The Hurdy Gurdy Man

The Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan I found an absorbing, always interesting book to read. Needless to say, you need to like his songs to like his book. Before I bought it, I read some reviews of it on Goodreads and Amazon and was puzzled to read some reviewers complain that it was full of typographical errors. The book was published by Arrow Books, which is part of the Random House Publishing Group, so it would have been read by proof readers and editors before it was published, which is why the complaints in some reviews of typographical errors puzzled me. Now that I have read the book I would like to say in its defence that it contains no typographical errors at all. In Childhood, the first chapter of his book, in which he writes of his childhood in Glasgow, Scotland, Donovan decided to write as he spoke then, in Glaswegian dialect. So he writes 'oot' instead of out, 'efter' instead of after, 'windaes' instead of windows. 'Oor wee battle over, we climbed the wae intae a ruined tenement - against the rules' he writes, using some Glaswegian dialect words. In plain English the same sentence reads: 'Our little battle over, we climbed the wall into a ruined tenement - against the rules.' Donovan's use of Glaswegian dialect words is confined to the first chapter, his memories of when he was eight, living with his mother, father and elder brother in a tenement in Glasgow, playing among the bombed ruins left behind by World War 2. From chapter two, titled Teenage, in which he records his time living with his family in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in the south of England, from the age of ten, onwards, he writes in plain English with the occasional use of Beatnik slang words. So what some reviewers of the book read as typographical errors are really Donovan's use of Glaswegian dialect and Beatnik slang words. Now that I am sixty five, I find myself looking back at times on my past. In particular, I have been listening to the songs I liked when I was a teenager in the 1960's. I am pleased to say that the songs I liked then by The Beatles, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel, the Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention, Bob Dylan and, among others, Donovan, have stood the test of time. After listening to some of Donovan's songs, I decided to buy his autobiography and I am glad I did. His prose is clear, direct, like his lyrics, a pleasure to read. His story brought back many happy memories, He writes of his first appearance on Ready Steady Go on British television on 30th January, 1965. At the time he was eighteen and had been recently living as a Beatnik on the beaches of Cornwall. I remember seeing him on Ready Steady Go, introduced by Cathy McGowan, very well. In those days, there were only two channels on British television, the B.B.C. and Granada. While the B.B.C. had the pop music programme, Top of the Pops, Granada had Ready Steady Go. Donovan stood out on Ready Steady Go because he was a solo folk singer, alone on stage with his acoustic guitar and harmonica. All of the other performers were pop groups. It was interesting to read of how the documentary A Boy Called Donovan was made, which I watched when it was shown in 1966. What matters about Donovan is his songs, and I was glad that he wrote in his book how he was inspired to write some of them. It was interesting to read his version of what happened when he met Bob Dylan and took part in the documentary, Don't Look Back, and what happened when he went to India with The Beatles to study Transcendental Meditation in 1968. At the heart of the book is a love story, the tale of how he met and eventually married his wife, Linda. Some reviewers of the book complained that Donovan blows his own trumpet too often and too loudly, boasting that he started this and that movement in music in the 1960's. I just smiled through it all. Having a sense of humour gives you a sense of proportion. Certainly, I remember when listening The Beatles, the double album released by The Beatles in 1968, which even they refer to as the White Album, that I thought some of the songs on it, namely Dear Prudence, Julia, Mother Nature's Son and Blackbird, showed the influence of Donovan. Most of the songs on the double album were written in India. It was Donovan who taught John Lennon the folk guitar finger picking style, which can be heard in his songs, Julia and Dear Prudence. Catch the Wind, Turquoise, Colours, Sunshine Superman, There Is A Mountain, Jenifer Juniper, Hurdy Gurdy Man, Atlantis, Goo Goo Barabajagal, were all great singles from Donovan during the 1960's. All of them he writes about in his book. I was interested to read of how he came to write the songs on A Gift From A Flower To A Garden, the double album which my friends and I listened to a lot at the time. Listening to it now, it is the songs on the second record of the double album which have stood the test of time best, for they are about timeless things, the changing of the seasons, birds, the sea shore, dreams. Songs like Isle of Islay, The Magpie, The Tinker and the Crab, Lullaby of Spring, and Widow With Shawl, which are on that second record, are some of the best songs he ever wrote, I think. I am glad he writes in his book that the sea gull is his totem bird for no song writer has ever mentioned sea gulls in their songs as much as he has. Turquoise begins with the line: "Your smile beams like sun light on a gull's wing," for example. I did see Donovan in concert in Newcastle City Hall in the early 1980's. He sat on a chair and sang his songs with his acoustic guitar with Danny Thompson, who used to be in Pentangle, playing double bass behind him. Of course, it was all about nostalgia, for his time was between 1965 and 1970. "This is the first song I ever wrote," he said, as he introduced Catch the Wind. Donovan is seventy one now and I think his book deserves five stars for the pleasure he has given me and many others through his songs since 1965.

