Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In: Appreciations, Castigations, and Reminiscences by Ram Dass, Andrew Weil, Allen Ginsberg, Winona Ryder, William Burroughs, ... Huston Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, and Others

Book Description

A memorial volume to one of this century's most colorful and pioneering figures in the consciousness movement

• A wide array of individuals from all stages of Leary's life provides a comprehensive view of the man and his impact on American culture

One of the most influential and controversial people of the 20th century, Timothy Leary inspired profound feelings--both pro and con--from everyone with whom he came into contact. He was extravagant, grandiose, enthusiastic, erratic, and an unrelenting proponent of expanding consciousness and challenging authority. His experiments with psilocybin and LSD at Harvard University and Millbrook, New York, were instrumental in propelling the nation into the psychedelic era of the 1960s. From the 1980s until his death in 1996 he fully embraced the possibilities of freedom offered by the developments in computer technology and the instant communication made possible by the Internet.

The essence of Leary's life has often been reduced to the celebrated formula of "Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out." The wider implications of this esoteric call to communion have been lost, just as the multifaceted nature of Leary's personality was obscured by the superficial spin put on his life and ideas. In this book a wide array of individuals from all stages of Leary's life, friends and foes alike, provides a more complete view of the man and his impact on American culture.

It is still too early to know how posterity will judge the man and his ideas, but Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In shows that Leary was often so far ahead of his time that few could follow the extensive range of his thought.

Customer Reviews:

The battle against drug hypocrisy.......2006-09-21

Regardless of one's personal opinions about Timothy Leary, one cannot really deny the fact that he was a great man; great in the sense that his thoughts and ideas influenced an entire generation (and continues to do so), and that A LOT of people had - and still have - A LOT of strong feelings about everything he stood for. Perhaps it's too early to figure out how extensive his influence actually was. Everything he talked about didn't revolve around LSD, even though many tend to think just that. What many don't know, for instance, is that he contributed greatly to the field of psychology and developed different tests that are still in use today.

Robert Forte has edited a book, not about Leary's life, but more about people who met him, were familiar with him, were close to him, were affected and influenced by him, and all in all had some sort of relation to him. Some of these people are Winona Ryder (to whom Leary was godfather), Hunter S. Thompson, Albert Hofmann (the chemist who synthesized LSD in 1938), Ken Kesey (another "psychedelic pioneer"), Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Robert Anton Wilson, and many more.

Some of the contributions consist of Forte simply interviewing the individual in question, while in other cases the contributor has written the piece him/herself. But it's not all about Leary all the time. Timothy Leary is more a book about the psychedelic revolution itself than about one of its leading advocates. Richard Nixon referred to him as "the most dangerous man in the world", and sure, a great deal of the content is about him, what he accomplished, different incidents in his life, and so on. However, another great deal is about the use and abuse of psychedelic drugs, how they shaped and changed society and individual consciousness, how dangers (or harmless) they actually are, what happens to people who choose to try them, and how these now criminalized drugs could be used beneficially in different sorts of therapies.

It's not the best book on the market if you want to learn more about Timothy Leary's opinions and messages, but on the other hand, it's a great book if you want to know some of the influence and the affect he had on his surroundings. Furthermore, through its use of sensible discussions by and with well-informed and rational people, the book offers great knowledge about the absurd American "War on Drugs" and all the hypocrisy this futile and senseless war is built upon.

important and revealing.......2006-08-24

This is a rich and revealing book that I always recommend to anyone trying to grasp the contradictory figure that was Timothy Leary - not least because many of its subjects are still struggling to grasp exactly what hit them when Leary entered their lives. Highlights for me include the essays by Ram Dass, Robert Anton Wilson and Ralph Metzner, as well as William Burroughs' ability to use a few brief words so well. Winona Ryder's eulogy is also terrific -- it has since been included in Copeland's book on the greatest eulogies of our time, and I liked it so much I used it as the foreword to my own biography on Leary, 'I Have America Surrounded'.

