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Dream A Little Dream Of Me
'The greatest white female singer ever' was how Boy George described pop icon Cass Elliot, also known as Mama Cass, the sixties diva who became the recognisable face of the Mamas and Papas. Hailed as America's answer to the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas' hits like 'California Dreaming', 'Dedicated to the One I Love' and 'Monday Monday' became the soundtrack to the sixties. Cass's uniquely emotive voice, charismatic wit and outsized multi-coloured kaftans singled her out as a popstar who refused to conform to traditional female stereotypes. When she left the group her popularity was such that she immediately had a top 10 hit with her debut single 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' and became the queen of Los Angeles society. Her Beverley Hills villa was the scene of legendary parties, becoming second home to Jack Nicholson, Ryan O'Neal, Grace Slick and David Crosby. But there was a darker side to her fame - having been constantly on a diet and battling drug addiction for years, she died mysteriously in London at the age of 33. Including interviews with Cass's friends and family, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty from the Mamas and the Papas, and many of the famous names who knew her, this is both an insightful biography of an extraordinary singer and a fascinating glimpse into the free-living, free-loving ideals of the California hippy movement as the optimism of the flower-child generation was crushed by the Vietnam War.
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First published January 1, 2005
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May 10, 2015
Wow, what a thorough biography!
As a young girl growing up in the late 60's and 70's with young, hip parents, I was exposed to a lot of popular music and folk was regularly played in my house. I really did appreciate the music of The Mamas and The Papas and especially Cass's booming alto. As a lover of all things counter-culture and "hippie", I admired her sense of style and the fact that in an era where you rarely saw a female performer who wasn't thin and/or classically beautiful, she did stand out. As a burgeoning feminist, I saw that her success came despite her looks and she, along with Janis Joplin and a few others, forged the way for female pop stars who were to be judged solely on their musical talent.
That being said, I already knew enough about the history of the group (from reading John Phillips' and Mackenzie Phillips' biographies) to know that the hedonistic rock and roll lifestyle was a big part of the group's history. I didn't know; however, how much Cass's insecurity about her looks played into her decision making process, especially concerning her choices of companions. She pined for Denny Doherty for many years, but their relationship remained platonic. He did; however, hook up with Michelle Phillips, a choice that tore the group apart, as John and Cass were both hurt. John and Cass clashed. A lot. He was very controlling and she would not stand being controlled. It didn't sit well with him that she, a large woman with an even larger personality, spoke up frequently about most everything.
In 1967, an unmarried Cass gave birth to her only child, a daughter she named Owen. John assumed she would have an abortion, but Cass wouldn't hear of it. She became a good mother despite her continual abuse of her body with drugs. Frankly, I think it's a miracle that her daughter did not seem to suffer much, considering she regularly took LSD and every other drug she could get her hands on during her entire pregnancy.
Fortunately, Cass's monetary success meant that she could hire nannies to help her while she was touring.
Cass enjoyed a healthy sex life, though it seemed that she was never satisfied with the relationships she had with the men in her life. Many of her friends were suspicious of her suitors, wondering why a good-looking man would want to have a relationship with a fat woman like Cass. She was somewhat of an anomaly as a large woman in the 60's, as obesity was not nearly as prevalent as it is now. Cass did like to eat, but she also managed to lose a great deal of weight towards the end of her career. She was teased and taunted, even by those she considered friends. That really makes me sad. Even as a young girl studying The Mamas and the Papas album covers, it was easy to recognize the stark contrast between Cass and Michelle and to feel sympathy for Cass, even though she often appeared tough as nails in pictures.
I hate to give this book less than 5 stars because I adore the subject. However, the author quotes many people in the book and this is where I had an issue. She routinely uses the very British "straightaway" and "shag" while directly quoting non-British people. I hardly think that an American in the 60's would have used those words and I wonder why she paraphrased or if the quotes are real at all. This bothered me quite a bit. I also think that this book could have been condensed a little. It was packed with information and seemed to drag in spots.
All in all, this book made me feel sad, but I'm glad I read it. Some of the people who were quoted, most notably Denny Doherty, have died since this was published in 2005. I wonder how different Cass's life would have been if she had lived. I felt bad that her daughter had to basically grow up without her and I wanted Cass to eventually feel happy and satisfied.
One word about her death. She did not choke to death. The autopsy showed a heart problem.
As a young girl growing up in the late 60's and 70's with young, hip parents, I was exposed to a lot of popular music and folk was regularly played in my house. I really did appreciate the music of The Mamas and The Papas and especially Cass's booming alto. As a lover of all things counter-culture and "hippie", I admired her sense of style and the fact that in an era where you rarely saw a female performer who wasn't thin and/or classically beautiful, she did stand out. As a burgeoning feminist, I saw that her success came despite her looks and she, along with Janis Joplin and a few others, forged the way for female pop stars who were to be judged solely on their musical talent.
