He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond

by David Wild

He Is...I Say examines Neil Diamond's singular place in the pantheon of popular music. David Wild—who has written about Diamond for Rolling Stone, penned the liner notes to a number of Diamond's anthologies, and produced Diamond's scandal-free episode of Behind the Music. Now he dares to turn on his “Heartlight,” offering a moving and hilarious salute to his own Jewish Elvis based on his past interviews with the Solitary Man himself.

An illuminating snapshot of a beloved American icon, He Is...I Say endearingly speaks to the condition of being a Diamondhead in a hipper-than-thou world, while fully illustrating exactly what it is that makes the man and the artist so special.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2008

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable look at Neil Diamond and his career, perhaps most interesting is his later work with musical genius Rick Rubin. Interesting read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, as the author is obviously a big fan - as am I! However, it is more about the reflections of an adoring fan rather than a true biography. Luckily, I read a review of this book (not favorable, as it is not real factual) in which other Diamond bios were mentioned, so I have ordered those thru ILL.

However, reading about THE MAN is always a pleasure, particularly when someone feels as passionately positive about the subject as you do! So it is not a waste of time if you want to read it.

[CluckingBell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting walk down memory lane for fans of Neil Diamond (and allusions to Neil Diamond songs (and adverbs)). The writing isn't too exciting, but the author's affection for his subject is sincere and unabashed.

[Jcb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm happy to have read this book. It mixes facts from Neil Diamond's career with interview quotes and other observations. The author mentions a VH1 Behind the Music episode that he produced about Neil, and while watching it I realized that the 49-minute video is a distillation of this book. Many of the same quotes and anecdotes appear in both. So, I guess you could go to YouTube first and watch the full VH1 special, then decide whether you want to read this book and get even more info.

Two things I didn't like about the book:

(1) The author inserts himself and his own story quite a bit. Perhaps that's a Rolling Stone thing? Gonzo journalism. But, I really didn't care about Mr. Wild's summer camp experiences, or how he feels about his body weight/hair (which he mentions a lot!).

(2) The author also brings his politics into the story for no reason. (HINT: he works for Rolling Stone, so you can guess his opinions on all that pretty easily).

***MODERATELY RECOMMENDED***

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a book about Neil Diamond, so I loved it. A lot.
The author is obnoxious, so I rolled my eyes at it. Plenty.

I DID THOUGH ENJOY hearing Wild gush about the beauty of Diamond's music, throughout all these years. This book was published in 2008, so obviously quite a bit of time has elapsed but it genuinely excited me to go forward and listen to his newer music, which I have been avoiding. Also, it is so neat hearing the back story of some of my favorite songs, and how they stood up to the pop critics. Also, there are some golden Diamond quips peppered throughout - especially his opinion on being hip. I wish could actually give you the quote right now, but if you read it, you'll know what mean!

This was an interesting read for me, since I rarely chase my fangirl into my reading universe. I ain't mad about it. Picture inserts would have been spectacular, even if it was just the album covers throughout the years.

No joke I am getting a Neil Diamond tattoo in a couple of weeks byeee

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong Diamondhead like the author, I felt this was an enjoyable read, written by a Rolling Stone editor and entertainment writer who has covered him and known him for years. Wild writes well, moves the narrative, no gotcha-journalism, and he adds self-depracating humor. Warning if you’re looking for a current biography though, it was written in 2008, and so it doesn’t cover the past 15+ years of: Rock Hall induction, marriage to Katie, stopping 50 yrs of touring due to Parkinson’s, and the Beautiful Noise Musical, but I hope Wild writes another update—or, as he mentions, Neil does! I would love to hear how he’s coped with the last ten years….and I volunteer to help him and Wild both if they need any writing or editing!

[Jean Salvas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first chapter was a little annoying, but after that it got the groove on. I have been an early Neil Diamond fan, but lost touch with his music when I went to Country in the 80's. I missed out on a lot, but am glad that Mr. Diamond survived.

[RICK BUCK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, tastefully written, truly enjoyable!

