The Torment of Buddy Rich

by John Minahan

Book Overview

Few of us will ever know the satisfaction of becoming number one in our professions; in music, the odds are astronomical. Musicologists tell us that in the ideal--or abstract--situation, an individual... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595137458
• ISBN13: 9780595137459
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An Interesting Read Although Title a Little Misleading

John Minahan has written a beautiful accounting of his experiences with the world's greatest drummer. In The Torment of Buddy Rich: A Biography, the reader is treated to a conversation of anecdotes as the author recounts his visits with Buddy. Mr. Minahan's stories are often personal in nature and revelatory! Imagine having a friend who got to spend time with BR and you're sitting across from said friend at a coffee shop while he tells you the intimate (sorry folks - non-sexual in nature) details about his time with Buddy. It is a very easy and interesting read. We get to observe Buddy back stage just before a performance, in those final moments before he explodes upon the audience with all of that energy. We are privy to some "out of the public eye" moments between BR and JC (no not the saviour dude....Johnny Carson!). It's kind of cool to hear (read) how they are with each other when they aren't in front of the cameras. We get to meet Buddy's dad and hear his stories from the vaudeville days. Buddy's sisters and brother even show up for a while and give us some stories of growing up with BR before he came to be TWGD! The book is written in such a way as to put the reader right at the breakfast table at the Playboy mansion or poolside as he and Buddy Rich sun on the hotel rooftop before an evening's performance. But don't let all this breezy light talk mislead you. It is in these relaxed settings that some of the most surprising revelations about the man get unearthed. Admiration and affection for Buddy shine through in Mr. Minahan's writing. Although the author does not allow his feelings to excuse him from asking the more difficult questions as in his conversation with Buddy's father about Buddy's childhood educational shortchange, they may have affected the extent to which such uncomfortable topics would be pursued. I suppose that such subjects were touched upon at all should be commended. The only real beef I have with this book is the title. I did not get that Buddy Rich lived a tormented life by reading this book. There is no question that being who he was carried its' own burdens in as much that being the world's best at anything has its' inherent pressures. As far as I can surmise from reading this book, Buddy Rich handled those pressures with style and grace. He seemed to understand the blessings that were bestowed upon him and his family, and enjoyed the people in his life (especially his fellow musicians) with verve. I just don't agree with the use of such words as "tormented" and "tragic" to sell more copies. Still, you will enjoy going along with the author as he meets and spends time with Buddy and his friends and family. By the time I had closed the back cover of the book, I felt I had grown in my appreciation of the man and his talents and the character those talents had fostered!

an uneven but rewarding book

If you're a Buddy fan, you will, of course, read this book. Minahan traveled and hung with Buddy during the 70's and 80's, taking notes and recording conversations with Buddy and those who were close to him during this time. It seems like a book never materialized--even after Buddy's death in the late 80's--but Minahan finally decided in 2000 to take what he had and publish it anyway. The book is uneven. It occasionally strays into areas that really have little to do with the subject--like the description of a day at Hugh Hefner's Chicago mansion (Buddy behaved with civility). Nevertheless, the intense conversations with Buddy and the highly personal interviews with Marie Rich, Stanley Kay, and others who were close to him are intriguing and emotionally moving. Minahan also avoids the gushing effusiveness toward his subject that marred Mel Torme's otherwise excellent Rich biography. The book has been criticized for its focus on Buddy's "torment," but Minahan gives more-than-adequate support for his thesis. Buddy Rich was an incredibly complex person--a tortured genius who could exhibit the crudest vitriol and then turn around and be the most sensitive, loving person imaginable. This book, in spite of its shortcomings, made me love Buddy even more. I really miss him.