That being said, I already knew enough about the history of the group (from reading John Phillips' and Mackenzie Phillips' biographies) to know that the hedonistic rock and roll lifestyle was a big part of the group's history. I didn't know; however, how much Cass's insecurity about her looks played into her decision making process, especially concerning her choices of companions. She pined for Denny Doherty for many years, but their relationship remained platonic. He did; however, hook up with Michelle Phillips, a choice that tore the group apart, as John and Cass were both hurt. John and Cass clashed. A lot. He was very controlling and she would not stand being controlled. It didn't sit well with him that she, a large woman with an even larger personality, spoke up frequently about most everything.
In 1967, an unmarried Cass gave birth to her only child, a daughter she named Owen. John assumed she would have an abortion, but Cass wouldn't hear of it. She became a good mother despite her continual abuse of her body with drugs. Frankly, I think it's a miracle that her daughter did not seem to suffer much, considering she regularly took LSD and every other drug she could get her hands on during her entire pregnancy.
Fortunately, Cass's monetary success meant that she could hire nannies to help her while she was touring.
Cass enjoyed a healthy sex life, though it seemed that she was never satisfied with the relationships she had with the men in her life. Many of her friends were suspicious of her suitors, wondering why a good-looking man would want to have a relationship with a fat woman like Cass. She was somewhat of an anomaly as a large woman in the 60's, as obesity was not nearly as prevalent as it is now. Cass did like to eat, but she also managed to lose a great deal of weight towards the end of her career. She was teased and taunted, even by those she considered friends. That really makes me sad. Even as a young girl studying The Mamas and the Papas album covers, it was easy to recognize the stark contrast between Cass and Michelle and to feel sympathy for Cass, even though she often appeared tough as nails in pictures.
I hate to give this book less than 5 stars because I adore the subject. However, the author quotes many people in the book and this is where I had an issue. She routinely uses the very British "straightaway" and "shag" while directly quoting non-British people. I hardly think that an American in the 60's would have used those words and I wonder why she paraphrased or if the quotes are real at all. This bothered me quite a bit. I also think that this book could have been condensed a little. It was packed with information and seemed to drag in spots.
All in all, this book made me feel sad, but I'm glad I read it. Some of the people who were quoted, most notably Denny Doherty, have died since this was published in 2005. I wonder how different Cass's life would have been if she had lived. I felt bad that her daughter had to basically grow up without her and I wanted Cass to eventually feel happy and satisfied.
One word about her death. She did not choke to death. The autopsy showed a heart problem.
April 18, 2020
This book is often warm, insightful and compelling. However there were some things that bothered me about it and ultimately left me a bit disappointed. The author seems to want to psychoanalyze Cass posthumously and get to the “why” of her size. I don’t find that relevant or helpful - and because of this I find the author really buried the lead: that Cass Elliot ultimately died because of fatphobia and decades of weight cycling, diet pills and depression caused by the cruelty of others because she was fat. The rumour about her death that still pervades is inherently fatphobic! Why not bring that out more in this biography??
The part that this book get very right is really bringing out the voices of people who loved Cass and describing the special things about her that made her one of a kind.
The part that this book get very right is really bringing out the voices of people who loved Cass and describing the special things about her that made her one of a kind.
August 1, 2015
I started reading this book already in love with The Mamas and the Papas, but I didn't really know the story, especially the story of Cass Elliot. What a woman! It is unfortunate that her weight was such a big problem in her career. It held her back since her childhood, but she was that type of person who didn't let it get in her way of making something out of herself. She had so much passion for music and fame to the point that she would go to far lengths to make it. John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty were creating a band before The Mamas and the Papas happened, and Cass Elliot wanted in. However, due to her size, John didn't think she would fit the look of the group because he wanted a band like Peter Paul and Mary. Did that stop Cass? Nope! While they were performing in a club that Cass worked at, she would add her own harmonies on the floor during their set. It got to the point that John would correct her and she was totally fine with it. He eventually allowed her in, and there sets the rest of the story!
The Mamas and the Papas set the tone of the hippie age! Cass was a big part of starting Crosby, Stills and Nash! Her passion resonated everywhere!
I love her sound and her personality. It is true, she would have been everywhere if she were still alive because she never stopped doing stuff. In the last chapter, it said she would have been Oprah before Oprah was Oprah. Agreed. R.I.P. Cass! You are still an inspiration.
The Mamas and the Papas set the tone of the hippie age! Cass was a big part of starting Crosby, Stills and Nash! Her passion resonated everywhere!
I love her sound and her personality. It is true, she would have been everywhere if she were still alive because she never stopped doing stuff. In the last chapter, it said she would have been Oprah before Oprah was Oprah. Agreed. R.I.P. Cass! You are still an inspiration.
January 24, 2012
Detailed, objective and impeccably researched, this book is a MUST for Cass fans (like me), but is also incredibly readable, unlike a lot of rock bio's; you don't have to even be a music fan to find this book thoroughly enjoyable. At times it reads more like a novel, such is Fiegal's skill at capturing the spirit of her subject, at her best and her worst; I found myself laughing out loud at Cass's lighter moments, and shaking my head at her dissapointments. Fiegal's account of Cass's first meeting with John Lennon is particularly memorable; the scene played out in my mind as i read it, and that is the most wonderful thing about this book - more than just a fly on the wall biography, Dream a little dream of me painted pictures in my mind I won't soon forget...nor would I want to. Highly reccomended.
April 23, 2020
This is a comprehensive, well-researched, and fascinating look into the life of Ellen Naomi Cohen, i.e. Cass Elliot, i.e. "Mama Cass" of the folk/rock group "The Mama's and the Papas." From her childhood, to her musical start in the folk group "The Big Three," to her final solo performances in London a the Palladium, and finally her untimely death (and no, she did not choke on anything), this book covers it all. Rich with details about Cass's weight issues, her relationships, her music, and her famous friends, what shines here above all the rest, is Cass's generosity of heart and spirit. Whether a fan or not of Cass Elliot or any of her musical groups, this is a biography not to be missed. It explores not only Cass's life, but the beginnings of folk music, pop rock, and the popular rock with have today, and the times that were a'changing. A good read for anyone.
September 12, 2016
If you want to read a book on the Mamas and The Papas, skip over any of the other titles available and read Dream a Little Dream of Me. Featuring interviews with John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, David Crosby, Graham Nash, as well as Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, the book illustrates that the story of Ellen Naomi Cohen, AKA Cass Elliot, is the story of Laurel Canyon itself. Not only was Cass Elliot the star member of the Mamas and Papas, her home on Woodrow Wilson Drive was an endless party where the best pop musicians in the world got high, ate like kings, wrote songs, and formed new bands.
The driving force behind this 20th century counterculture salon is portrayed as an intelligent, outgoing, liberal, quick-witted woman, oft misunderstood, with a taste for the fanciful. Ambiguous and ill-suited relationships with men, struggles with weight, substance abuse, and childhood ostracization figure heavily into her story. And then there's John Phillips, an insecure man who made her a star and simultaneously made her life a living hell.
For me, the best element of this book is Denny Doherty's detailed recollections of his life with Cass. There were few people closer to her during the 1960s than Denny and it was interesting to see his great remorse for how things played out between them.
Pick this one up if you want to learn the real story of The Mamas and The Papas tempered with the wisdom of time. Published 20 years after John Phillips' Papa John and Michelle Phillips' California Dreamin', the involved parties seem to be less concerned with their own public perception and more willing to share the truth about what happened during that little bubble of pop history.
The driving force behind this 20th century counterculture salon is portrayed as an intelligent, outgoing, liberal, quick-witted woman, oft misunderstood, with a taste for the fanciful. Ambiguous and ill-suited relationships with men, struggles with weight, substance abuse, and childhood ostracization figure heavily into her story. And then there's John Phillips, an insecure man who made her a star and simultaneously made her life a living hell.
For me, the best element of this book is Denny Doherty's detailed recollections of his life with Cass. There were few people closer to her during the 1960s than Denny and it was interesting to see his great remorse for how things played out between them.
Pick this one up if you want to learn the real story of The Mamas and The Papas tempered with the wisdom of time. Published 20 years after John Phillips' Papa John and Michelle Phillips' California Dreamin', the involved parties seem to be less concerned with their own public perception and more willing to share the truth about what happened during that little bubble of pop history.
April 22, 2026
It was my husband who first really explained to me who Cass Elliot was. I had known, had heard her name, but he threw out the idea of naming a Dachshund after her, and once I started exploring who the actual woman was--I became fixated. Like the Shakers or the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Cass Elliot solidified herself in my imagination and my fascination. What was it about her that so captured me? I can't say for sure. Perhaps it's that she was from a different time in our country's history, one that had almost promised to lead to a different, better future. Perhaps it's because her image reminded me a bit of my own mother, her voice similarly so pointed out by my husband.
Whatever it was about her that I was taken with--it led me to this book: to date the most extensive and exhaustive biography of Cass Elliot that I've been able to find. The book is undertaken by Eddi Fiegel, to this point an author I'd never heard of. It was published in 2002--and I think that date is evident in the writing of the biography, so of its time and yet only a mere 30 years or so since Cass's death. One thing the short distance between Cass Elliot's life and this book's publishing afforded to the content of its pages is the extensive interviews Fiegel conducted to produce it. People who were present and integral to Elliot's life were still--mostly--alive at the time of writing, so it lent a lot of firsthand perspectives to the biography.
Still, I wonder, despite the relative recent publication after Cass's lifetime, what may have come from a biography that was published in more recent years, the 2020s or even one in the future. How would perspectives have changed, images and beauty had been considered differently, new psychological advancements discovered and undertaken and read retrospectively onto Elliot's life? I think a more modern approach would benefit the content of the biography.
For it was on the very first page that Fiegel couldn't help mention that Cass, known by many in her day as 'Mama Cass,' was a large woman. In almost every chapter, there's a sense of dread and foreboding tied to Cass's mental health and life due to her size, the fact that she was fat, and the underlying poor body image and insecurity that plagued her life--added to the perspective that she always just wished for a man's individual romantic attention and love for the duration of her short life. I was uncomfortable with this. Fiegel, having published the book in 2002 when beauty standards--admittedly by her own hand--were viciously cruel. The "in" look of the late '90s and early 2000s was emaciated, an almost stick-thin look that had the gossip magazines ruminating on stars' bulimia or anorexia. What would this book have said about Cass's image had it been written in 2026? In the years post-Lizzo and MeToo? I don't know if much would have changed, because so many in Cass's life who were interviewed for the book corroborated the fact that she was desperately in love with unavailable men who were, for lack of a better term, straight up assholes. Some of her close confidantes quote Cass as having struggled with her weight--they witnessed it, they saw her extreme diets and drug use in order to change her image, self-acceptance, etc. So is it really my place to say the direction of the book's tone in terms of her fatness is off?
One thing is certain--and that's that body image and looks played an ever-present role in society to an even harsher degree; especially in the time when Cass came of age, born in 1941, going to a prep school (or several), that she hated as she moved around, striking lowkey and then high-profile fame, and so on. The '50s and early '60s were no time to appear different. And yet she did. And, publicly at least, she owned it and blazed a trail for many to own themselves, too. And I'm not just referring to her size here.
Cass had a magnanimous, electric personality. Everyone around her felt her warmth; the love she brought to life, her verve and zest. People who knew her closer than shallowly recognized something pained and hurt hidden down below. Her voice is iconic--carrying any song she sang to new heights and new depths. Her voice is what I refer to as that recognizable, familiar "strong woman's voice of the '60s." Despite many rejections and mistreatments and hardships, she made it successfully in the Mugwumps, then the Mamas and the Papas, and then as a solo artist just at the cusp of a new career. She was no longer 'Mama Cass' by the end of her life.
One thing that is glaringly obvious in her life is the fact that so many men failed Cass Elliot. I often wondered, sometimes aloud, how so many men who came from the hippie generation of the '60s and early '70s became some of the worst men and misogynists of our present day. This book elucidated how for me in some very striking ways. For example, the man Fiedel claims to have been Cass's lifelong crush and object of Cass's devotion and romantic desires, Denny (also of the Mugwumps and Mamas and Papas), was so ready to receive her attention, her desire, her admiration and affections. But because of his striking shallowness, because of what she looked like, and his utter ego, he simply brushed her aside when he no longer needed her. She entered several "close friendships" that were more likely crushes in which the men around her either got her hooked on drugs, used her Hollywood house, her money, her support, and then disappeared when they had what she needed. Even her father, seemingly blind the the real need for stability in her life as a child, seemed to drag his family across the States to chase one failed business venture after another.
I was angry on Cass's behalf at the men she would even marry to help or support--suspicious of the men who doted on her--who would go on to basically abuse her kindness and openness. And that John Philips of the Mamas and the Papas? He's the greatest narcissistic asshole of them all. Fuck that guy.
All this to say, as I draw to an extended close, that Cass Elliot would have become so much more had she had the chance to do so. She is an amazing person, an artist, a figure in history. My fixation will not end upon the closing of this book. If you're interested, go look her up. Read this book, yes, it was well done--but also read her Wikipedia page. Listen to her wherever you get music. See her for whom she really was. Though the end of the biography came abruptly, I would have loved to hear more from her daughter, Owen, and those in her family in the wake of thirty years without her--now unbelievably 52 years without her. I'm grateful for her life and work.
Whatever it was about her that I was taken with--it led me to this book: to date the most extensive and exhaustive biography of Cass Elliot that I've been able to find. The book is undertaken by Eddi Fiegel, to this point an author I'd never heard of. It was published in 2002--and I think that date is evident in the writing of the biography, so of its time and yet only a mere 30 years or so since Cass's death. One thing the short distance between Cass Elliot's life and this book's publishing afforded to the content of its pages is the extensive interviews Fiegel conducted to produce it. People who were present and integral to Elliot's life were still--mostly--alive at the time of writing, so it lent a lot of firsthand perspectives to the biography.
Still, I wonder, despite the relative recent publication after Cass's lifetime, what may have come from a biography that was published in more recent years, the 2020s or even one in the future. How would perspectives have changed, images and beauty had been considered differently, new psychological advancements discovered and undertaken and read retrospectively onto Elliot's life? I think a more modern approach would benefit the content of the biography.