As Forte writes in his introduction, this is "not a biography of Leary, nor an in-depth study of his ideas", and as such the critical review on this page by R. Goldstein seems to have missed the point of the book. Forte is not attempting to be a 'cheerleader' or promote his 'thesis', as is claimed, but instead provides a forum where those who knew Leary could record their memories and reminiscences. True, the majority are positive and loving, but this is no reason to criticize the book. The fact is Leary was deeply loved by many - which is something that those who condemn his character find it convenient to overlook. For this reason the book is an important record, but perhaps more importantly it is those who knew him best who often have the most revealing insights - and this is why the book is so valuable.

A little rain on the celebration.......2006-08-05

This book is a source of comfort to anyone disgruntled by Robert Greenfield's less than appreciative bio of Timothy Leary. Editor Robert Forte calls his project a "festschrift," which, if my rusty German holds up, loosely means "celebration of writing." It is by no means balanced; its cover promises castigations but delivers only one, ironically from former outlaw chemist Owsley Stanley. There are polite rebukes of Leary's methods from Huston Smith and Myron Stolaroff, but the rest of the book is mainly a chorus of paeans, a love fest that gets sloppy in places.

Part of Forte's thesis is that Leary will come to be vindicated and revered as another Socrates or Galileo. Inevitably the uptight world will recognize the transformational power of psychedelics and, grasping the keys to the missing link in evolution, start popping them like vitamin supplements. Why millions of grateful acid veterans haven't united to demand a change in the drug laws goes unexplained. Like a lot of other issues the book grazes. Why was Eldridge Cleaver not more supportive of Leary in Algeria? Why was Art Linkletter hostile to Leary? What happened to Leary's children? What was "The Brotherhood" that Forte cryptically refers to a couple of times? What about the charges that Leary betrayed friends, including the lawyers who helped him avoid lengthier prison time? Although Forte concedes that Leary failed "to confront his shadow," the negative aspects of his life, he left the shadowy particulars for Robert Greenfield to detail.

There are other shortcomings. The correspondence between Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard is vacuous, discussing where and when they plan to meet next. Albert Hofman's contribution is brief. Hunter Thompson's more caustic criticisms of Leary are absent, replaced by a short, all-is-forgiven comment. Some of the respondents use a pretentious argot prevalent in the `60s, reflecting the mindless blather of the drug-addled. And there are outrageous claims that transcendentalist philosophers Emerson and Thoreau took drugs, that psychedelics brought forth the computer revolution and the Internet. At least Forte didn't suggest that psychedelics are "the only visible hope for a race tottering on the brink of extinction." That claim was in a recent letter of complaint from the Leary estate to The New Yorker over the favorable review its critic gave to the Greenfield book.

I don't blame Forte for being a cheerleader. He was only 11 years old during the '67 Summer of Love, so he didn't see the zombies walking down Haight Street and other hippie enclaves ingesting not only psychedelics but other wares sold by hierarchical criminal outfits (such as the Brotherhood?) engaged in the "democratization" of drug distribution. Gosh and golly, why would law enforcement ever consider LSD a gateway to heroin, methamphetamine and crack? Set and setting indeed.

I thought I'd had enough of Leary after reading the Greenfield book, but I picked this one up after browsing its table of contents. It has limited appeal, so I give it three stars: one for the interview with Huston Smith, one for the interviews with Metzner & Stolaroff, and one for likening Leary to Huck Finn. Greenfield mistakenly linked him to Tom Sawyer.

Multiperspective View of Leary.......2002-08-28

Timothy Leary is a mythological figure. Almost everyone has an opinion of him, even if they have never read a word he wrote.
Often opinions are second-hand filtered through this or that media source.

The editor for this book, Robert Forte, one
of Mircea Eliade's last students at the University of Chicago,
does not provide us with second-hand information that he has digested, but instead, gathers an anthology of viewpoints from those who knew Timothy Leary. Not all are positive, and I was surprized to read the negative remarks of Owlsley Stanley in regards to Leary. Thanks to this compendium, we are allowed past the veil of the myth and get a glimpse of the human Timothy Leary.

