Crit on new Sinatra Bio

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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...franks-wild-life/story-e6frg8n6-1225979379492

 

[Lincsong]

I don't get it.

 

[martinsantos]

The trouble about Sinatra is that folks give so much attention about his private life. Wives, mafia, et alli. OK, he probably didn't know very well about marriage and no-musicians friends like Sam Giancana - but whats the matter? He was great to find great arrangers as Billy May and Nelson Riddle, and that's enough. The world would be much more sordid without his recordings.

 

[scotrace]

I found this book to be a great, easy read. Certainly the best celebrity bio I've read; most of which are amateurishly assembled grabs for cash. At least Frank: The Voice is worth the time and well-written.

 

[Snowdrop]

I'm reading this book right now and I must admit, I'm not a fan. We all know about Sinatra's private life, we've all heard the rehashed stories about his marriage, affairs, mob associations, etc. I just find it a little annoying that this seems to distract some writers from writing about Sinatra as an artist. His private life, however people want to judge him for it, greatly influenced his career and his choices as an artist. You only need listen to the amazing 'Where Are You' album to realize that he poured his life experiences and his emotions into his music.

Having read several Sinatra biographies and also Ava Gardner's auto-biography, a couple of stories and insinuations (the Tommy Dorsey thing...just weird) in this book just don't sit right and I suspect Kaplan has used a little poetic licence here and there, which I find incredibly annoying in a biography and totally unnecessary, given Sinatra's colorful life.

I also really disliked his writing style, he uses far, far too many vulgarisms for my liking. Some paragraphs were like reading the ramblings of a frat-boy.

 

[martinsantos]

That's the trouble. When I readed Billie Holliday's "biography" I was very impressed. As after few years I was chocked discovering that so few there is true.

I suspect Kaplan has used a little poetic licence here and there, which I find incredibly annoying in a biography and totally unnecessary, given Sinatra's colorful life.
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