Comments on She Blogged By Night: The Laughing Devil in His Sneer: Brother Love's Tr...

Thanks Clarence! I like Neil on "Mannix.&quo...

2012-02-14T16:48:13.862-06:00

Thanks Clarence!

I like Neil on "Mannix." Well, I just plain like "Mannix" first of all, and I also like Neil's hipster basement musician character. It's so strange to our 2012 eyes to realize that at one point, Neil Diamond was not only hip but considered underground, at least for the "Mannix" intended audience.

Some Neil on 'Mannix' : http://www.youtube...

2012-02-14T16:38:29.107-06:00

Some Neil on 'Mannix' : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyRXFd1Hv2o
As an old Neil fan, I'm blown away by what I learned from this post. Thx!

Scott, you are far too kind. Thank you for your c...

2012-02-03T08:51:31.768-06:00

Scott, you are far too kind. Thank you for your comments, I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you said.

I'm seriously considering doing a Phantom Creeps post just to get my mind reset.

Oh, and anyone who is rethinking their opinions on Neil Diamond, take it from me, you don't want to get too deep in this. Your life will turn into a psychological thriller if you're not careful. You'll be watching Possession and think, "Yeah, that's kind of how I acted when I first heard 'Lordy'..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhDpf92ff50

(P.S. When I was looking this up on YT, I discovered there is a tribute band called Nine Inch Neils. I am horrified and delighted at the same time.)

Well, this was definitely worth waiting for, and I...

2012-02-01T17:08:43.208-06:00

Well, this was definitely worth waiting for, and I say that as someone who couldn't care less about Neil Diamond. Not a hater, I just always thought of him as a campy figure, a kind of less aggressive Tom Jones, probably because my mother liked him (the only "rock" albums my parents owned were a couple by Neil, one by the Beatles, and the rest of their collection consisted of Kingston Trio-style folk revival and Dixieland Jazz of the sort one encountered at Disneyland's Carnation Plaza). In my defense, I'd never actually heard Brother Love before now, and that was kind of eye-opening.

But the mark of a gifted critic is to make her subject interesting to even an indifferent observer, and I was fascinated from the opening paragraph to the beautifully wrought ending. How you managed to make Neil Diamond (who I have studiously ignored since 1982 -- having decided that Heartlight would end its days as the jingle for a brand of electronic medical alert bracelets) into a larger than life, even tragic figure, is a pretty neat trick, and I haven't a clue how you managed it.

Sun Tzu said a general must utilize false reports and appearances to maintain order, after all, and what is the world of celebrity if not a constant war against irrelevance?

This is probably the pithiest summation of modern American culture I've ever read.

He had such an emotional distance from his own songs that he inserted blatant sexual innuendo into "Shilo," presenting his ass to a front-row patron and turning a song about a lonely young boy's imaginary friend into an episode of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" with guest host Sigmund Freud.

Thoughtful, perceptive, informative, and yet with that trademarked Stacia snark. Can't wait for the next installment (not to say I would object to another chapter of Phantom Creeps in the meantime, but I realize you can't produce this caliber of work without budgeting your time).

You're very tolerant of me, Mykal.

2012-01-27T06:22:47.369-06:00

You're very tolerant of me, Mykal.

Stacia: OK. I'll live (grudgingly) with the sh...

2012-01-25T19:15:46.705-06:00

Stacia: OK. I'll live (grudgingly) with the shorter posts for these sweet entries. Again - great job.

Mykal, you always know the exact right thing to sa...

2012-01-25T18:55:58.069-06:00

Mykal, you always know the exact right thing to say, thank you so much.

I love your recollection of hearing the song on the radio! I wasn't born when the single dropped, but I doubt it got a lot of airplay in Southern Missouri. Our local AM station KJEL didn't play "Soolaimon" until the late 1970s.

Isn't the key amazing? It's beautiful, the way the light hits that key, and how that stage right camera caught it so explicitly.