For it was on the very first page that Fiegel couldn't help mention that Cass, known by many in her day as 'Mama Cass,' was a large woman. In almost every chapter, there's a sense of dread and foreboding tied to Cass's mental health and life due to her size, the fact that she was fat, and the underlying poor body image and insecurity that plagued her life--added to the perspective that she always just wished for a man's individual romantic attention and love for the duration of her short life. I was uncomfortable with this. Fiegel, having published the book in 2002 when beauty standards--admittedly by her own hand--were viciously cruel. The "in" look of the late '90s and early 2000s was emaciated, an almost stick-thin look that had the gossip magazines ruminating on stars' bulimia or anorexia. What would this book have said about Cass's image had it been written in 2026? In the years post-Lizzo and MeToo? I don't know if much would have changed, because so many in Cass's life who were interviewed for the book corroborated the fact that she was desperately in love with unavailable men who were, for lack of a better term, straight up assholes. Some of her close confidantes quote Cass as having struggled with her weight--they witnessed it, they saw her extreme diets and drug use in order to change her image, self-acceptance, etc. So is it really my place to say the direction of the book's tone in terms of her fatness is off?
One thing is certain--and that's that body image and looks played an ever-present role in society to an even harsher degree; especially in the time when Cass came of age, born in 1941, going to a prep school (or several), that she hated as she moved around, striking lowkey and then high-profile fame, and so on. The '50s and early '60s were no time to appear different. And yet she did. And, publicly at least, she owned it and blazed a trail for many to own themselves, too. And I'm not just referring to her size here.
Cass had a magnanimous, electric personality. Everyone around her felt her warmth; the love she brought to life, her verve and zest. People who knew her closer than shallowly recognized something pained and hurt hidden down below. Her voice is iconic--carrying any song she sang to new heights and new depths. Her voice is what I refer to as that recognizable, familiar "strong woman's voice of the '60s." Despite many rejections and mistreatments and hardships, she made it successfully in the Mugwumps, then the Mamas and the Papas, and then as a solo artist just at the cusp of a new career. She was no longer 'Mama Cass' by the end of her life.
One thing that is glaringly obvious in her life is the fact that so many men failed Cass Elliot. I often wondered, sometimes aloud, how so many men who came from the hippie generation of the '60s and early '70s became some of the worst men and misogynists of our present day. This book elucidated how for me in some very striking ways. For example, the man Fiedel claims to have been Cass's lifelong crush and object of Cass's devotion and romantic desires, Denny (also of the Mugwumps and Mamas and Papas), was so ready to receive her attention, her desire, her admiration and affections. But because of his striking shallowness, because of what she looked like, and his utter ego, he simply brushed her aside when he no longer needed her. She entered several "close friendships" that were more likely crushes in which the men around her either got her hooked on drugs, used her Hollywood house, her money, her support, and then disappeared when they had what she needed. Even her father, seemingly blind the the real need for stability in her life as a child, seemed to drag his family across the States to chase one failed business venture after another.
I was angry on Cass's behalf at the men she would even marry to help or support--suspicious of the men who doted on her--who would go on to basically abuse her kindness and openness. And that John Philips of the Mamas and the Papas? He's the greatest narcissistic asshole of them all. Fuck that guy.
All this to say, as I draw to an extended close, that Cass Elliot would have become so much more had she had the chance to do so. She is an amazing person, an artist, a figure in history. My fixation will not end upon the closing of this book. If you're interested, go look her up. Read this book, yes, it was well done--but also read her Wikipedia page. Listen to her wherever you get music. See her for whom she really was. Though the end of the biography came abruptly, I would have loved to hear more from her daughter, Owen, and those in her family in the wake of thirty years without her--now unbelievably 52 years without her. I'm grateful for her life and work.
December 7, 2014
As with all biographies if you have no interest in the main character this book won't be for you...I however enjoyed the mamas and Pappas music plus the solo Cass Elliot stuff I have heard...a also have an interest in the Greenwich folk boom of the early sixties so to be honest I was always likely to enjoy this book.
That said I may not have rated it quite as highly if it wasn't quite so well researched and with input from a whole host of folks from that period in time.
It was a good book and one which explores how Cass felt about herself and far from the jolly large singer who died early...well there was a lot more there..that's not to say Cass doesn't come across as fun loving..she does but as with any life there's some tragedy within too.
That said I may not have rated it quite as highly if it wasn't quite so well researched and with input from a whole host of folks from that period in time.
It was a good book and one which explores how Cass felt about herself and far from the jolly large singer who died early...well there was a lot more there..that's not to say Cass doesn't come across as fun loving..she does but as with any life there's some tragedy within too.
Read
June 13, 2024Recently the NYT published an homage to Cass Elliot, focusing on not just her immense talent but her role as a "connector" in the Laurel Canyon music scene, and that led me to this book. You can tell Fiegal put a lot of time into researching all aspects of her life. I'm still struck by how challenging it can be for a book to really convey a sense of the person, what her days were like, etc. I felt that way with some aspects here-- I didn't feel a sense of the atmosphere in her Laurel Canyon homes, which by all accounts operated as a kind of salon. Nor could I really picture Elliot with her daughter Owen (and I would like to read her daughter's recent memoir). But I did have more of a sense of Elliot's earlier bands and relationships, from early folk alliances to the Mamas and the Papas. The cruelty Elliot endured for her weight is a major theme, and it is devastating. Fiegal also spends a lot of time on how bands form and come apart, how records are made, concerts are booked-- or maybe I should say how all this used to happen. I did not realize the scope of her addiction issues and that is also devastating. The section describing the Vegas debacle is especially heartrending.
