Another Little Piece of My Heart (34 page)

I don’t intend this memoir to be a definitive account. Nearly everything of importance that happened in the sixties is heavily contested, so I’m sure that much of what I saw and believed can be disputed. I’ve related my perceptions as they were, and owned up when they changed. As for my opinions of rock, they are what they are. There’s no such thing as the truth about a piece of music; only a consensus. Sometimes I shared it, and sometimes not. So sue me!

First and foremost I’m grateful to my spouse, Tony Ward, whose name for this book—“That bitch!”—was aptly chosen, since the project intruded extensively on our life together. Not only did he put up with my need for solitude and assuage my many bouts of panic, but he offered superb advice, without which this memoir would have been an unbalanced mess. I’m grateful as well to my former spouse, Judith Hibbard, a gifted professional editor, who read the manuscript, offered her own version of experiences we shared, and helped me through the thorny task of writing about people without invading their privacy.

My agent, Sarah Lazin, provided the professional acumen I lack, patiently walked me through the many shoals of a project like this, used her extensive knowledge of rock music and journalism to advise me with great skill, and—something I will never be able to repay sufficiently—has been a caring presence in my literary life. In addition, I am fortunate to have an editor, Anton Mueller, who affirmed my standard for what a skillful editor does: He spotted the problems and left the solutions to me. All his colleagues at Bloomsbury who worked on this book deserve my deepest thanks, as do the many friends who encouraged me.

Lyrics to “Bad Moon Rising” written by John C. Fogerty, © 1969 Jondora Music (BMI).

Lyrics to “Everything Is Beautiful” written by Ray Stevens, Copyright © 1970; renewed 1998. Ahab Music Company, Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics to “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” written by Rudy Clark © Trio Music Co., Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Dust in the Wind” written by Kerry Livgren, © Kirshner CBS Music Publishing (BMI).

Lyrics to “For What It’s Worth” written by Stephen Stills. © Ten East Music, Springalo-Cotillion (BMI).

Lyrics to “Rock ’N’ Roll” written by Lou Reed, © Oakfield Avenue Music Ltd. (BMI).

Lyrics to “MacArthur Park” written by Jimmy Webb, © Universal Polygram International Publishing, Inc.

Lyrics to “All You Need Is Love” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, © 1967 Northern Songs Ltd.

Lyrics to “Ball and Chain” written by Willie Mae Thornton, © Bro N Sis Music Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics to “See Me, Feel Me” written by Peter Townshend, © 1969 Fabulous Music Ltd.

Lyrics to “Blowin’ in the Wind” written by Bob Dylan, © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music.

Lyrics to “Norwegian Wood” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, © 1965 Northern Songs Ltd.

Lyrics to “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” written by George Morton, © 1964 Screen Gems-EMI/Tender Tunes Inc./Trio Music Co. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Not Fade Away” written by Charles Hardin (Buddy Holly) and Norman Petty, © 1958 Wren Music Co. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Ballad of a Crystal Man” written by Donovan Leitch (Donovan), © 1965 by Donovan Leitch.

Lyrics to “Heroin” written by Lou Reed, © Oakfield Avenue Music Ltd. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Substitute” written by Pete Townshend, © Devon Music Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Ballad of a Thin Man” written by Bob Dylan, © 1965 Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music.

Lyrics to “All Along the Watchtower” written by Bob Dylan, © 1968 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1996 by Dwarf Music.

Lyrics to “Working Class Hero” written by John Lennon, © 1970 by Yoko Ono, Sean Ono & Julian Lennon.

Lyrics to “Give Peace a Chance” written by John Lennon, © Yoko Ono, Sean Ono & Julian Lennon.

Lyrics to “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” written by John Philips, © Trousdale Music Publishers Inc.

Lyrics to “Fun Fun Fun” written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, © 1964 Irving Music.

Lyrics to “Vega-Tables” written by Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson. © 1967 Irving Music

Lyrics to “Take It Easy” written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, © 1972 Swallow Turn Music.

Lyrics to “Surf City” written by Brian Wilson and Jan Berry, © Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics to “Go Go Round” written by Gordon Lightfoot, © Witmark (ASCAP).

Lyrics to “The End” written by Jim Morrison, © by Admiral Morrison, Mrs. George Morrison, Columbus B. Courson & Mrs. Columbus B. Courson.

Lyrics from “Break on Through (to the Other Side)” by Jim Morrison, © 1966 Admiral Morrison, Mrs. George Morrison, Columbus B. Courson & Mrs. Columbus B. Courson.

Lyrics to “Light My Fire” written by the Doors (James Morrison, Robert Krieger, John Densmore & Ray Manzarek), © 1967 Nipper Music Co. (ASCAP).

Lyrics from “Let’s Spend the Night Together” by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, © ABKCO Music Inc. (BMI).

Lyrics from “The Under-Assistant West Coast Promotion Man” by Nanker Phelge (The Rolling Stones), © 1965 ABKCO Music Inc. (BMI); renewed 1993.

Richard Goldstein is one of the founders of rock criticism, beginning with his Pop Eye column in the
Village Voice
in 1966 when he was just twenty-two. His reporting led to a long career as a commentator on culture, politics, and sexuality. His work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including the
New York Times
,
New York
,
Harper’s
,
Artforum
, the
Guardian
, and the
Nation
, and he served as arts editor and then executive editor of the
Village Voice
. His gay activism earned him a GLAAD award as columnist of the year. His books include the bestselling
The Poetry of Rock
,
Reporting the Counterculture
, and
Homocons: The Rise of the Gay Right
. He is currently an adjunct professor at Hunter College of the City University of New York where he teaches, among other classes, a course on the sixties.

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First published 2015

This electronic edition published in April 2015

© Richard Goldstein 2015

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No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author.

ISBN: HB: 978-1-62040-887-2

          PB: 978-1-62040-888-9

      ePub: 978-1-62040-889-6

L
IBRARY OF
C
ONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Goldstein, Richard, 1944– author.

Another little piece of my heart: my life of rock and revolution in the ’60s / Richard Goldstein.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-62040-887-2 (hardback) 978-1-62040-888-9 (paperback) 978-1-62040-889-6 (ebook)

1. Goldstein, Richard, 1944–   2. Music journalists—United States—Biography.   3. Rock music—History and criticism.   I. Title.

ML423.G677A3 2015

781.66092—dc23

[B]

2014028393

2  4  6  8  10  9  7  5  3  1

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