Book recommendation

OK. I realize that some of youse are, unfortunately, either wholly commited to fiction or nonfiction. Which is sad, really. Myself, I read both ways. Today's suggestion is a surprising one for many, not the least of all, me.

Dean & Me by Jerry Lewis.

For the record, I have never found Jerry Lewis all that funny. A bit too muggy, a bit too schticky. Dean Martin I'd always found amusing and cool in a cool way...no more than that. But, a few years back I saw a documentary on the team of Martin & Lewis and I was floored not only by the amazing comedic synergy of these two guys but also the reaction of the crowds to which they played. You'd think these audiences were watching Elvis or The Beatles at the top of their game. But it was just two guys: a smartass crooner and deranged man-child clown.

The book is surprisingly moving and, although it contains a few fleeting chemical traces of humor, it doesn't attempt to be funny. It also tries to be impartial. It doesn't succeed, although the effort is herculean and commendable. When you stop and think, it really CAN'T be impartial when one of the two people in a bitter divorce (in a way, fighting over custody of Frank Sinatra), is writing. The giveaways are subtle, gentle and none-too-pervasive, but they are there*. But it tries, hard and you appreciate it.

Once you get past that, and you learn to set your compensatory reading skills accordingly, you see a lot. Not so much in terms of Hollywood glamor-ama although there is that, but just in the gradual devolution of a relationship between two people. It's funny that people can spot it a million miles away when it's someone else, but many elements of this narrative will hit closer to home than many folks would care for it to.

Now, I want to look for that old documentary on DVD.

-J.

* It does take one swipe at Hope & Crosby, Martin & Lewis' "rival" duo, which is like a typerwiter saying it's better than a toaster.