August 20, 2020
Great book! I enjoyed it immensely!
August 15, 2020
An eye-opening and compelling biography of the amazing Cass Elliot. The book is extremely thorough, with recollections of those closest to her, and shows her extraordinary impact and talent. Extremely moving at times, this book is a fitting tribute to the much missed Cass.
December 26, 2009
Fiegel provides a richly detailed look at the contradiction that was Cass Elliott. Contradiction because although Cass achieved the fame she dreamed of since chidhood,she never found the love she longed for. Her public persona was that of a happy rock star, but Fiegel explores Cass's demons of weight and substance abuse, taking care not to get caught in romanticizing the latter as part of the 60s. She had cooperation from many of Cass's friends and musical colleagues, who unanimously told Fiegel that Cass was smart, funny, and a wonderful friend. Fiegel also researched 60s and 70s interviews with Cass. What emerges is a portrait of a woman with immense talent who spent her entire life yearning for romantic love. She made friends and fell in love effortlessly. Men were drawn to her warmth and her wit, but stopped short of the romantic, sexual love Cass so desperately wanted. Cass had an emotional well that all of the adulation and accolades from fans failed to fill.
Fiegel draws the reader into Cass's life by giving background on the cultural and political aspects of the 60s and early 70s. Cass's biography is also an account of the recording industry during the 60s. Fiegel details studio sessions and increasing tension between bandmates, and explores Cass's foray into a largely unremarkable solo career. It is wondrous to read of how casually the 60s musical icons played and sang on one another's records.
Cass's death at 32 is discussed in honest detail, dispelling the popular myth that the obese singer choked on a sandwich. Fiegel has done a remarkable job of capturing Cass's personality, although an interview with David Crosby really sums it up: Cass was all about the music, and she was truly happy only when she was singing.
Fiegel draws the reader into Cass's life by giving background on the cultural and political aspects of the 60s and early 70s. Cass's biography is also an account of the recording industry during the 60s. Fiegel details studio sessions and increasing tension between bandmates, and explores Cass's foray into a largely unremarkable solo career. It is wondrous to read of how casually the 60s musical icons played and sang on one another's records.
Cass's death at 32 is discussed in honest detail, dispelling the popular myth that the obese singer choked on a sandwich. Fiegel has done a remarkable job of capturing Cass's personality, although an interview with David Crosby really sums it up: Cass was all about the music, and she was truly happy only when she was singing.
June 29, 2020
A fine look at the life and career of Cass Elliott. I was present at one of the shows at the London Palladium in 1974, being taken there by my parents when we were in London on holiday. I didn't appreciate then what an important figure she was, but I've been set right on that over the years.
As well as her role in helping to birth CSN, she also played a similar role for the Lovin" Spoonful. That, along with her role in The Mamas & The Papas, sets her out as a major music figure of her time.
Sadly, her personal life was less satisfactory and her weight (or, to be more precise, other's reactions to her weight) resulted in serious issues of self-doubt and depression for her. Throw drugs into that mix, and you are heading for a sad, tragic tale.
As well as her role in helping to birth CSN, she also played a similar role for the Lovin" Spoonful. That, along with her role in The Mamas & The Papas, sets her out as a major music figure of her time.
Sadly, her personal life was less satisfactory and her weight (or, to be more precise, other's reactions to her weight) resulted in serious issues of self-doubt and depression for her. Throw drugs into that mix, and you are heading for a sad, tragic tale.
October 20, 2011
Mostly very interesting. It did make me want to give up in parts, but it got interesting again enough that I kept on. The print is really really small so at close to 400 pages, it took some effort to perservere with. I did google the songs as I read so that made it more whole as well. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who isn't already a fan. She was a fascinating woman, no doubt about it but only 32 when she died. I think it could have been condensed and made a much more gripping read. :)
May 14, 2016
I read this last summer. It really stuck with me. Very absorbing and well-written. I was a fan of the Mamas & the Papas before I read this, but this gave more depth to their music and made me appreciate it more. Cass led such an exuberant, interesting life.
March 30, 2026
Dream a Little Dream of Me: The Life of Mama Cass Elliot by Eddie Fiegel ultimately left me feeling that Cass Elliot was presented in a rather two-dimensional way. The book repeatedly returns to the same themes: her weight and her drug use. The reliance on interview excerpts often circles back to these same topics, and there is little in the way of deeper analysis or exploration of her personality. Michelle Phillips is possibly the only good interview within the book the others I have began questioning how well did they actually know Cass.
