Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin
A performer who rivaled Sinatra, Bobby Darin rose from dire poverty to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Dogged by chronic illness, he knew that time was not on his side, and so, in a career full of dizzying twists and turns, he did it all, moving from teen idol to Vegas song-and-dance man, from hipster to folkie and back. In Roman Candle, David Evanier offers a multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, including the dark side of his celebrated marriage to America's...
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A performer who rivaled Sinatra, Bobby Darin rose from dire poverty to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Dogged by chronic illness, he knew that time was not on his side, and so, in a career full of dizzying twists and turns, he did it all, moving from teen idol to Vegas song-and-dance man, from hipster to folkie and back. In Roman Candle, David Evanier offers a multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, including the dark side of his celebrated marriage to America's sweetheart, Sandra Dee, and the incredible family secret that tore him apart at the end. Publishers Weekly Like Michael Starr's Bobby Darin (Forecasts, Oct. 4), Evanier's sturdy bio quickly notes how the specter of early death spurred Bobby Darin to early fame. When, at 13, Darin overheard his doctor giving him about three more years to live (rheumatic fever had weakened his heart), the teenager decided he'd better not waste any time in becoming a star. Former senior Paris Review editor Evanier (Making the Wise Guys Weep) follows Darin's career from his early days in the New York music scene through the commercial success of "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife" to his later, much-maligned attempt to be a folk singer (Frankie Avalon: "I said to him, `Bobby, what the fuck are you doing?' "). He also details Darin's attempts to launch a music publishing company (first by encouraging Wayne Newton, then an aspiring young singer, to record "Danke Schoen," a song Darin could have recorded himself) and to begin an acting career. Evanier also takes a hard look at Darin's personal relationships, particularly his troubled marriage to "America's Sweetheart," Sandra Dee. Informed by scores of interviews with Darin's friends and associates and written in no-nonsense, just-the-facts prose, Evanier's book paints a picture of a ruthlessly ambitious musician with a compelling, if not entirely sympathetic, reason for so much of his behavior. Sinatra may have had the bragging rights to "My Way," but Darin (1936-1973) lived out the lyrics. Agent, Andrew Blauner. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Introduction: Faster Than The Speed of LifeChapter One The Hidden Child 1Chapter Two A "Scrawny Thing" 6Chapter Three The Nerve of a Burglar 13Chapter Four Splish Splash 30Chapter Five The Comet Ride 54Chapter Six The Big Time 68Chapter Seven The Shtarker 100Chapter Eight The Genius 130Chapter Nine The Chameleon 141Chapter Ten A Higher Calling 151Chapter Eleven Slip-Sliding Away 169Chapter Twelve The Lost Chord 181Chapter Thirteen Whirling Dervish 192Chapter Fourteen Roman Candle 213Chapter Fifteen The Curtain Falls 230The Best of Bobby: A Selected Guide 253Acknowledgments 255
\ Caroline LeavittThis biography percolates with cool ... [Evanier has] written a book so charged with intimacy, so heartbreakingly ebullient with life, that you feel that any moment the pages are about to snap their fingers and break into song.\ — The Boston Globe\ \ \ \ \ \ David HajduDarin has been the subject of several books; most notable is this new examination of the singer's life and work by David Evanier ... Evanier's portrait, true to its title, is one of a bright talent that soared quickly and erupted in a flash of glory.\ — The Atlantic Monthly\ \ \ \ Janet MaslinMusic fans are liable to be surprised by the Bobby Darin mania sparked by Kevin Spacey's sunny new film biography. For the slightly darker look at Darin, hole up for the holidays with Roman Candle, the latest book about Darin's rollercoaster life.\ — Top Ten List of Books for Gifts" (2004), The New York Times\ \ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyLike Michael Starr's Bobby Darin (Forecasts, Oct. 4), Evanier's sturdy bio quickly notes how the specter of early death spurred Bobby Darin to early fame. When, at 13, Darin overheard his doctor giving him about three more years to live (rheumatic fever had weakened his heart), the teenager decided he'd better not waste any time in becoming a star. Former senior Paris Review editor Evanier (Making the Wise Guys Weep) follows Darin's career from his early days in the New York music scene through the commercial success of "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife" to his later, much-maligned attempt to be a folk singer (Frankie Avalon: "I said to him, `Bobby, what the fuck are you doing?' "). He also details Darin's attempts to launch a music publishing company (first by encouraging Wayne Newton, then an aspiring young singer, to record "Danke Schoen," a song Darin could have recorded himself) and to begin an acting career. Evanier also takes a hard look at Darin's personal relationships, particularly his troubled marriage to "America's Sweetheart," Sandra Dee. Informed by scores of interviews with Darin's friends and associates and written in no-nonsense, just-the-facts prose, Evanier's book paints a picture of a ruthlessly ambitious musician with a compelling, if not entirely sympathetic, reason for so much of his behavior. Sinatra may have had the bragging rights to "My Way," but Darin (1936-1973) lived out the lyrics. Agent, Andrew Blauner. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \
