Captain Fantastic by Tom Doyle

Book Review: Captain Fantastic by Tom Doyle This great biography of Elton John is another nostalgic trip of a read. The meteoric rise of Elton and his amazing production of songs in the 70s and early 80s is really something to look back on and marvel. Considering their legendary status it is amazing to read about Bernie and Elton’s early years, and the fact that they worked on songs together before they even met, with their agents getting Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to Elton so her could put them to music. Since we all know the songs of these two so well, it’s a great vehicle to read about what was happening in their lives when they create specific songs and albums, and what many of the songs are really about. As pointed out in this book, many people gave deep and mystical meanings to their songs, when they were really just about more personal things happening to them at the time.

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Book review: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin This autobiography provides a great overview of Steve’s early life and his life in stand up comedy, and an interesting treatise on why he stopped doing stand up. It also provides some history of comedy transitioning from vaudeville to the modern era, and how comedy has evolved from the 1950s until now. Following his career development from the 60s through to the 80s, we are given the evolution of a comedian who was so much a part of the pop culture of the day. I found it interesting to read about the foundation of so many things that were a part of my younger life, phrases like “a wild and crazy guy!” that became catch phrases seemingly overnight. You can definitely hear Steve’s voice when reading this book. Pairing this with the biography of Elton John, “Captain Fantastic” you get a real sense of the pop culture of the 70s and 80s and so much that pervaded out lives. The one major difference of course being that Steve’s is an autobiography and the Elton book a biography. Elton’s autobiography is slated to come out in 2019.