You Call It Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon

Loved the book, loved the writing, loved the story. It should be a movie!

This book is a tremendous source of information about the entertainment industry in the first half of the 10th century. The central character is Russ Columbo, a man of incredible talent who died tragicly at the start of his ascent to stardom. The book weaves in the stories of udy Vallee, Bing Crosby, Carol Lombard and dozens of super stars from that period. Reading it inspired me to search for early films by many of these people and view them. A wonderfull experience. However, the author tends to go off in many directions and weave in epsisodes from his imagination. This makes this a hard read that takes concentration and patience.

if you enjoy: rimbaud. verlaines(p et t). ferlinghetti. woolfe. ginsberg. reed. dylan(with a z). or smith(with a p a t t i): then you are in for a major bon-bon! A few thoughts: the subject coulda been anything and i'd love it as much. his writing's a delight: a view into a mind constantly sparking. this guy has more than 1 axe. sure, i'm a child of my times and find it easy to relate to the way mr kaye perceives the universe. so what? i won't buy my 87 yr old mum a copy, never gave her Howl either. i might be wrong. my 19 yr old daughter (who finds 'a coney island of the mind' essential) gets a copy of 'You Call It Madness : The Sensuous Song of the Croon' as soon as i can get it to her! thats all i got.

Lenny Kaye proves himself an accomplished writer in his fine new book, "You Call It Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon." What a ride! He pulled me into a time I knew too little about and captured not only the sight and sound of it, but the voices of the characters with uncanny insight. He's done a remarkable job of inhabiting the interiors of the players and creating a sense of "real time" with his use of the present tense. In an evocative style, both lyrical and witty, Kaye writes about the life and times of Russ Columbo, his contemporaries, and the women in his life with startling clarity. The style and pop of the era comes through with such power it's as close to hearing the music and performances as can be conveyed in words. A true music-lover's delight.

I just finished reading Lenny Kaye's book, and I loved it. It's the perfect blend of mystery novel, biography and writer's journey. Lenny's writing style works great in creating a musical backdrop to this well written book. I felt like I was reading more of a documentary than straightforward narrative -- Kaye's facts are easy to understand and interesting to read. Not dry or boring, like some historical narratives can be. I loved the stylistic and metaphorical language, his use of words to evoke the atmosphere surrounding his characters. I found myself wondering what was going to happen next...each chapter bringing me closer and closer to the climax of the story and tying in all the people, places and events that make up the golden age of the crooner. What I really enjoyed was the personal journey we as readers got to be a part of: his motivation behind his writing, the discovery, his love of the characters and their personal stories, and how it all impacts music today as well as his own life. Very cool. Lenny Kaye has a brilliant use of the language, in an unconventional tone, that suits the musical dimension of this book. I highly recommend it.