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Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales
For the first time ever comes the inside story of Clarence "Big Man" Clemons--his life before, during and beyond the E-Street Band, including unbelievable, never-before-told adventures with Bruce Springsteen, the band, and an incredible cast of other famous characters recounted by himself and his best friend, television writer/ producer Don Reo.
Here are just a fe...more
Here are just a fe...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
October 21st 2009
by Grand Central Publishing
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Why does one read a rock and roll memoir? For larger than life stories and insights into the music, mostly. This had a lot of the former, less of the latter. It had a bizarre format, jumping through time and space like Billy Pilgrim. Clarence and his co-writer, his best friend Don Reo, alternate stories. There was a lot of emphasis on the pain that the Big Man has been playing through in the last few years (knee replacements, hip replacements, bad back). At first I was a little annoyed at the fr...more
I got this the day after the world lost the Big Man, Clarence Clemons.
I'm a big Springsteen fan, so I don't know why I didn't read it sooner, but reading it when I did had a different impact on me than I think it would have had I read it before he died.
If you've seen the E Street Band in the last few years, you could tell Clarence was hurting. I mean they're all getting old, but y'know...
So it's not like he was complaining the whole time or whatever --if anything ...more
I'm a big Springsteen fan, so I don't know why I didn't read it sooner, but reading it when I did had a different impact on me than I think it would have had I read it before he died.
If you've seen the E Street Band in the last few years, you could tell Clarence was hurting. I mean they're all getting old, but y'know...
So it's not like he was complaining the whole time or whatever --if anything ...more
I may hate Bruce Springsteen's politics, but I love the man's music. So I couldn't wait to read this. But it was a big disappointment.
Springsteen's sax player, Clarence Clemons and his best friend TV producer (MASH, Punky Brewster)Don Reo, give a very untraditional memoir here, one that borders on stream-of-concsiousness drifting from one subject to the next, with no real coherence to any kind of chronology or story, until the end, and we almost get a blow by blow of Clemons' doub...more
Springsteen's sax player, Clarence Clemons and his best friend TV producer (MASH, Punky Brewster)Don Reo, give a very untraditional memoir here, one that borders on stream-of-concsiousness drifting from one subject to the next, with no real coherence to any kind of chronology or story, until the end, and we almost get a blow by blow of Clemons' doub...more
I read most of this book during a very long day a air travel. It's a quick read and very enjoyable. There were a few parts that made me laugh pretty hard. Although I love Springsteen and the E Street Band, I don't know a lot of their histories, so I did learn a bit more about Clarence than most people who would read this book. I enjoyed the semi-fictitious sections as they reminded me of Charles Mingus' 'autobiography'. I liked the double narrators, although I wish that there had been some ...more
Well, given that I've been a Springsteen fan for most of my life (since "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle), I have to say I went into this book hoping it would be a good read. I ended up really loving it - second only to Dave Marsh's earlier Bruce works.
The details regarding the shared friendship between Bruce and Clarence and the now epic mythology of their story was both revealing and somehow reassuring. I'd always hoped that the friendship portrayed in all th...more
The details regarding the shared friendship between Bruce and Clarence and the now epic mythology of their story was both revealing and somehow reassuring. I'd always hoped that the friendship portrayed in all th...more
We all knew Clarence Clemons expressed himself passionately, beautifully through his sax, but most of us who only saw him on stage didn't know it didn't end there -- that he was a storyteller par excellence. This, his memoir, is like no other -- what really happened, what didn't happen, what might have been -- who cares if the legends aren't fact? The bullshit is so much fun, and some of it might have been true. My favorite is a recapitulation of a car trip with Bruce (a notoriously bad drive...more
I was a bit leery about picking up this book because I'd read horrible reviews of it. But I thought that perhaps people expected too much, or Bruce's dirty little secrets, or whatever. I should have paid attention to the reviews. Now, don't get me wrong, I adore Bruce and Clarence, but I just didn't see the point of this book. The co-author interjected way too much, and seemed more interested in promoting his career or name-dropping than anything related to Clarence. Clarence...well, he see...more
Bruce Springsteen takes his music seriously -- and most biographies (like Two Hearts, etc.) are just as serious. Good books, yes, but heavy on the chin-stroking. In Big Man, Clemons reveals a philosophy of life best paraphrased as "If Bruce won't party like a Rock Star, I guess I have to for both of us." What results is a very good, breezy read that gives a unique taste of the fun, gang-of-friends side of the E Street journey. Don Reo's chapters remind a bit of "Almost Famous,...more
It's really hard to review a memoir, especially a memoir one reads so soon after the subject's death, so I'm not exactly objective about this book. As memoirs go, however, I found this one well-written and really clever. There's a tendency for memoirs to present themselves so matter-of-factly that the reader can't help questioning the veracity of the stories they contain, but these authors announce up front that half of the book is made up (the greyed-out pages), and that makes the "true"...more
Big Man reads like sharing a barstool with Bruce Springsteen's sax man. Each episode exists independently, with no consistent timeline or narrative voice. Adding to the frustration, narration jumps between first and third person. Co-writer Don Reo frequently inserts himself into the story and comes off as a glad-handing, uber-fanboy.
This material would have worked better as a series of blog entries, or - better yet - as a podcast with Clemons personally intoning each chapter. It works OK as...more
This material would have worked better as a series of blog entries, or - better yet - as a podcast with Clemons personally intoning each chapter. It works OK as...more
Big Man captures the essence of Clarence Clemons and his relationship with Bruce Springsteen, the rest of the E Street Band, and his fans. Parts of this book are laugh-out-loud funny.
