The complete memoirs of playwright Neil Simonmdash;the author of such iconic works as Lost in Yonkers; The Odd Couple; Biloxi Blues; and The Goodbye Girlmdash;now with a new introduction and afterword.This omnibus edition combines Neil Simonrsquo;s two memoirs; Rewrites and The Play Goes On; into one volume that spans his extraordinary five-decade career in theater; television; and film. Rewrites takes Simon through his first love; his first play; and his first brush with failure. There is the humor of growing up in Washington Heights (the inspiration for his play Brighton Beach Memoirs) where; despite his parentsrsquo; rocky marriage and many separations; he learned to see the funny side of family drama; as when his mother screamed thinking she saw a body on the floor in their apartmentmdash;it turned out to be the clothes his father discarded in the hallway after a night of carousing. He describes his marriage to his beloved wife Joan; and writes lucidly about the pain of losing her to cancer. The Play Goes On adds to his lifersquo;s story; as he wins the Pulitzer Prize and reflects with humor and insight on his tumultuous life and meteoric career. Now; with the whole story in one place; Neil Simonrsquo;s collected memoirs trace the history of modern entertainment over the last fifty years through the eyes of a man who started life the son of a garment salesman and became the greatestmdash;and most successfulmdash;American playwright of all time.
#505154 in eBooks 2016-03-01 2016-03-01File Name: B01DS3WC4W
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. SHELLY PEIKENS PERFECT PERSISTENCE IN SERIAL SONGWRITERBy CustomerWhether you are an aspiring artist. a CPA or an automotive engineer. Shelly Peikens CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL SONGWRITER is a must read for you. Even though Peikens journey is told through the inspiration of an aspiring songwriter her motivation is universal to all of our lifes experience. From Shellys longing to find a place where she belongs as a college student to the terrible realization that the feeling of her first two lane love left her lonely on a one way street to being at a lost for words upon an unexpected meeting with your lifelong idol. Carly Simon you will laugh out loud and continuously cheer for Shelly as she maintains her focus and never stops moving forward towards her songwriting dreams. We all can relate to the desire to hold on desperately to our innermost wishes in spite of the unforeseen detours life forces us to take. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL SONGWRITER is the perfect piece of hope that will give you the reason to pick yourself up. brush off the dirt of disappointment and try. try again!Phil Elam1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Confessions of a Serial SongwriterBy H. Keith EnglandWhether yoursquo;re a seasoned. chart-topping songwriter. a professional musician. an aspiring singer/songwriter or simply a music fan. ldquo;Confessions of a Serial Songwriterrdquo; provides a fascinating look inside the mind and heart of the immensely talented and successful artist. Shelly Peiken. She describes in great detail the process(es) involved in bringing songs to life. from the first moment of inspiration. collaborations with other artists. recording of demos. placement of material with recording artists. the inherent treachery of the music business. right up to the triumphant moments of hearing her creations on the radio and ultimately seeing them reach the very top of the charts. More than once! All told from the unique perspective of a woman charting her course through an evolving. yet still often-times male dominated industry.Inspiring. hilarious. touching and genuine. ldquo;Confessionsrdquo; is both entertaining and educational. She makes the leap from writing ldquo;3 minutes worth of lyricsrdquo; to full-length book flawlessly and sticks the landing.In the interest of full disclosure. it has been my recent good fortune to become acquainted with Shelly and her wonderful family via my work with her husband. Adam. I can attest firsthand that the wit. charm and intellect found within "Confessions of a Serial Songwriter" jumps off the page and into real life. We truly wouldnrsquo;t have it any other way.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Shelly Peiken on what it takes to be a songwriter - yesterday and today.By stu nunneryShelly Peiken had me at Long Island. and piano lessons. and doing her own musical thing. and love songs. All things I was part of or had passions for myself as a songwriter and recording artist in the 70rsquo;s. She passed me by at song sex and negotiating the new music industry that I was not part of ndash; an industry now that has little regard for artists and songwriters and songs. Yet somehow ndash; yoursquo;ll read it here- she not only persevered and survived but succeeded in great fashion and still is. Her story is told through the eyes. ears. heart and experiences of one who passed though several musical decades and more than two generations in the biz and watched it change and stayed in no matter how frustrating. disheartening or challenging it was to exercise her stunning craft and passions. Her take on the songwriting profession. how it has changed and how it has stayed the same is as good a synopsis as I have read and done in a storytelling format that weaves in her own life and family with the family of technobeaters. frankenwriters. demo lovers. topliners. back trackers. auto tuners. producers. so called producers. engineers. and the inevitable hangers on. not to forget the authentic musicians and songwriters like Shelly who still make ldquo;musicrdquo; today. As someone from the old school I canrsquo;t say I wasnrsquo;t uncomfortable reading what Shelly had to put herself through at times. but also inspired and proud of her that she had the chops. emotional stamina and professionalism it takes to keep rockinrsquo; and roilinrsquo; her way to hit records. Grammy nods and more. It ainrsquo;t easy. I can tell you. But this serial and serious songwriter makes it fun and takes us on a musical mystery tour you wonrsquo;t forget.
