The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man

Truth be told- I read the book in one night and wasn't jumping up and down screaming I love it- not wanting the book to end. However...I must acknowledge the generosity of spirit and the wanton creativity of this one of a king minstrel- taking the romance of the Celtic poetic tradition and wrapping it together with guitar and the bohemian attitude and the adorable impishness - what a great gimmick ! This "package" was so unique, and so powerful that indeed there was not another pop artist that was not influenced by what was happening.We tend to think of the young musicians of that time as without guile but not so - but they were just the first on the path of great hysteria and riches that had heretofore not been experienced by vocal artists. The arrogance of that entire generation was overwhelming- (see the Dylan documentary Don't Look Back ) That being said - hello readers , wake up and smell the coffee. in reading between the lines I think that what happened to Donovan was the very common crash and burn syndrome of the late 60's- starting with swinging London through the summer of Love and then the riots and the carnage and poof along comes 1970 and everyone needs a nap. Don't forget that the generation in this echelon did hard core drugs much of the time - not like it was one time event- and you can see the demise right before your eyes- and how it affected lifestyle choices and sanity.I am just amazed- really awed, by the volume of work that this kid produced in such a short amount of time .He was an ORIGINAL- and this is what makes a show business legend .I thank him for writing the book and giving us some background on this artists experiences and innovations- straight from the horses mouth; as well as "insider" scoops on the "happenings"of the time- Of course we have all read about the marahishi trip- but never Donovan's point of view...As well, the innovations that are casually put into place - things that would never happen today because of the rules and regs and uptightness- for instance- Donovan is putting on a show at royal Albert hall and decides to play with lighting and put a sitar on stage , this is 1967- decisions that were made off the cuff in a weekend- in today's world of corporate sponsored music that decision and execution would probably require several dozen committees. My hope is that this book will be enjoyed by not only the Donovan fans but also the kids born on the sixties, seventies and eighties that havent had the pleasure of experiencing Flower power firsthand. Chapter titles like candy :Rebel,Vagabond,Windcatcher,,Songmaker,Love,love,Love,Fairytale,SunshineSupergirl,magician,Busted,Electric banana, Jenifer Juniper,Yogi, Atlantis, Voyage, Freaky,Madness, Return.

Thank you, Donovan, for writing this book. Thank you for your honesty. I was impressed by your writing skills. It flowed, and easily held my interest. I can imagine that there are plenty of songwriters who couldn't make the transition to a book. I enjoyed learning about your post WWII scrabbling around the bombed-out sections of Glasgow. I never knew you were a victim of polio. Now I know so much more about what was going on in the 60s. The stardom pressure that undid Brian Jones. The drugs, and then the transition to a natural high through meditation. Now I know the person who was behind the lyric of "I made my mind up you're going to be mine...when you've made your mind up forever to be mine" Sure, you believed in yourself to an extent bordering on obnoxiousness, but as you said, an artist has to, or no one else will. I was a bit upset with you fathering not one but two children with another, while your true love was never entirely out of mind. But, have to give you credit for your public honesty. Donovan created his own style, bringing in jazz, celtic and classical elements to the folk/rock idiom. He was a creative force among singer/songwriters of his day. He was a voice of peace in times of war, needed now more than ever. I learned what was behind the voice coming through the LPs I played in my teenage bedroom, and was enriched by the book.

Geez, people, what is this? I suppose if you didn't live through the sixties and follow this guy's career maybe you would think he was making stuff up. He wasn't, ok? First, the issue of being a guitar virtuoso. Any human being that can play the acoustic guitar like donovan after only playing for two or three years is a virtuoso, ok? He was playing at a level it usually takes ten years to reach. Even the great doc watson said it takes five years on guitar to begin to kind of "come into your own." Donovan was already donovan after only two or three. (This equals the development of a couple of other astounding musicians from the sixties I can think of, a guy named McCartney and that other guy, eric what's his name, the one with Cream. Oh, yeah, Clapton). Maybe since donovan stuck with acoustic and went the singer-songwriter route non-musicians who don't know his time-line don't get it. Now, as to his being hugely more influential than given credit for being. I really think that's true. I was nuts about his music way back and remember the first time I heard that great song by the kinks "Lola" (we drank champaigne that tasted just like cherry cola, la, la, la, la Lola). The first time I ever heard that I thought IT WAS DONOVAN. I mean, the style, the voice, the mood, the playfulness, it all sounded just like him. He really was one of the great under-rateds. There were lots of great songs back then that bore his unmistakable influence. Why? Other musicians knew what a buzz he was and couldn't keep from taking notice is why. To the point, I read Sir Paul's book and he mentioned him several times. Lennon and McCartney both really liked him and respected his music and talent. So what if he toots his own horn. He's been consistently short-sheeted most of his career. Most of his fan base is aged or dead and I really don't fault him for it. I mean, big deal. Compared to the decades of enjoyment and inspiration he's put out who cares? I say more power to him. P.S. Anybody who can write a song like Isle of Islay is qualified to be considered a musical genius in my book.

I would advise that you read this book for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I've been a Donovan fan for the past 37 years, and , what he says in this book is true. When you listen to his entire catalog of material and you consider when he began and how revolutionary his music was for the times, you begin to really appreciate his part in rock history. He was the first major Western rock artist to meld instruments and styles from around the world. What he brings to rock music musically is as important as what Dylan brought to it lyrically. Each album is different, and the non-hits are often of a higher quality than the hits. And, while it is true that the book is filled with his accomplishments and his associations with the icons of the 60's music scene, it's all true. And, as an earlier reviewer points out, isn't that the point of an auto-biography? Give the book a try, and, while your at it, give his music a try. If you get Donovan, then you really get him, and there's no one else quite like him. If you don't get him, it's your loss.

I love Donovan and his music and this book as well for the most part, but I find myself a little less enamored with all the self-aggrandizing which permeates much of the book. Interspersed with the gently flowing prose and poetry of his writing and the wonderful anecdotes are pegs of a ladder in which he continuously climbs up high and shouts out his own accolades (he was the first person to feature electric violin, he started 'world music', he influenced Warhol's banana art on the Velvet Underground album via 'Mellow Yellow', he taught Lennon his plucking style, he, he, he.). Which I suppose is the purpose of an autobiography but coming from such a 'mystical soul' I find it a bit perplexing and contradictory and disappointing(This coming from a grown man who opened a Christmas present [which is the book being reviewed] two weeks early.). That said, it doesn't take away anything from what he accomplished or the book itself, it merely shows him being human like the rest of us. It is a quick breezy read that gives much more than it takes and never bogs down in muddy or unnecessary detail. ****3/4