"TRAPS, THE DRUM WONDER"

Terrific book about an exceptional talent! Don't know what the other reviewer is complaining about. I paid full price and don't regret it. (That's about eighteen bucks, with shipping.) If you like Buddy's kind of music, you'll appreciate the book. In addition: you get plenty of insight into the man, what for me, was an added bonus: Buddy's devotion to friends and good-hearted nature (ie: the passage with Johnny Carson, Count Bassie, et al). Granted, he wasn't always the easiest guy to get along with, but what matters most is that he had a good heart, loved music and those who had the same love and dedication for it as he did. Reading the book made me want to take the albums out and play them, etc. While I'm at it here, have wanted to express for years now how impressed I was with his daughter Cathy's version of the Sonny Bono tune entitled THE BEAT GOES ON. She does a terririfc cover of it on Buddy's Big Swing Face album recorded years ago. Cathy was only 12 and 1/2, mind you, at the time, and showed great promise in my opinion, and have wondered why she never pursued a singing career, etc.There is so much more I could say about this book, but it would take too long. You get a good glimpse into what life must have been like for Buddy and his family in this country during the 30's and 40's, etc., (through various interviews with family members), what it was like for him as a gifted kid at age 3 to be traveling the world as "Traps the Drum Wonder," all that.The only thing that bothered me (and this is a relatively minor objection, if you can even call it that) is the awful photo of Buddy Rich used for the cover, as someone else mentioned as well. I mean, couldn't they have found something more flattering? I think the legendary Buddy Rich deserves better.All in all: nice job, Mr. Minahan. Thank you.

A fascinating Life

Even though i didnt give the book 5 stars i still thought it was very informative. The only thing i didnt like was that i thought the author rambled a bit and had some stories which didnt really directly involve Buddy.I found myself kind of skipping over those passages, but by and large i would definatly recommend this book. I now am convinced that the Buddy Rich movie being made will be very interesting with loads of stories that will interest the public. Enjoy the book, i read it in one day!

If you are a Buddy Rich Fan, this is for you, AWESOME.

If you are a drummer, and you are not a huge Buddy Rich Fan, I feel sorry for you. I would suggest Mel Torme’s book and THEN this one. Good Luck!I finished this book in the first day that it was delivered, and plan on reading it a few times more. Up front I must tell you, as a fan of Buddy Rich, I am biased from the get go. I met him when I was 13, and after informing him that I was a drummer, I was treated to a giant smile and an encouraging handshake and autograph. This man was truthful, and honest, as this book well depicts.Anyone that knows anything about drums and drumming knows who Buddy Rich was Anyone that doesn’t know who Buddy Rich was is uniformed, and thus incapable of ever knowing what drums and drumming can be. I feel sorry for them, if they exist. Therefore I honestly feel that someone needs to include a test on the facts about Buddy Rich before the let you even buy a drum set. A trip to the music store should go like this, "Who was Buddy Rich?" " the world’s greatest drummer", " Ok, what kind of sticks do you want?" I am a life long fan of Buddy Rich; I am also a professional drummer. I work fulltime, 6 nights a week and I tour on average of 8 months out of a year. To put it in a nutshell, as a musician, I look to the musicians from Buddy’s era and times, because I cannot find such mastery of music in the present. This book contains information that made me close it, sit in wonderment, then dive back in as few books ever do for me. I enjoyed every part, front to back. I have tried to find the greats of our times and have found no one that comes close. This book is a Godsend to any Buddy Rich fan; anyone who is not a fan of Buddy Rich should not bother with it. I found it fascinating to read the actual conversations, stories and even more in depth truth about Buddy Rich’s life than Mel Torme’s book "Traps..". I am not allowed to give you the best examples, but Please do yourself the favor of buying this one if you consider yourself a fan in any way, you will enjoy it.Mel Torme’s book is broad and inclusive, but this book, the Torment… is much more focused on getting to know who buddy rich really was, not so much as a friend, but more of a close observer It was awesome to feel as if I where sitting at the table while Buddy talked about other musicians ect... The book also contains an interview with drummer Carl Palmer when he was 24 years old.This book contains eyewitness, first person accounts of Buddy Rich in 1974, and perhaps the most impressive detail about Rich’s childhood I have ever read about. The interview with his father brought tears to my eyes, and a new understanding of the unimaginable life Buddy led. I can’t tell you the impressive parts, if you want to know then buy the book.This book is nicely detailed, and although it’s not complete because it ends in 74, it is a hell of a lot closer to telling Rich’s story accurately than anything on the internet. The only thing bad about this book is the crappy cover; I can’t bel