Robert Forte knew Timothy Leary personally and has edited another book, Entheogens and the Future of religion, that I highly recommend.

Thomas Seay

a refreshingly honest multi-angled profile of Leary.......2000-11-16

Robert Forte is one of the most important living documentarians of psychedelic history and phenomonology. In this book, he's gathered a myriad voices of people who were really "there" when Leary was influencing people and who therefore have valuable commentary worth hearing -- both positive and negative. The folksy, chatty style of this book make it a pleasure to read. Along with his other book "Entheogens and the Future of Religion," Forte is performing an important informational and documentary service toward a fair assessment of the role that drugs have in society and also of the real-life figures who have affected this. This book is a must read for anyone interested in what Tim Leary (and for that matter, ...) were really like.

Outside Looking in: When Someone You Love Is in Therapy

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Outside Looking In: When SOmeone You Love Is in Therapy

Outside Looking in: When Someone You Love Is in Therapy
Patrice Moulton , and Lin Harper
Manufacturer: Safer Society Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Psychotherapy, TA & NLP | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1884444571

Customer Reviews:

Outside Looking In: When SOmeone You Love Is in Therapy.......2000-07-28

Great! My family is really crazy and this book helped me sort through MY part in their treatment. I guess the most important thing I learned was to get some help for myself.

Customer Reviews:

Outside Looking In.......2005-12-15

there was a family who is very poor and they had two kids. the family sells honey for money and they teach the little girl to steel and lie. the boy gives her a talk and tells her that stelling and lieing is very bad. After a while she started listing to him. they are not allowed to see their grandparents because when their parents were 16 they arrested their dad, jp.Theu hardly ever even get to talk about them. They are both very sad because of it. They start to get to know this older couple and they are kinda like thier grandparents. One day they take the kids fishing, while they are fishing their dad and "uncle" steel the r.v that the older couple had lived in. THe take it and hide it. that was the last straw for the boy and he decides that he wants to run away to see his grandparents. he conns his little sister into running away with him and so one night they take all the money that was in their dad's waleltt and they head off into the woods so they can finally meet their grandparents. When ever their parents find out that they have ran away the called the cops and they start searching for them. they run into alot of trouble with the cops and they get to where their grandparents live. They get to know their grandparents and they stay with them for a while. Their parents show up at the house and want to take them away. The kids mom says that the kids can stay with her in her parents house with out him. he has caused a lot of trouble with that family and now they are trying to fix all of their prolmbms. That was the summary of the book that I came up with.

A great book for the intelligent reader.......2005-10-04

My impressions of this book may seem somewhat surprising. I bought it primarily to find out why Michael Reagan was so distant from his father and so detached from the broader Reagan family, and yet seems to be the embodiment of Ronald Reagan's political philosophy. What I got, instead, was a more important story and much more than that. I came to see this not so much as the story of Michael Reagan, but more as the classic example of a truly dysfunctional family. To me, it became the story of love and affection gone wrong. It was populated with family members who obviously cared about each other but seldom saw things the same way. The players always seemed to talk past each other and, no matter what they tried; they continually worked at cross purposes. I couldn't help but wonder: how many other American families act in just this same way and how many adopted children shared Michael's fears and feelings? This book isn't just about Michael Reagan. It is about life in America and the inner workings of a classically dysfunctional family.

Caught between two families, the Reagans and Jane Wyman, but feeling that he doesn't belong to either one, Michael Reagan takes the reader through a gut wrenching childhood of presumed privilege which often works against him and which is filled with thoughts of loneliness, unworthiness, and the constant fear of not being wanted; all as seen through the eyes of a child. One can only wonder how many other adopted children have shared these feelings. Then, even when he begins to feel that he might belong and that he is really wanted, he is once again put down. Brought home from boarding school and expecting his own room he is instead made to sleep on the couch so a servant can have a room of her own. Then it's back to boarding school; with more loneliness and fear.

