Wall of Pain: The Biography of Phil Spector

by Dave Thompson

Through the 1960s, he was the Tycoon Of Teen. Through the 1970s, he was the Mad Genius. And for the next 20 years, until the death of actress Lana Clarkson threw him back under the spotlight, he was rock's most legendary recluse. Phil Spector defined the way we listen to music and, by refusing to play the game, helped to define the way we look at modern celebrities.
Wall Of The Biography Of Phil Spector tells the complete story of the producer's remarkable journey, from working-class Brooklyn boy to universally respected recording wizard. Going beyond the lurid headlines to investigate the truths behind the myths, Wall Of Pain unravels the career of one of rock's most misunderstood figures. And through interviews with ex-wife Ronnie Spector, close friend Doc Pomus, Sonny Bono and others, the legend of the studio is brought to life.

Genres: Music, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

English author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.

However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”

Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.

Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.

Reviews

[JBP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sub-par music biography of Phil Spector that feels kind of cobbled together from too many places. Thompson didn't do a lot of interviews for the book and relies strictly on things already written about the producer who is known for two main things: his trademark "wall of sound" and for being nuts and murdering some woman nearly a decade ago.

Poorly written throughout, Thompson basically spends the first 1/2 of the book going through Spector's entire discography single by single and telling the who, what, when of the recording session. You have to be a hard-core music geek to really get into all the nuts and bolt talk about how Spector pushed the boundaries in the studio. I like that kind of stuff, but would have really loved just a little bit more about Spector's life from a kid through adulthood.

Now, when we reach the 1970s Thompson starts unspooling all the batty behavior whilst railing against journalists and others who have attacked Spector through the years. Isn't that what you are doing Thompson? You are just telling the same old stories about him waving the gun in the studio or abusing his wives or acting like a nut job in public--just because you decry people only seeing Spector for that doesn't mean you aren't perpetrating the image of the man you are helping to reinforce. Also, the book is so blindingly defensive of nearly everything that Spector worked on, it nearly feels like Thompson was paid by the Spector management team to come out with something that gives him a shred of non-psycho killer press.

You know what, I'm changing my review of this to a 1 star after writing this review as I just realized how awfully executed this book was. Luckily, it's barely over two hundred pages so it's a quick read.

[Kevin LaBrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and information but ends a bit ubruptly. What a strange little man.

[Joe Buck]

Wall of Pain is a competent, if not exactly revelatory, biography of the controversial record producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector. It is a pretty breezy read, the text itself being around 200 pages, followed by a pretty comprehensive discography.

In his introduction, Dave Thompson admits his attempt to tell the story from Phil's perspective. Keeping this in mind, while Thompson may not shy away from some of Spector's mercurial qualities, there is a degree of downplaying involved too.

But I didn't really feel like I understood Spector any more than I did going in. The book tells the story by compiling information from already-published sources. I'm not sure how much primary research was done, but I recognized most of the first-hand accounts as first being published in other articles or memoirs. Thompson certainly didn't get an interview with Phil. Two decades on, it feels like a book-length Wikipedia article. It is what it is.

Considering it was initially published in 2003 (my copy was from 2004) there's acknowledgment of the murder case, but if you're looking for coverage of the trial this won't be the place to look. The author states he was already in the midst of writing this biography when it happened, and there is a final chapter or epilogue appended to the main text that at least details the charges against him. But again, it was still rather early on... Spector was still out on bail at the time of publication.

With that said, I would be curious to read Mick Brown's Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. Not for the true crime angle, but to see if there's any more depth to it. But I'll probably give it a few months before doing so.

I think Phil Spector is an interesting character in American music. The murder doesn't negate that he made beautiful music. But the beautiful music doesn't negate the fact that he killed a woman and tormented others. When the news broke back in 2003, I can't say I was terribly surprised. His recklessness with firearms was hardly a secret, and neither was his volatile nature. If you want a quick overview of his life prior to the murder of Lana Clarkson, Wall of Pain is as good as any. But if you're wanting a little more depth, I guess ya gotta keep fishin'.

[Nicholas Story, solicitor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing a biography of such an enigmatic figure must present one hell of a challenge, but this book just about pulls it off. I was very interested in learning how the protege created the Wall of Sound, but apart from many fascinating anecdotes about Spector's pathological quest for perfection, I'm not sure Thomson succeeds.

However, it then just gets better. We learn about Spector's obsession with his own security and his love of guns. We learn of his struggles to contain a seriously unstable John Lennon, whilst recording 'Rock'n'Roll'; his mistreatment of, and then vindictiveness towards, Ronnie. And then, we have the killing. This is beautifully handled: we have a decent summary of the events, the context, and the Trials themselves.

Ultimately Spector emerges as a pathetic and disturbed figure. He doesn't deserve our sympathy, but at least this book gives us context.t

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but lacking the grit both of the songs, production or the life.

[Jason Coffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay overview of Spector's life and work, but mostly comes across as a Cliff's Notes version of "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound" at best and a cheap cash-in on Spector's trial at worst.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would be more interesting, very factual about the dates and order of all his music.