It definitely doesn't supply dirt about any of these people. In fact, it doesn't even necessarily tell the actual truth about them. It's really more interested in essence than truth.
Co-author Don Reo, a sitcom writer and producer, probably shows up in the book a little too often. At times...more
It definitely doesn't supply dirt about any of these people. In fact, it doesn't even necessarily tell the actual truth about them. It's really more interested in essence than truth.
Co-author Don Reo, a sitcom writer and producer, probably shows up in the book a little too often. At times...more
As a long time fan of not just the Boss but all of the E Streeters this is a book that I could not resist -- and it did not disappoint. I loved how they interspersed "legends" and "tall tales" throughout the life story of The Big Man. The different perspective offered by Don Reo was also interesting. I always knew that Clarence had led an interesting life, but I had no idea how interesting until reading this book. I also love the insight that it gave me in to the early years ...more
I would have to say that this was probably one of my top favorite books of all time; however long this time period may be. "Big Man", the autobiography of Clarence Clemons, (co-written by Don Reo), presents itself strickly to a number of paragraphs that attempt to describe its thrilling, horrifying, and inspirational pages, sharing the stories and tall tales that make up the life of this sax player. I could NOT put it down, and would strongly suggest it to whoever enjoys a good book.
Clarence's stories are a hoot. Gave me expanded appreciation for what Clarence (and Bruce and the rest of the band) put into their music. I held my breath during Clarence's solos at the close of the 2009 tour in Buffalo, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time I heard that heaven-connecting sax. Now that I know more about his physical challenges, his friendships, and his spiritual practice before each show, I understand why his playing so easily touches my heart.
Terrific fun! I really enjoyed this book. The Don Reo chapters were a little less interesting to me; I'm not sure how someone (other than Bruce) can really stand in the shadow of The Big Man himself. One would invariably suffer in comparison. And, honestly, he just wasn't as amusing.
I loved Clarence's stories whether they are real or tall. There was such an exuberance and joy in the stories that their veracity was really beside the point. Just fun, fun, fun.
I loved Clarence's stories whether they are real or tall. There was such an exuberance and joy in the stories that their veracity was really beside the point. Just fun, fun, fun.
I liked this a lot. If you're looking for straight-up auto/biography, it's not for you. A series of stories and legends instead conveys the spirit of Clarence Clemons, his relationship with Bruce Springsteen, and the experience of being part of the E-Street Band. A lot of fun. One caveat is that I skipped a lot of the chapters by Don Reo -- much less interesting.
Did you know Clarence Clemons has imaginary conversations with Norman Mailer? That he once played pool with Fidel Castro? that he sometimes calls Bruce "Scooter" (which I think is adorable)?
Yea, things like that were pretty much all the reason I needed to read this. It isn't terribly deep (except a couple of times when it is) but it is charming and feels very real, despite all the "tall tales" included.
Yea, things like that were pretty much all the reason I needed to read this. It isn't terribly deep (except a couple of times when it is) but it is charming and feels very real, despite all the "tall tales" included.
I loved this book and read it about 1-2 years ago. It was a such a great read. Clarence had a wide variety of short stories and possibly tall tales in the book. I loved his recollection of him, Bruce and Hideki Matsui driving down the Jersey turnpike. I'm going to miss the Duke of Paducah.
Teton County Library call #: BIO CLEMONS C
Who wouldn't want to hang out with Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen?! Funny, and intriguing stories, lies, and legends about life with iconic Americans. I preferred Clarence's stories to Don's, but thoroughly enjoyed the whole book from start to finish! (Suzy)
Who wouldn't want to hang out with Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen?! Funny, and intriguing stories, lies, and legends about life with iconic Americans. I preferred Clarence's stories to Don's, but thoroughly enjoyed the whole book from start to finish! (Suzy)
Who wouldn't want to hang out with Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen?! Funny, and intriguing stories, lies, and legends about life with iconic Americans. I preferred Clarence's stories to Don's, but thoroughly enjoyed the whole book from start to finish!
This was an enjoyable read but the stories don't seem memorable. I just finished this but other than one or two stories I don't know what I would tell people about this book. Out of deference to the guys in the band I think he kept the best stories to himself.
I'm always a sucker for a good music bio. This is great because you see the history of the E Street from a pair of eyes other than Bruce and other than someone focusing on Bruce. Plus, the Big Man sure can craft a good story (true or "legend").
Justin
is currently reading it
Clarence Clemons is not one to be fucked with, Bruce Springsteen is indeed a really awesome guy away from the spotlight and this book is chock full of goofy asides that are normally covered in the typical biography type books...
Far from a straightforward bio, Clarence and friend Don Reo take you through his wild life in, and out, of the E Street Band. And if the real stories aren't enough, there are great fantasies to entertain you.
Not the most well written book - but when are auto-biographies. Great insight into the person and the larger than life character he was on and off stage. His talents and his presence will be missed.
An absolute must for any Springsteen fan and a wonderful legacy from Clarence himself ON himself and The Boss. Even if you aren't a Springsteen fan this book is both fun and touching.
Mary
is currently reading it
I've had this book on my shelf for a few years and just picked it up while waiting for some library holds. Feels nice to read about Clarence from his own point of view this year.
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If you are a Springsteen fan it is a must read! Loved the stories. Wish they were in a little bit more of an order! Wish there were more stories!
Lew Rose
added it
Love the big man. Love the big man's life story. May his knees and health allow him to continue to be the great horn man for a long time to come!
This was fun to read, and unexpected, but it's not like I'll read it again, though it does include a story with Dylan and Kinky Friedman.
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