Papa John

John Phillips, singer-songwriter most noteworthy for his quartet the Mamas and the Papas, cuts no corners in his mid-1980s autobiography PAPA JOHN. Mr. Phillips, who died in 2001, discloses information many would hide. Please note that while he tells all about others - Elvis Presley and especially Mick Jagger come across as righteous but Pete Townsend seems a jerk - the most embarrassing and personal truths the author tells regard himself. PAPA JOHN reads as though it's an unauthorized biography, yet it is an autobiography. No one or two examples of John Phillips' remarkable candor would do justice to the details he shares in PAPA JOHN. But whether it results in his enviable accomplishments or heartbreaking failures, this man drives fast and doesn't know what the brake pedal's for. PAPA JOHN's mid-80s publication proves a year or so too soon, as not long after the book came out the Beach Boys would incorporate the John Phillips tune "Kokomo" to make one of the biggest records of that decade. (By the way, Mr. Phillips wrote the melodic part of the song; someone else composed that grating, rugby chant-like chorus.) It would have made for a more satisfying conclusion, as by the 1980s the author was almost as well-known for his personal problems as for what first made him famous, his musical talent. Read PAPA JOHN.

After reading Michelle Phillips's marshmallow memoir, "California Dreamin'," I knew there must be more to the story of the Mamas and the Papas. So I sought out her ex-husband's. At more than two-and-a-half times the length, "Papa John" did not disappoint. It contained all of the sordid details that Michelle chose to omit, and then some. In fact, it was a little TMI (too much information) for my taste. John seemed to be writing this comprehensive tome with his own mortality in mind, wanting to document for posterity every detail of his life. The book covers his ancestry, his childhood and family, his escapades as a young man, his first marriage, meeting Michelle, forming the Mamas and the Papas, his subsequent career and third marriage, and his ugly descent into drug abuse. Not surprisingly, I found that the most interesting part of the story began and ended with Michelle. On the plus side, John includes interesting recollections of the Mamas and the Papas, and throws in a few shocking revelations about other celebrities as well. More importantly, he gives us a historical, inside account of one of the most vibrant and creative periods in popular culture: the beginnings of L.A.'s pop-rock music scene in the Sixties. The later chapters, which deal primarily with his (and his children's) heavy drug taking, were written in painstaking, tedious, and often disturbing detail. Perhaps putting it all down for the record was therapeutic for John, or perhaps he was attempting to discourage others from going down the same path. Either way, they were at times so repulsive that I had to skim through much of them. Given their three short years together, the Mamas and the Papas may have been a flash in the pan, but oh, what a brilliant flash they were. Their leader John Phillips was a charismatic and creative musical genius who sadly succumbed to the excesses of living large. "Papa John" is a tell-all memoir which leaves no stone unturned, no question unanswered. Except perhaps, "Why do creativity and self-destruction seem to go hand-in-hand?"

You will enjoy this if you dig unflichingly honest accounts of the dirty side of sex,drugs,rock and roll.This guy was hugely talented, extremely lucky , and a beast in terms of consumption. I read this book years ago and really enjoyed it- I love reading about the lowest depths this guys sunk to- he had a every sophisticated ingenius set-up in the pharmacy I recall. Equally exciting was the story of the origins of the Mamas and the Papas- in a sunshiney California world that will never be repeated. If pop music history is your bag, you won't want to miss this unique slice of history.

Wild account of the 60's rock scene behind closed doors. I read it 10 years ago and still think of it.