The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'

There are obviously a lot of people out there who love hating Frank Sinatra.Kitty Kelly writes a filthy book thousands of Sinatra-haters swoon over,and Bill Zehme writes a fabulous book for the FANS that everyone complains about.Maybe Zehme's stories aren't all true.At least HE puts in the "alledgedly." In any case-it's a beautiful book.It's an appreciation of an undeniably tremendous life and way of life,and on those grounds,it succeeds all the way.Yes,it does tend to gloss over the Mob relations and those legends of cruelty that have persisted so long.His Way glossed over the innumerable charitable acts and legends of kindness that have persisted so long.What do YOU want to believe? Even if you're one of those idiot Sinatra haters,you gotta admit this is one entertaining book.Many of the anecdotes are hilarious(Rat Pack) and the sadder ones(Ava,ect.)are seemingly truthful and well-written.I do admit,I've heard most of these stories from a different source,and often in a different and darker light than taken here,but they're still the same facts,and VERY entertaingly recounted. If you start this book prejudiced by that sad,monstrous image many of those dish-the-dirt biographies have painted of Sinatra,sure,you're gonna complain just like the rest-you want the TRUTH.What,may I ask,IS the truth?Like I said before,too many people love to hate their idols.Biographers have tried to tear down Marilyn Monroe,Elizabeth Taylor,the Kennedys,Rock Hudson,James Dean,Ava Gardner,Cary Grant,Joan Crawford,Judy Garland,Betty Davis, and are probably working on inventing a juicy scandal for Jimmy Stewart,but Frank Sinatra has been these rats' favorite target since he socked Lee Mortimer in 1947.There were not two Sinatras.You can either believe the scandal sheets and gossippy headlines that made the authors a ton of money and made Frank Sinatra the Monster that sells papers,or,you can belive this.A human,funny,admiring portrait of a VERY human man.The Frank Sinatra here is not the vicious loser described so cruelly by Kitty Kelly,but he's not an angel either.He's a person, who's supreme talent and famous controversy made a Legend.A generous,thoughtful,intelligent individual,who undoubtedly made more than his share of mistakes,but more than made up for them.Bill Zehme's miraculous book may not tell the WHOLE story,but it comes closer than anything I've ever read.I guess no one ever knew or will know exactly WHO Sinatra was.I suppose the only chance of that died when Sinatra did.But the world has its pick of possible Sinatras.And this is the best one of them all.A truly magnificent book.

Zehme's book is a delight, a welcome change from the biotrash (Kitty Kelley) and a nice complement to the detailed music analyses (Will Friedwald and Charles Granata). For those of us who never met the man, you close the book feeling like you knew him. For those of us who live our lives by his music, it offers a great perspective on the man behind the songs. Even if the author writes for Esquire, this is less of style manual than a collection of anecdotes telling us how the Chairman did things with class. The world dressed better in the 1950s, and Sinatra STILL looks like the classiest guy around 50 years later (check out contemporary photos of his pals for a contrast!) You'll learn how to mix drinks, what color suit to wear at night (hint: forget about brown), how to manage your untold millions and how to date starlets. Many of the excellent Phil Stern photographs have appeared elsewhere, but it is nicely illustrated book with some new (to me) photos.Recommended as a fun read and the closest we'll ever come to spending an afternoon with the man.

What a great book! I have read this twice already and didn't put it down until the wee hours of the morning. To read this is to almost be talking to Mr. Sinatra one on one. The author did a great job to give the reader the essance of Sinatra and see what made him "Tick". His views on friends, enemies and lovers is blunt, honest to the point and quite refreshing in this day of political correctness. Alot of important details about how Sinatra looked and dressed are emphasized and are quite valuable to the overall picture. The heydays of the ratpack, relationship with Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and his last love..his wife, are told with a tinge of regret and admiration, but lovingly honest as well. The man admitted his flaws but his style and personality made his admirers overlook them. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know what the late night swing life of the 1950's-early 60's were like. A fantastic read! Kudos to the author.

One of the most concise reviews of a life.....LIVED!!! From the moment HE speaks from his bedside manner, men should listen to the truth of livin' large and within the humanity of the blue eyes it's written about. Sinatra had the blemish of being human, while having the forgiveness of a society that doesn't forgive. Without giving away all the frailties of the man, the book relates the lessons learned on all His long nights. There is no percussive blow to the dialogue between the author and subject, just the relatedness between the two. God bless the martini and the way it should be served.

Bill Zehme hits one out of the park with his brilliant new book: The Prophet reviews it here... Long time readers of the Prophet's work will recall that I have praised Zehme's article about the Rat Pack that apeared in Esquire back in March, 1996 as one of the finest pieces ever written about Sinatra and company. Now he's expanded that article into a book that is simply essential reading for all Prophet posse members. He's combined the 'guide to life' genre with a biography of Sinatra, and the result is nothing short of awesome. Visually, the book is beautiful and includes a lot of never-before published pictures of Sinatra and his minions. The content of the book attempts to dissect the Chairman's own unique take on living a civilized life, and illustrates its points with a lot of quotes direct from the man's mouth. In addition, this information is supplimented with biographical information and andecdotes from Frank's posse. The result is not only a first rate blueprint for a more civilized existance, but an insightful biography of a great entertainer. The book covers it all--Frank's take on wine, whiskey, women, food, song, dress, and most importantly the essential element of personal integrity. It is that very integrity and unwavering committment to personal vision that has elevated Sinatra above so many other entertainers. Strength of his personal identity is what enabled him to grow as a man and artist, and these are the qualities that are celebrated in this book. Bill Zehme is one hell of a good writer. It would be very easy in this instance to credit the success of this book with the magnitude of the subject, but Zehme does a masterful job of weaving Frank's philosophies, biographical stories, the recollection of friends, and examples from Sinatra's work into a complex and rich tapestry that does justice to his subject's amazing life and powerful influence on popular culture. Zehme's a lot like another guy who's written about Sinatra--Pete Hammill; everything they write is very good, and with the right subject their work is damn near flawless. Of the many great quotes in the book, here's one of my favorites. Asked "What is the secret to doing good work", the Chairman responds: "Never to accept anything without question. Never ignore an inner voice that tells you something could be better, even when other people tell you it's okay." It's this commitment to excellence that made Sinatra who he is, and something that a lot of people could benefit from today. Maybe I'll send Harry Connick Jr. a copy of this for Christmas. Hard to think of anyone that needs a good dose of character, integrity and commitment to excellence more than he. At any rate, Bill Zehme's book is a majestic achievement that should not be missed.