I wanted to know Neil Diamond personally and through David Wild I feel that I do. Thank you! I highly recommend it.

[Janet Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good review of our agreed hero!

It was very enjoyable to read and reminiss about our special Diamond. Would love to have met him as the writer did.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t imagine ever needing to know more about Neil Diamond. Strangely enough, I just found “Bang! The Bert Berns Story” streaming.

[Liesl · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kids gave me this book for my birthday and I was so excited to read it, but . . . Warning: Only read this book if you LOVE Neil Diamond . . . which I do. Even that was barely enough for me to enjoy this annoying book. Over and over and over again the author uses titles of Neil Diamond songs embedded in his sentences to make his point. It was cute once. Maybe twice. After that it just got plain annoying. Also, Wild couldn't seem to decide whether he was writing about himself and his life (as the subtitle would indicate) or Neil and his life, which he tried to morph into frequently. He would have been better served to stick to the latter, because he never really gave us a reason to care about his own life and it made for a jarring read. You'd just settle into enjoying learning about Neil (albeit with those blasted song titles sprinkled throughout) when the next thing you know you're reading about Wild's bar mitzvah or relocation to Los Angeles, or some such. All in all, it wasn't very satisfying. However, I gave it two stars because I love Neil Diamond, always have, always will, and there was enough about this music god to keep me reading and the obvious love and respect Wild has for Diamond provided a nice comaraderie for fans like me. It can be a lonely road being a "Diamondhead" what with music snobs looking down their noses at you all the time, so finding a kindred spirit in print was enjoyable. So, again, if you LOVE Neil Diamond, read this book. If not, don't waste your time.

[Melanie K]

I really enjoyed learning more about Neil Diamond! He has been one of my all time favorites for as long as I can remember. I skipped the author's stuff about himself and focused on Neil's life. What a story! He struggled to get into the business, imagine that!

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixed book. I like the background and biographical information on Diamond, the reason I picked the book up, but I could have done without the numerous political digs by the author, which were completely out of character with the purpose of the book and only served to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth as the last dig was especially close to the end of the book. Still, it's obvious this guy likes Neil Diamond and gives the proper respect and, dare I say, reverence for the music.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to be ineloquent, but meh. I'm not a big enough Neil Diamond fan to have LOVED this book, really! I certainly know more about him than I did before (which was, admittedly, not much) but the writing style -- which was far too cutesy -- annoyed me from the get-go. I persevered because the book was short, but probably wouldn't have otherwise.

[Marianne Stehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 100 stars if possible, not only is it a tribute to a musical legend, who is of course my favorite, but it is funny and realistic beyond belief. If you are a Neil Diamond fan, you must take the small amount of time it takes to read this 200 page book. You will not be disappointed!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! I'm a fan, but I think even people who think they aren't fans would enjoy this book. Wild is funny and makes fun of himself. It is refreshing to read a book about a celebrity who is humble and appears to be one of the good guys ... although he'd be the first to admit he's no saint. 4/5 stars

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was as much a biography of David Wild as of Neil Diamond, and more of a musicography of the later. Still very enjoyable, I got a kick out of Wild's wit, and every time he would mention some Diamond songs I would remember how much I loved them! Turns out I do fall in to the "love him" end of the spectrum. A light, fun read, in what is turning into my year of the pop biography...

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a secret that I adore Neil Diamond, so obviously when I saw this book staring out at me from the new releases table, I had to buy it. It's kind of a silly book, not unlike the man himself, but if you like Neil, it will make you smile. If you don't...well...probably you should go elsewhere.

[John Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An affectionate portrait of the singer-songwriter from an unlikely source: Rolling Stone writer David Wild. The book is thorough and gives Neil the benefit of the doubt along the way. Wild spends too much time on himself, though.

[Blythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good if you're a big Neil fan, which I am. But there's just not enough scandal here for a juicy read.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was less a biography of Neil Diamond than a review of his musical works with a little too much of the writer's opinions. I'm a long time fan or I probably wouldn't have finished it.

[Shone]

So far...so loving this book. I have a not so secret crush on Neil.