To make matters worse, Michael is molested as a child and the child molester goes so far as to take nude pictures of him. This brings further shame, a sense of unworthiness, fear of being a homosexual, and a long-standing fear that he will be exposed bringing shame to his family. It might have helped if he had been able to tell someone, but how many children would be able to do that. Instead, he lived with it untold until this book was written.

In looking at all the characters in this book it seems impossible to say who, if anyone, was really at fault, or if they all just got caught up in something over which they had no control. In my view, though, by sharing his story with such brutal honesty, Michael Reagan has done a service not only to himself, but to his family and to the country at large. I've always admired him. I admire him even more after reading this biography. As a matter of fact, I couldn't put it down...

Right Wing Saddo Wants Your Sympathy.......2005-09-09

Michael Reagan wants your sympathy...he wants you to know that even heartless right wing radio personalities have it tough. As if anyone was particulary interested, Michael writes a rather flat biography with some fabricated drama thrown in for good measure. It is not particularly enganging. Had the book revealed more insight into Ronald Reagan, the man, this might have been an interesting read. As it stands, does anyone really care what hardships Ronald Reagan's adopted son from his movie star marriage had to endure? From other resources, I have come to find out Michael was not even a big part of Ronnies life during his presidency. You would not know it by listening to Michaels radio show, however, as he milks his relationship with Ronnie for all it is worth. This book, as well as his newer "Twice Adopted", are straight-to-Dollar Tree material at best. I must say, I did have an inkling of sympathy when Michael covers child abuse, as I believe child abusers to be the lowest scum on earth. But, as right-wing ignorant radio hosts are somewhere on that list, not all that far up, the sympathy quickly fades. I do feel bad for what happened to him, and admire him for having for having overcome his deamons. But, I still find the rest of the book to be the ramblings of a miniscule figure in history, who tries to make his association with a former president to be more than it really was. If you are a fan, by all means dive in.

If only the Reagan presidency went by this quickly!.......2005-08-12

I found ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, the autobiography of Michael Reagan (son of actress Jane Wyman and former U.S. president Ronald Reagan), hard to put down. I finished reading it in just a few days and wished the presidency of the author's father had come and gone as quickly.

Michael Reagan's dead honesty regarding his personal tragedies will compel you to keep turning the pages of ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN. One would think being the son of a famous movie actress and, later in life, having your father elected governor of California and then president of the United States guarantees life on Easy Street. But as Michael Reagan discloses, no matter how good something like that looks, the reality can differ so greatly that you will ask yourself, "Why me?"

The only ON THE OUTSIDE . . . passages with scissor marks pertain to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. For instance, Michael Reagan mentions an incident where it was "the only time I saw my father and Nancy argue" but discloses no details. At least Michael Reagan admits showing his father and Mrs. Reagan a pre-publication draft of the book, even if he does not flat-out say he cut any text to please them.

But ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN merits five stars nonetheless. Michael Reagan shows a ton of courage telling his story. I hope I can shake his hand some day.

A gutwrenching and inspiring story of the son of Ron Reagan.......1999-10-28

Michael Reagan with brutal honesty, and a whole lot guts, tells the gutwrenching but inspiring story of his much traveled life. From living a childhood that included such traumatic experiences as: being ridiculed for being adopted, being brutally molested by a camp councellor, having his parents divorce,and being constantly switched to different boarding schools,Michael grew up feeling very low about himself, and contemplated suicide on several occasions. His young adulthood was marred by consusion and self destructive behavior. While in his twenties Michael racked up staggering debt, had a failed marriage, and was dogged by a failure to hold down a steady job. While the young Michael was not extemly proud of his irresponsible lifestyle he had no great desire to reform himself because his parents, namely his mother, would always bail him out. It was in meeting his current wife Colleen that Michael experienced the turning point of his life. Colleen quickly let it be known that Michael's lifestyle was unaccaptable, and would have to be ended if they were to be together. This was to be Michael's ephinany, and it started the turnaround that allowed him to exorcise the deamons of his past, live a blessed, and honest life, and fully reconcile with his father. This book is sure to be an inspiration to anyone who has lived a trying life, and will provide valuable lessons to anyone who feels as though they are alone and that their life is spinning out of control.

