What do ya'all think?

Comment

Comment by Suzanne Stroop on January 21, 2012 at 9:40am

I agree with what everyone here said, Neil after all is human and has his faults. He puts his pants on one foot at a time like everyone else (which I would love to see)I feel that this guy took some remarks and blew them way out of proportion, esp. when he talks about acting like a "king" at times when he was around the real thing. (although to me he is a king in his own way).  I will make sure I read the other books. When i said that I cried about some of the stuff, I cried because I felt the guy was slandering Neil just to get a rise out of his fans and to make Neil upset, because he would not give an interview to the jerk. My son-in-law did work with Neil two nights in FL when he was in Tampa (my son in law was with 98Rock at the time and did alot of work re: electrical and how the music sounded etc.- this was before I met him and I have told my daughter that she was a "brat" for not introducing us earlier so that I could  have gotten an autograph- of course I was kidding with her) and he too stated what a very nice, kind person  Neil was. Anyway thank you for your imput and as Jen Lee said - if Neil had been a saint the music business would have chewed him up and spit him out before he had a chance to really shine. You guys are soooo good and it's so nice to have others who feel the same way i do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Sue on January 21, 2012 at 9:04am

I can certainly recommend the two books Mandy mentioned...they're very good! My son-in-law was a "Roadie" once, & travelled with many Groups around the country setting up the stage equipment & lighting. Now, although he has never worked with Neil & his Crew on Tour over here in England, he knew other Roadies who did. They all said the same thing..."Neil Diamond is an extremely nice & friendly man. His Band love him but say they know who is the Boss! Which is fair enough I think.....

Comment by Jen lee on January 21, 2012 at 8:54am

Don't be upset about a book.  It was an unauthorized biography that neither he, nor anyone close to him at the time contrubuted to.  It had to rely on second hand sources, as the author apparently had to dig deep to find anything that was not already known.

The book is over 30 years old.  If all of the statements about him and his music were true, we would have heard much more negative stuff by now, and we certainly wouldn't  be here talking about him 30 years later.

Not everyone he comes into contact with is going to like him as a person, or is going to like his music. To fans of course the flaws are going to be magnified. I think we somtimes hold him to unrealistic expectations that no one could or should be asked to try to meet when we ourselves cannot.

And finally, to put it bluntly, if he were a saint the music business would have chewed him up and spit him out a long time ago.....

Comment by Jewel Diamond on January 21, 2012 at 8:40am

Its hard to come up with a definitive answer to your comments Suzanne.  I am reading Solitary Star at the moment, and finding it interesting.  It depends on whether fans want to read only nice stuff about Neil or not as to how you rate the books.  Personally what matters to me is whether something is true or not, not whether it is nice or not.  If we really want to get to know Neil, then we will read sometimes stuff that isnt nice, because he isnt perfect.

The real issue with books for me therefore isnt whether the comments are not nice, because if they are true then it helps us get to know Neil, warts and all, but that we can never be sure how accurate the statements in the books are.  (Not the dates and times of shows, record releases etc which can be verified, but the comments about Neil from his associates, which is the really interesting stuff because they reveal something of his character).

I would be surprised if Neil said the words of Holly Holy meant nothing, because I read that it means to him the union between a man and a woman, expressed in spiritual terms.

Comment by Diane Lewis Havenner on January 20, 2012 at 7:12pm

I read the book years ago. I live in L.A. and have over the years known people who have met Neil. I have heard both good and bad, he's a human being, and who wouldn't have a bit of a big head with that kind of fame?  I heard a very bad story about him from a prospective housekeeper he interviewed right after his divorce from Marcia. He was in a very foul mood and became very rude because the woman did not know who he was, so he told her to get "f" out. (The agency that sent her wouldn't disclose the celebrity who would be interviewing her.) But I also know a guy who's met Neil a couple times at a recording studio and likes him very much, and in addition, an old friend's brother used to be Jesse and Micah's piano teacher. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Neil myself, even though I worked for A&M Records in Hollywood for a few years and did get to meet lots of famous people.

Comment by Mandy on January 20, 2012 at 4:21pm

I haven't read the book for the reason you have written...I had heard that the author of this book  was not very nice about Neil so I haven't bothered to read it......there are two books I can recommend....Neil Diamond..The Biography by Laura Jackson and Neil Diamond is Forever by Jon bream....you will really like these...if you haven't already read them....try reading these two books Suzanne...they really are good...best wishes... Mandy