Honestly, I am probably going to keep up with the picture posts and shorter things for at least a while. I've carved out a chunk of time every day for writing, and I gotta make sure I've gotten my proverbial million words out of the way.

That's what I'm talking about, baby! Skip ...

2012-01-25T11:16:28.699-06:00

That's what I'm talking about, baby! Skip the picture posts and space fillers. Give me this every time! I don't mind long lapses between posts as long as this sort of thing waits for me on the other side! Can I get an amen, brothers and sisters!

Speaking of Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, I loved this well written (let me repeat that: well written) analysis of how Diamond has handled and evolved through this song. I never understood the religious faction's opposition to this song. I remember a recess when I was in the 6th grade - Eric Baddie had a transistor radio and Brother Love came on. He cranked it for all the tiny speaker would take, till the song was barely more than a loud crackle. I remember three girls screaming the chorus at the top of their lungs, shimmying around. In other words, I always felt the song was a complete homage to the supreme power of spiritual awakening.

Oh, and I love the moment when Diamond (Brother Love) receives the healing touch of the key from the long, female arm with the graceful hand. I also loved the way the fan let her finger glide over Brother Love's palm as their hands parted. Smooth, Neil. Smooth as can be.

Thanks, MJ, I appreciate it.

2012-01-25T06:44:48.302-06:00

Thanks, MJ, I appreciate it.

I read your post yesterday and have returned to ap...

2012-01-25T05:48:31.077-06:00

I read your post yesterday and have returned to applaud.

Thank you Mariam and Dave! You as well, RFP, that...

2012-01-24T04:12:53.736-06:00

Thank you Mariam and Dave! You as well, RFP, that is extremely kind of you to say.

Dave, I agree that it's unbelievable to see someone so nervous so many years after they had already become a huge international star.

Vincent, I most certainly owe you apologies for all this. It hasn't been boring, but there's only so much entertainment value to be had in a chick goin' crazy.

Also, I forgot to mention that I have a TON of people and websites to thank for their help, and have a post in the works about that -- if anyone reading this is thinking "Hey, she should thank me" then you're probably right!

RFP: Much like Dave E. I had also been just a cas...

2012-01-23T22:11:48.259-06:00

RFP: Much like Dave E. I had also been just a casual fan (actually, more like a Hot August Night snob) and had never known too much about Neil beyond his music.

However, through Stacia's passion for the subject matter and full dedication to researching his career I found out I was astoundingly ignorant of Neil's history and origins. Now, the name Neil Diamond doesn't just conjure up memories of a great double live album I grew up listening to but of a complicated, amazing, infuriating and often very lucky man, who's career makes me laugh, cry and otherwise sends me into a complete head spin.

In short, thank you Stacia. It's been an amazing journey of discovery : )

Wow. Wow. Wow. Amazingly well-written piece. I'...

2012-01-23T21:08:14.001-06:00

Wow. Wow. Wow. Amazingly well-written piece. I've been a casual Neil Diamond fan for years, but I never knew much about him nor had I seen clips of him performing. It's amazing that someone with such obvious stage fright could become such a mega star.

This is unbelievably good. Most bloggers have a pa...

2012-01-23T20:53:44.217-06:00

This is unbelievably good. Most bloggers have a passion (obviously) for the subjects they write about, but that passion isn't usually combined with such an articulate, entertaining voice.

To be honest, I never even cared about Neil Diamond until I read this. I stumbled on this blog via Twitter and was immediately engrossed by your writing. You made me care about a subject that I had no interest in. Very nice work. Can't wait to read more.

I'm totally overwhelmed by your blog post. Can...

2012-01-23T14:47:09.678-06:00

I'm totally overwhelmed by your blog post. Can't wait for the other parts! Lovely work!

This is part one of a planned three parts, but I d...

2012-01-23T07:25:33.689-06:00

This is part one of a planned three parts, but I don't yet know when the next two parts will drop.

I'll be posting all my sources later on, but in the meantime, just leave a comment if you want to know a particular source now. Note that I won't be around today (Monday) until the evening.