The first half of the book, in particular, was quite difficult to get through. It felt repetitive and over-explained, with points being made multiple times without much new insight added. The sections on her school years were especially slow and, at times, painful to read. There is a sense that the narrative lingers where it could move forward, which affects the pacing significantly.
This imbalance continues when the book shifts to her time as a recording artist. I found this to be one of the most disappointing aspects. Cass’s work in the studio is mentioned, but often in a superficial way, bar the first Mamas and Papas album, focusing on what songs were recorded rather than how they were created or what she thought of them. There isn’t a consistent or detailed exploration of her as a recording artist, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Another major omission is the lack of focus on her role as a mother. While the book notes that motherhood was one of her greatest achievements, her daughter Owen is barely mentioned throughout. When she does appear, it is often only in passing, without any meaningful insight into their relationship or Cass’s role as a parent.
The author does very lightly touch on the idea that Cass may have struggled emotionally and experienced loneliness, but these ideas are not explored in any meaningful depth. It feels as though the reader is expected to infer that these feelings are tied to her weight or her difficulties in finding a partner. There is also a brief and somewhat vague mention of her possibly being emotionally unstable, but this is never properly examined or developed.
Overall, the book seems to focus primarily on three aspects of Cass’s life: drugs, weight, and, to a lesser extent, her relationships with men.
The first half of the book, in particular, was quite difficult to get through. It felt repetitive and over-explained, with points being made multiple times without much new insight added. The sections on her school years were especially slow and, at times, painful to read. There is a sense that the narrative lingers where it could move forward, which affects the pacing significantly.
This imbalance continues when the book shifts to her time as a recording artist. I found this to be one of the most disappointing aspects. Cass’s work in the studio is mentioned, but often in a superficial way, bar the first Mamas and Papas album, focusing on what songs were recorded rather than how they were created or what she thought of them. There isn’t a consistent or detailed exploration of her as a recording artist, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Another major omission is the lack of focus on her role as a mother. While the book notes that motherhood was one of her greatest achievements, her daughter Owen is barely mentioned throughout. When she does appear, it is often only in passing, without any meaningful insight into their relationship or Cass’s role as a parent.
The author does very lightly touch on the idea that Cass may have struggled emotionally and experienced loneliness, but these ideas are not explored in any meaningful depth. It feels as though the reader is expected to infer that these feelings are tied to her weight or her difficulties in finding a partner. There is also a brief and somewhat vague mention of her possibly being emotionally unstable, but this is never properly examined or developed.
Overall, the book seems to focus primarily on three aspects of Cass’s life: drugs, weight, and, to a lesser extent, her relationships with men.
June 22, 2017
This well researched biography of Cass Elliot was both informative and entertaining. Fiegel delves into Cass's early life, the loss of her father and the suffering she endured because she was fat. Being obese during a time when everyone stressed thinness(think Twiggy!) took a toll on Cass's self esteem.
But it never stopped her from going after what she wanted--fame and fortune. But true love alluded her to the end. A string of (always good looking) men surrounded her but often for the wrong reasons. She craved true love all her life, and found solace in drugs and alcohol.
The story chronicles her time with the Mugwumps, the Mamas and the Papas, her unrequited love for Denny Doherty, her drug abuse and difficult relationship with control freak, John Phillips.
This book really deserves a 4.5 star rating. The reason I gave it a 4 is due to several repetitions along the way. loose ends that took far to long to tie up and the last section had so many long quotes from acquaintances that it proved to be a distraction.
This is the book, however, that puts all the pieces of Cass's life together to create a tapestry of the life of an amazingly talented and driven star--gone far too soon!
But it never stopped her from going after what she wanted--fame and fortune. But true love alluded her to the end. A string of (always good looking) men surrounded her but often for the wrong reasons. She craved true love all her life, and found solace in drugs and alcohol.
The story chronicles her time with the Mugwumps, the Mamas and the Papas, her unrequited love for Denny Doherty, her drug abuse and difficult relationship with control freak, John Phillips.
This book really deserves a 4.5 star rating. The reason I gave it a 4 is due to several repetitions along the way. loose ends that took far to long to tie up and the last section had so many long quotes from acquaintances that it proved to be a distraction.
This is the book, however, that puts all the pieces of Cass's life together to create a tapestry of the life of an amazingly talented and driven star--gone far too soon!
May 22, 2021
Cass Elliott, the iconic female voice of the Mama's and Papas died way before her time, and alone due to a decade long addiction to drugs.
That is the primary take away I get from this book. It probably isn't wrong, although speculation about whether the drug tests were not done correctly is really only speculation. The weight issue was a problem. I don't think the book overstates it, like many other reviews are claiming.
I would have like to some additional insight into how Cass was as mother. Being a drug addicted parent can't really be good for a child. I can see why the author didn't delve too much into this subject as it would have upset others who knew her and were needed for interviews.
