They Can't Hide Us Anymore

Richie Havens was one of the artists who helped bring lush poetry and a social conscience to popular music in the sixties. From his unique vantage point, we watch the emerging careers of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, and Lou Gossett Jr. (who cowrote one of Richie's most famous songs) and revisit underappreciated singer-songwriters, among them Fred Nell, Judy Henske, Tim Hardin, Dino Valenti, and Bruce Murdoch. From his unusual guitar style to the process of writing and interpreting songs, Richie relates both the triumphs and frustrations of the music business and invites you into the recording studio and on memorable backstage visits with the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

But music is only one side of Richie Havens. He also describes his nonprofit organization for marine study and conservation, the song that sent him on a Middle East peace mission, his work mobilizing schoolchildren as environmental activists, and the true legacy of the Woodstock generation. Here is a candid, compelling, exhilarating visit with a remarkable artist whose joy in living and faith in the human spirit are contagious.

Havens's tales of the people he met in New York City during the 1960s -- Bob Dylan, James Earl Jones (who also contributes a generous foreword), Joan Baez, Lou Gossett Jr. and others -- are full of nostalgic appeal. Such grace notes from Havens the historian, however, get overwhelmed by his penchant for pontificating -- on the environment, drug use, child-rearing, world peace, you name it. He grows wearisome fast. Warning: Havens takes astrology very seriously. He dismisses his absentmindedness as "an Aquarian trait" and describes a former business manager as a "very nervous type. He also was a Capricorn." As for John Lennon, the ex-Beatle "had a strong premonition that something was going to happen to him," reports Havens. "I know I did."

All of which raises one more question: Does Havens, a talented, likable musical performer, have any premonitions about his future in publishing? All in all an interesting glimpse into a life of contradictions and fun.


Self-centered and Uneducated   November 28, 1999
 4 out of 16 found this review helpful

I am a 17-year old senior who had to pick an autobiography to read for my AP English class. I'd heard Mr. Havens' music before and thought that this would be an interesting read. Not having grown up in the Woodstock generation, maybe I cannot fully appreciate all that Richie Havens tried to portray, but I feel I am a relatively open-minded person.

I felt that he (Havens) came across as incredibly self-centered and self-promoting. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that an autobiography should be less about one's accomplishments, which anyone can find out with a little research, but more about what makes someone the way they are. Havens talked a lot about all the wonderful things that he has done, which is fine, but it was all done in a self rightious tone.

Whenever he would begin to touch on his influencees or idols, it came across in a name-dropper sort of way. You know the type of people-- the ones that have to brag about who all they know. I think his meetings with the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, etc. were supposed to come across as humble and interesting, but I didn't get that impression at all.

I think that this could have been an incredibly interesting book. He is an amazing performer and has plenty of experiences and knowledge to share, but it could have been done in a more accessible and less narrative sort of way. But, what do I know? I'm just one of those rebellious members of Generation X.


A Man Well Beyond His Music   September 25, 1999
If you have ever seen Richie perform, then you will feel that you are a part of this book. It draws you in like you are sitting next to him and he is telling you stories of the likes of Dylan and Hendrix. This book is an extension of Havens and shows you a side of him beyond his melodic guitar and ballads. I have spent many hours both listening to his performances and talking with him in his dressing rooms and at many Woodstock anniversaries. I thought I knew him well until I purchased his book. It showed me the real Havens, and what a great man he truly is. I urge you to sit down and read it from cover to cover and then read it again !


A soothing book written from the heart   September 23, 1999
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book reveals the inner thoughts of Richie Haven's genius. The stories behind his story, with credits to those individuals who helped shape the true music of the 60's and 70's, are wonderful. One finds that the kindness expressed in Richie Haven's music and wishes for a better world, are those which really exist in his mind and spirit. This is a great book for anyone who grew-up in the 60's, as well as for others who love contemporary folk music and/or Richie Havens...S. Winters