Ginger Geezer: The Life of Vivian Stanshall

This is an excellent bibliography of one of my favorite performers. I became a fan of the Bonzo Dog Band the first time I heard The Intro and The Outro on a college radio station in the 70s. This book tells the often hilarious and sometimes sad story of the life of that band's founder, Vivian Stanshall. If you are a fan of the Bonzos or of British humor, I highly recommend this book.

Perfick .

I am still only halfway through this tome, and am thoroughly enjoying it. My only complaint is that there is a sad lack of photo document. Don't get me wrong, there is a little, but I can't help feeling there could be considerably more. I am confident that Innes and the boys, and the various music press have considerable document available. I would love to see more. For example, it is great to know that he built an 8 foot tall pot smoking gnome for his garden, but I would love to see it

A difficult book to read as we see Vivian Stanshall's life lose focus and control. But it provides a wealth of information about a fascinating man of genius

Very strong on anecdote it is the only history of Vivian Stanshall. Ultimately slight but worthy. It would be a good starting point for a serious study but is not the study itself.

I gave this book four stars because there aren't any others to compare it to. Who said something like: lucky is the man or woman who attracts a gifted biographer? Vivian has yet to attract someone gifted, so until then, this pop bio by pop writers will have to do. I note the other reviewer laughed like mad. I can understand that. Vivian was a funny man. But this is about his life, and Stanshall's life wasn't funny at all. Nor was Lennon's or Keith Moon's. These two were close friends of Vivian, but getting the truth about their relationship with Vivian into a pop bio is asking too much of what is basically a skim over a deep man's deep life. No one who wrote the lyrics Vivian wrote (especially in his rare, brilliant, tragic, and terribly strange Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead) was a jokester, or a comedian. Vivian was a rennaissance man living in a time of style without substance. He railed against his contemporaries and he wailed about the pain of human existance. I bought this book just to have it. But I wish, dear god, I wish a "real" biographer would come along to do justice to this towering unfulfilled talent.

A wonderful book about talented soul Vivian Stanshall, who wrote, performed, drank, loved, alienated, confused, entertained and kept turtles. Yep, a complex guy with a gift for charm and originality. This book gets to the man behind the sequins and insightfully explains his humaness. It is researched well and does a fine job of explaining the process behind much of Vivian's art and many of his ventures are described in interesting detail, quoting family, friends and those who worked (or tried to) with him. Vivian comes across as a sensitive man who struggled to accept his own talent- this is a shame as he made the world colourful. This is a great book which I was reluctent to buy as I didn't want the disapointment of a hero being circus-ified. This book does much to explore the Stanshall reality and does not glorify, or disrespect- it just gets involved and helps me to know this man more whilst giving me much to laugh about.

This is a great book - funny, disturbing, hard to put down. Highly recommended for anyone interested in 1960's/70's pop culture and British eccentrics

A tough read but worth getting through it. A fascinating and widely influential artist the like of which we’ll never see again.

This book gives you a fantastic insight into Vivians life, going through the ups and down, and giving you a few laughs. Fantastic book, worth a read.

If you don't like Stanshall, the Bonzos, or their style of humour, this won't be for you. If you do, it'll be a treat. It celebrates the man and his work, tells his life story and isoften laugh-aloud funny; at the same time, it doesn't try to hide his faults, or the tragedy of his losing struggle with mental health and drink.