Overall a pretty damn good book if you love 60's music and culture. I don't often find books I don't want to put down. This was one i didn't want to put down.
Edit: the more I think about it, the more upset I get that Fiegel, a non-medical expert, ends the book telling us the death was all drugs. I view the book as constantly highlighting the most salacious things she can to sell as many books. Maybe it's the reason the official Cass Elliot home makes no mention of the book at all.
That is the primary take away I get from this book. It probably isn't wrong, although speculation about whether the drug tests were not done correctly is really only speculation. The weight issue was a problem. I don't think the book overstates it, like many other reviews are claiming.
I would have like to some additional insight into how Cass was as mother. Being a drug addicted parent can't really be good for a child. I can see why the author didn't delve too much into this subject as it would have upset others who knew her and were needed for interviews.
Overall a pretty damn good book if you love 60's music and culture. I don't often find books I don't want to put down. This was one i didn't want to put down.
Edit: the more I think about it, the more upset I get that Fiegel, a non-medical expert, ends the book telling us the death was all drugs. I view the book as constantly highlighting the most salacious things she can to sell as many books. Maybe it's the reason the official Cass Elliot home makes no mention of the book at all.
January 14, 2021
I wasn’t a huge Mama’s and Papa’s fan, but this book pulled me in. It’s a wonder that the group were ever able to have hit records with all the fighting in the group. John Phillips was a cruel autocrat who believed he could have affairs but not his wife, Michele. Michele, in turn, had an affair with Denny Doherty. Cass was mad because she was in love with him.
Cass’ life was defined by two things: Her size and her voice. Her never ending battle to lose weight led to serious drug addiction including heroin. Her voice was better and more distinctive than the rest of the group which caused jealousy.
It an interesting chronicle of the late 60’s and early 70’s rock scene. Poor Cass got the fame she wanted but never was very happy as a person, despite her intellect and sense of fun.
Cass’ life was defined by two things: Her size and her voice. Her never ending battle to lose weight led to serious drug addiction including heroin. Her voice was better and more distinctive than the rest of the group which caused jealousy.
It an interesting chronicle of the late 60’s and early 70’s rock scene. Poor Cass got the fame she wanted but never was very happy as a person, despite her intellect and sense of fun.
July 18, 2017
Thorough, boy howdy it was thorough. Well done, but a little long winded and clunky at times. There was also a lot of repetition about her drugs, issues with men and self image issues. These are all imporant but I think it was already stated a few pages previously. I guess my probelm is my problem with most biographies of dead individuals, there is a lot of supposition that is presented as fact. Granted, Fiegel was very well researched, but there was too many theories and not enough factual sentences for my taste.
September 13, 2020
Found this book at Ophelia's in Seattle, and had to delve in due to my recent fascination with the Mamas and the Papas' music. Cass Elliot had huge appetites and insecurities, and with that group suddenly realized her dreams of success, but sadly she never seemed to find much satisfaction. For me the most interesting bits are the leadup to the M&P breakout in early 1966... Cass seemed to know everyone in the folk scene, and was a key 'connector'.
October 29, 2020
Repetitive
It took me so long to complete this book because I kept losing interest. Not about anything related to Cass Elliot (I won't call her Mama ;) ) just that it was so repetitive. I understand that the people in her life were similarly affected by her, but I think some of the reminders of her size could have been omitted.
It took me so long to complete this book because I kept losing interest. Not about anything related to Cass Elliot (I won't call her Mama ;) ) just that it was so repetitive. I understand that the people in her life were similarly affected by her, but I think some of the reminders of her size could have been omitted.
August 16, 2017
While I am glad that I read this very detailed account of Cass Elliott, I am also happy to move on to another book. Too much detail to hold my interest but I did enjoy parts including stories of time spent with famous friends.
March 5, 2018
Well researched but writing style was so turgid that it was hard to keep reading even though I enjoy the music of the Mamas and Papas and of Cass Elliot as a solo performer and was interested to learn more about her life
May 3, 2021
Miss her voice
I'm sorry that Cass didn't have the opportunity to write her own memoir. Most of it is here, but unfortunately it falls somewhat flat without her voice to frame actual lived experiences .
I'm sorry that Cass didn't have the opportunity to write her own memoir. Most of it is here, but unfortunately it falls somewhat flat without her voice to frame actual lived experiences .
September 21, 2023
It’s tragic that Mama Cass was with us for only such a short time. The Mamas and the Papas are one of my all time favorite bands. This book enlightened me to so much more that I didn’t know about before.
May 19, 2017
I didn't know much about Cass Elliot before reading this. It was like reading about the who's who of music in the 60's. Well worth the read if Cass and her music interest you.
August 16, 2019
It's really want to read because I've still not read it. Lol. Though I do own it..
December 26, 2022
I love cass Elliot and I loved reading about her life!!!!!
September 19, 2017
I felt that there was a lot of repetition in the book, and also that the author shied away from some of the more significant unanswered questions in Cass's life.
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