remember.

it's years ago that i read it... gave it to a friend two weeks ago and what he said matched very well my own memories: it's mainly about sex and (with few exceptions) it ends somewhere in the early fifties... it's a good book but there's room left for other mingus biographies...

[JPF]

i think i have a different (auto)biography about Mingus. i still haven't read it, but i think it's good. i'd have to look it up, but it has the word underdog in the title. so much i remember.

it's years ago that i read it... gave it to a friend two weeks ago and what he said matched very well my own memories: it's mainly about sex and (with few exceptions) it ends somewhere in the early fifties... it's a good book but there's room left for other mingus biographies...

Let's just say this one should be filed under "Fiction" in the library.

[Niko]

i think i have a different (auto)biography about Mingus. i still haven't read it, but i think it's good. i'd have to look it up, but it has the word underdog in the title. so much i remember.

it's years ago that i read it... gave it to a friend two weeks ago and what he said matched very well my own memories: it's mainly about sex and (with few exceptions) it ends somewhere in the early fifties... it's a good book but there's room left for other mingus biographies...

Let's just say this one should be filed under "Fiction" in the library.

an interesting contrast btw is buddy collettes (slightly boring but still recommended) autobiography which for the early years roughly covers the same people at the same time... it's so much less colorful i almost felt sorry for collette...

[AllenLowe]

Beneath the Underdog was Mingus's own autobiography and a brilliant mix of fiction and non-fiction; more true than truth, if you know what I mean.

I found the Santoro book to be absolute junk - not only factual errors but some of the worst writing I have ever seen, bad grammer, incoherent sentence structure. Somewhat shocking. I have seen some other of Santoro's work which was ok, but not this one.

Edited April 30, 2009 by AllenLowe

[jostber]

Pretty cool title though.

[AllenLowe]

yes, but it's Mingus's, not Santoro's -

[7/4]

Sounds like an ECM title.

.