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OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: THE LONG JOURNEY
S. Glenn Wakefield
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1414038186

On the Outside Looking In: A Year in an Inner-City High School

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Reality like a slap in the face
A Hard and Honest Report
Hauntingly compassionate
"Outside" is right!

On the Outside Looking In: A Year in an Inner-City High School
Cristina Rathbone
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0871137364

Customer Reviews:

Reality like a slap in the face.......2000-07-12

This is one of those eye-opening books that brings to vivid life a world that you might previously have known absolutely nothing about. This is not fiction - this is real. Cristina Rathbone is a journalist who spent a year as an observer in one of New York's most struggling high schools, one which has become a "dumping ground" for the students that no other school will take. 'On the Outside Looking In' is Ms. Rathbone's chronicle of the experience.

The students of West Side High are deeply troubled. Many are homeless, in trouble with the law, victims of abuse, members of gangs, or any and all of the above. They have never known a world other than the streets that they grew up on. It is evident through Rathbone's writing that she grew to care deeply about many of the students that she came into contact with. Through her chronicling of the time she spent with them, Rathbone shows how several of the kids allowed her brief glimpses into their inner selves, the personalities hiding behind the tough front.

One scene in particular comes to mind, as a 13-year-old girl who comes to school every day from a home for disturbed teens uncharacteristically volunteers to read to her class a prayer that she had written: "...So, Father, can you tell me who there is to talk to when people seem deaf? How is there a river overflow when there's no tears? How is there fear when there's no emotion? How are you a victim with no crime? There is no response. Just dead silence....Where do I turn when loneliness is near? Will the answer appear or will I have to just keep on searching?" Revelations like this are strewn throughout the book.

This is *not* a book about how to teach urban youth. Rathbone is a journalist, not a teacher, and this book is not a method book. Rather, this is a book that exposes those of us who have led rather sheltered lives to a frightening reality that too many people in this world have to face every day. It also brings to light many of the problems with public education, and how the schools that need funding the most always seem to recieve the least. Cristina Rathbone has written a well-written and moving memoir, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is willing to read it and face a painful reality.

A Hard and Honest Report.......2000-01-03

The book sings, though the song is most often as sad as can be. Rathbone fumes and hopes and gets kicked around by an experience harder than any I've personally ever had. The environment in a "last-chance" high school in New York City is not one I would EVER intentionally place myself. This of course is the whole point. Rathbone immerses herself in the lives of the most marginal of human beings...she literally goes to places none of us want to know exist. She becomes friends with people for whom chaos is an everyday reality. Out of her experience comes a brilliant book, one that slaps the face of those of us who want to look away, those of us who are ashamed and afraid to know. I applaud her bravery. It has made living in New York a different experience.

Hauntingly compassionate.......1999-07-15

Ms. (Or is it Mrs.?) Rathbone's true life observations of high school life in an alternative school in Manhattan's West Side is a book I'll never forget. The characters are unforgettable as well. The situations are so graphically real and sad that you almost forget the kids are real. That feeling doesn't last long though, as memory reminds the reader that these tragic lives are lived in cities across the country. The portraits of these kids lives' are unforgettable, can make you angry at their situation and you want to try to help them out of it. Cheers to Christina Rathbone's professionalism in writing the book and it is understandable that she became part of their lives for a bit. As an observer, what else could you do?

"Outside" is right!.......1999-07-13

As a teacher, I'm always interested in reading other peoples' experiences in the classroom. In this book, however, Ms. Rathbone seems completely out of touch with any pedagogical techniques whatsoever. She is not a teacher, only an observer, but doesn't do this particularly well, since she intersperses descriptions of class activities with a history of herself and her own experiences dealing drugs. I find her tendency to romanticize students' illicit activities disturbing. I love my students, too, but I recognize their faults and their environmental challenges as exactly that-- challenges to overcome, not to admire and commit to pages for the world to see.

