This Week: Barbra Streisand’s long-awaited autobiography “My Name is Barbra.” Kenneth Womack’s biography of the Beatles’ famous roadie Mal Evans, and Drew Gallagher’s latest humor column
MY NAME IS BARBRA
by Barbra Streisand
Published by Viking (November 7, 2023)
Hardcover $31.50
Audible $14.95
Reviewed by Penny A Parrish
In the 1980s, I was a television news director in Minneapolis/St. Paul, a major market at a time when less than 2% of news directors were women. At my first national convention, men kept coming up to me and asking which newsroom my husband ran. It was apparently inconceivable to most of them that I might be the one in charge. That memory came bouncing back as I read Barbra’s autobiography. She fought similar battles in her career, especially with the “good old boys club” in Hollywood.
About the book: it’s long. Very long. Almost 1000 pages. It took her ten years to write (she is now 81), so she has a lot to cover. Her dad, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate and educator, died at age 35 when she was an infant. She has no photo of him holding her, and the loss of this man still permeates her life. Her relationship with her mother was chilly and with her stepfather even worse. She took acting lessons to escape reality, and when someone heard her sing, she was booked into small clubs in New York City. From there, she got a supporting role in I Can Get It For You Wholesale, for which she received a Tony nomination. Record albums followed, and in 1964, she won two Grammy awards. Up next, Funny Girl on Broadway and later as a movie (she tied for Best Actress that year with Katherine Hepburn). The list goes on and on.
But these are things most people already know. In this book, you learn about her marriage to Elliott Gould and their son Jason – how the relationship started and how it came apart. She mentions hundreds of people in the entertainment business and focuses on several who were difficult to work with including Sydney Chaplin (son of Charlie). Others were a delight including Kris Kristofferson, Ryan O’Neal, and Robert Redford. We follow her journey from singer and actress to writer and producer and director and feel her pain when Prince of Tides gets seven Oscar nominations, including best picture, but does not recognize her work as director.
Little tidbits were fascinating. During a performance, the microphone taped between her breasts started picking up police calls, which could be heard by audience members up front. She wanted to make a sequel decades after The Way We Were. She made Nixon’s “Enemies List.” She has had tinnitus since childhood. Her stage fright was so bad that after her Concert in Central Park, she did not perform in a similar venue for more than 25 years.
Her passions these days are her husband of 25 years, James Brolin, their grandchildren and her support of environmental, humanitarian, artistic, and political causes. And she still sings. If you like Barbra, you’ll find it worthwhile to turn all these pages. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
Penny A Parrish is a long-time book reviewer and artist. Learn more about her by visiting her page at Brush Strokes Gallery, which is in downtown Fredericksburg.
LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND: THE UNTOLD STORY OF MAL EVANS
by Kenneth Womack
Published by Dey Street Books (November 14, 2023)
Hardcover 35.99
Audible $14.95
Reviewed by Drew Gallagher
When I undertake a book like Living The Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans, I always worry that my editor is going to yell at me. Not that she’s ever yelled at me, but I recognize that when I read a 500-page biography it might cut into my ability to read more books and produce more book reviews. The story of Mal Evans, however, was worth the commitment and an editor’s wrath.
To anyone familiar with the Beatles universe, Mal is well-known as their original roadie who ultimately became integral in the band’s live shows and rise to fame. When he died, some news outlets referred to him as the “Sixth Beatle” which would have chuffed him to no end. Author Kenneth Womack was given access to Mal’s extensive diaries which covered his years with the band and are an absolute trove of anecdotes that, until now, remained private except to his immediate family and a few book publishers who bid on his memoir before his tragic death in 1976.
Mal was a bear of a man with the proverbial heart of gold which made him perfect to haul huge amps onto the stage, make tea for The Fab Four during lengthy recording sessions, or get them marijuana or cocaine just about anywhere in the world because he was so likable and flush with Beatles’ petty cash. His size also made him a de facto bodyguard for the band which rarely led to confrontation because of his intimidating physical presence, but Mal was more than willing to take or throw a punch for his friends. Being the Beatles’ gatekeeper of course came with many perks including having to screen women for backstage visits with the lads after gigs. Though Mal was married, apparently what happened in the United States on tour stayed in the United States except when his wife would find love letters in his suitcase when he returned home.
It seems as though anyone who ever entered the Beatles’ orbit has written about the experience, so there is always the question of how close was their connection to the Beatles, but in Mal’s case, it is obvious that he was genuinely considered a friend by John, Paul, George, and Ringo. John was devastated when he learned of Mal’s death and broke down crying. George, many months after Mal’s passing, went to visit Mal’s wife Lil in London to ask forgiveness for introducing Mal to a girlfriend in California whose presence in Mal’s life had led to the precipice of divorce. Paul had recently phoned Mal to see if he’d be interested in being tour manager for an upcoming tour with his band Wings.
Being so close to the fame (and drugs) that emanated from The Beatles, however, proved to be a lifelong internal conflict for Mal who wanted to be known as something more than a roadie even if it was for the greatest band in the world. He tried his hand at songwriting (and even had a few minor hits that he co-penned) and appeared on a number of Beatles’ songs playing some form of percussion or singing backing vocals, but there was an unceasing desire to be the one in the front of the photo and not offstage while the band played. Womack includes never-before published photos from Mal’s personal collection and many underscore this dichotomy of being there but in the background.
Therein lies the rub. Mal may have perceived himself as just a small part of the Beatles’ world, but his role was instrumental (sorry) in their success. For most of the world’s population, there was no role in the Beatles’ world other than watching and listening to some of the greatest music ever made. As the title suggests, Mal Evans did live the Beatles legend, but he also died because of it.
Drew Gallagher is a freelance writer residing in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is the second-most-prolific book reviewer and first video book reviewer in the 136-year history of the Free Lance-Star Newspaper. He aspires to be the second-most-prolific book reviewer in the history of FXBG Advance.
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