i really enjoyed reading this, despitre initial resistance to the the writing itself which, given Donovan is a songwriter and not a professional author, is i guesss to be expected. I'd have given it five stars if the writing had merited it. As it is, Donovan's account of his youth, musicality and freedom remains unforgettable and universal, despite not ticking any spectacularly literary boxes. It's a reminder of an age that's gone forever now, a time when youngsters were freer, more joyful it seems to me, and more happily confident venturing out into life, embracing everything it has to offer. What stays in the mind is the personality, the joys of youth, the creation of beautiful, memorable happy and intriguing songs that have stood the test of time. I still love Donovan after all these years!

A book about Donovan Leitch was something which was long overdue, but as no author had yet to tackle the subject of this influential folk 'flower-power' pioneer and '60s icon, it was the man himself who decided to take on the task in 2005. His resulting memoir, 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' is a good quick read, and very entertaining.Donovan always got christened with labels like 'A poor man's Bob Dylan', but I just don't agree with any of that, because the lad was a talented artist in his own right. He was responsible for a string of memorable hit records, and some truly outstanding albums. As Dylan's book 'Chronicles' was only published the year before, once again was Donovan accused of trying to copy this legend and attempting to cash in on his fame. Both of these men hung out at the time, clearly had a lot of respect for one another, but Donovan's attempts to try and distance himself away from the Dylan comparisons in this book, are, at times, really quite hilarious, particularly when he writes that he actually wore a Breton cap before Bob did.The book begins with Donovan beautifully describing his humble childhood in Glasgow, and his discovery of music and interest in Buddhist teachings. He then moves onto his youthful wanderings of living it rough in Cornwall, and how he became one of the key-players in 1960s music, working with just about everyone who was there. Any person who has an interest in this exciting era in Britain, both musically and culturally, will find something to enjoy amongst his marvellous anecdotes, Donovan fan or not, because this man was right there at the thick of it.He writes about his journey in a straight-forward way, and make no mistake, there is a lot of ego which comes across many a page (he even lists off a heavy list of other artists who have covered his songs over the years), but I respect him for that, he doesn't hide it, and his high self-esteem would be the envy of many people. On the other hand though, he does come across as a good guy who has a lot of time for his fans, and completely genuine. If you needed to be reminded or educated as to how revolutionary his music was for the times, read this book and buy some albums.Donovan is a unique talent, and his intimate memoir was a delight. It didn't take me to long to finish, and whilst I enjoyed 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' very much, I have just two complaints, I would like to have read a little bit more about where some of his songs came from (though many of his most famous recordings are indeed mention, and he provides insight into their lyrics), and wish that he hadn't ended as early as 1970, when the man temporarily left music behind him. Let's have a follow-up please Mr. Leitch!Illustrated with two sections of excellent photographs, many of which are from his private collection, which span Don's childhood right up to 2003.

Wow...what can I say? there's so much more to Donovan than I ever thought...I entered my teens when his music was everywhere in the late 60's, his story is fascinating - brilliant read.

Book fine. Can't really review as it a gift

Very interesting story . Arrived on time and in good condition

Interesting story of Donovan.Last generation lived in Anderson and knew Donovan's grand mother.

Passed my time away on this book.It was OK