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On the Outside Looking in
Julie Ellis
Manufacturer: Severn House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0727865129

Book Description

From the well-loved storyteller - 1994. Castros Cuba is no place to be young and idealistic. Chris Sanchez, a newly-qualified paediatrician, feels loyalty to his country, yet is frustrated by the hardship suffered by all but the wealthy elite. When Chris falls in love with pretty, caring Eva, he is torn between a sense of patriotic duty and his desire for a better life. The two young people must confront a terrible choice . ..

On The Outside Looking In: One Mother's Journal of Her Family's Battle With a Mood Disorder

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This book is a must buy! Very real and vulnerable!
You feel as if you're there

On The Outside Looking In: One Mother's Journal of Her Family's Battle With a Mood Disorder
Jody M. Ehrhardt
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1413722660

Book Description

On the Outside Looking In is a compelling story of a twelve-year-old boy's fight to overcome the madness in his mind. As the story unfolds you will find yourself engrossed in every aspect of the family's life. You will cry along with the mother as she searches for a cure. You will endure the pain of frustration as you pray for the son to find his way. You will sympathize with the sister as she fights to find her own place. You will laugh, cry, give up and find hope just as they do. As they struggle through their lives so will you until finally, you will celebrate with them when they find their road to happiness.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a must buy! Very real and vulnerable!.......2004-07-13

This book helped me understand my grand-daughter. The author opens up her life to the readers. She describes her mistakes, frustrations, good ideas and not so good ones. As you read you feel as though you are in the room with them. The words and descriptions are powerful and raw. Just when you don't think you can take another bad moment, the author offers up some humor. I loved the book, I couldn't put it down. It offers a different perspective from the usual medically based text. I highly recommend this book!

You feel as if you're there.......2004-06-08

In this book, the author holds nothing back. You feel as if you are there with her, enduring sleepless nights and anxious days. When she throws in a little humor, you want to laugh in frustration through the tears with her. For anyone who has suffered this disease, has a child, relative, or friend suffering, I highly recommend this book. You understand her frustration, you understand her fiance's side, and you want to understand the poor child enduring the mental illness. Unlike most other books on this subject, she's not afraid of admitting she is afraid. She also offers some valuable resources to people suffering from mental illness. The book offers no answers (as none can be found anywhere), but a shoulder to lean on by knowing you are not the only one who is caught up in a whirlwind of a life.

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For Proper Reality.... Start Here
Pete Mitchell doesn't play to survive but rather survives to play

Outside Looking In
Pete Mitchell
Manufacturer: Derwent Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 184667011X

Book Description

The autobiography of a struggling musician, working over 30 years gigging on the road. Life has its price, and one way or another; we will all have to pay for it. On invitation, I went to see a famous clairvoyant called, 'Madame Faye'. Her prediction of the assassination of president J.F. Kennedy brought her worldwide recognition. I was a total sceptic and we had never met before. In retrospect, everything she told me about my past was true, and what is stunning beyond belief, is the fact that all the major events in this book, were predicted in detail by 'Madame Faye' to me, at her house in the summer of 1966. The last thing she said to me was, 'you will be successful with your music, but only after a long hazardous journey, and you'll have to sacrifice everything for it. For most musicians, it's usually a case of playing for fun. Some play professionally, and others make the 'Big time'. I take the view, that a real musician is rarer still. He doesn't play to survive - HE SURVIVES TO PLAY. My only credentials for having this point of view are some thirty years playing on the pub and club scene and still gigging strong.

Customer Reviews:

For Proper Reality.... Start Here.......2006-07-28

It is all very well "famous people" writing their biographies at the ripe old age of 22. This book deals with the aspects of a man who has lived a proper life, and worked his butt off, for little or no finacial remuneration. It shows the gossamer thinness between fame and fortune, and being an also ran. A missed phone call, someone letting you down, or being shafted by a Mr.10%. In the ivory towers of modern wannabe fame, people like Pete Mitchell are a forgotten entity... the club/pub player. The sacrifices that these guys have made for the furthering of Live Rock & Roll has been very succinctly documented in this book. Pete has given us a "no holds barred", from the heart synopsis of his life, and for that he must be thanked and applauded. There are many musicians out there who will empathise with Pete. If you like the book, check out his autobiographical album "Cutting the Mustard"

Pete Mitchell doesn't play to survive but rather survives to play.......2006-07-25

Outside Looking In ends with the words "Remember, Keep on rocking, it's the only way to survive, especially-if you're-OUTSIDE LOOKING IN." This just about sums up singer-songwriter, blues guitarist and author Peter Mitchell alias Statmaster last words of his memoirs.

Mitchell's first venture into the world of music was at the tender age of eleven when he picked up the guitar and four years later he gave his first performance.
His pub and club scene began in the 1970s in London, England when he played with Muddy Waters and his own band Special Brew. In the 1980s and 90s he traveled with his band `Drive' Rocking Boogie Power Trio.

Chronicling and sketching his thirty-year journey in the music business Mitchell reminds his readers that life as a musician is not a piece of cake, however, as he states he doesn't play to survive but rather survives to play. There were times when things really turned sour that sacrifices had to be made, even if it meant selling some of his music gear including his working guitar. As Mitchell confides, the only consolation was that he knew it was going to a musician who would appreciate it and in this case his Telecaster guitar was purchased by Mike Rutherford from Genesis. However, as he mentions, "it was like cutting one of my arms off."

There were other moments when looking back Mitchell wonders if he did the right thing. As an example, he was offered a solo deal without his band. However, after working with these fellows perfecting the songs, gigging live with the hope and belief that they were in it together, he just had to turn down the offer. As he states, "it was not a simple case of five guys playing together, we were like brothers."

However, the ultimate hurt and sacrifice is when your own family falls apart. Unfortunately, due to the enormous pressures musicians are constantly called upon to endure, their families suffer, leading very often to breakups. As pointed out in the memoirs, if anyone wishes to succeed in the music business, he or she must first be dedicated, with total belief in oneself, utterly selfish. Nonetheless, as Mitchell confesses, nothing compares with the pain and upset one goes through when your family falls apart.

Mitchell structures his autobiography in such a way that he allows the reader to walk along with him through his thirty years in the music industry, experiencing his successes and disappointments. Much of what Mitchell went through is quite recognizable among musicians, it nevertheless will come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with the music industry that all is not as glamorous as it appears and the road to success is often filled with many difficulties.
Mitchell has told his story well, although perhaps a good editor would have helped him tell it better. Incidentally, Mitchell is still gigging strong.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

From the Outside Looking in: Short Stories for Lds Teenagers

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Really good collection of stories!

From the Outside Looking in: Short Stories for Lds Teenagers

Manufacturer: Bookcraft Pubs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Writing for Children and Teenagers

ASIN: 1570084122

Book Description

Fifteen popular YA authors address feelings of teen isolation with thought-provoking and delightful stories designed to help. Using an engaging variety of voices and plots, they explore alienation from an LDS perspective and do so with a healthy dose of humor, sports, relationships, family, and faith. No matter what the circumstances, these stories are sure to uplift and reassure.

Customer Reviews:

Really good collection of stories!.......2000-04-02

For those of you that don't enjoy ploughing through those long books, this one's the one for you! It has several cool short stories under different sections such as decisions, testimony etc, so if you fancy reading something under a specific topic, you can find the page easily! For those of you who love Jack Weyland's books, this one has a really good story of his. I also like the one...but that would be telling! I really recommend this book for LDS AND non-LDS people.

The Celtic Tiger: From the Outside Looking in

Average customer rating:

The Celtic Tiger: From the Outside Looking in
Mary Valarasan-Toomey
Manufacturer: Blackhall Publishing, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1901657213

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