Interview With Jon Bream, Author Of ‘Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated History Of The Man And His Music’
It’s quite something to talk with someone who has been writing about rock and roll for as long as Jon Bream. Not only has Bream held the second longest running tenure as a pop music critic of a daily U.S. newspaper, he’s also quite the affable guy, a man with a million stories to tell. He can also turn the phrase well as he does in his book Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story Of The Man And His Music (see my review). Having worked previously on books and brochures about Prince and Led Zeppelin (in collaboration with others), Bream has single-handedly tackled the prolific, yet enigmatic world of Neil Diamond, one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 20th century. I had a chance to get the skinny on the author and his take on the artist a critic once called the “Frog King Of Rock.”
Tell me how Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story Of The Man And His Music came to be.
Well Voyageur Press is based in Minneapolis, and I have been with the Minneapolis Star Tribune since 1975, so I have been talking to them about different books for a while. It all began with the Zeppelin book I wrote for them. Voyageur is owned by a British company, and during the Zep ’02 reunion we began talking about a book on Zep, so that came out last year in July 08. Then I went to see Neil Diamond when he opened his tour in St. Paul this year, and sitting next to me was a couple — the guy 35, the woman a few years older — and they told me how they had introduced their parents at a Neil Diamond concert. So I began to realize that Neil spans the generations, making connections with his audiences just like all my most favorite rock heroes do — Springsteen, Prince, etc. — and I realized there was a void out there for a book like this, a book about Neil Diamond.
You have the distinction of having interviewed Neil Diamond over the past few decades.
Yes, I have interviewed Neil seven times over four decades, every decade since the 70s, and I have so much stuff, published and not published on him.
Writing a Neil Diamond book differs greatly from writing a Led Zeppelin book, I’d imagine.
Well first of all, the key difference is, I’m the sole author of this book. The Led Zeppelin book was very much a team effort. And then the memorabilia was different. Led Zep were very much road warriors, so there was a lot more stuff, posters and sewn-on patches. And with a band of four people you have four distinct personalities and all the peculiarities and things to go with them. There’s only one Neil Diamond.
How long did it take you to put it together?
Probably less then six months.
Are you doing a book tour?
Well, I’m doing interviews like this, then I fly into New York next week for radio, etc. Then up to Boston, because, believe it or not, Neil is big in Boston because they sing “Sweet Caroline” at Boston Red Socks games. Plus my son goes to school there so I can visit with him as well.
Why has Neil Diamond never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
To tell you the truth, I don’t know the answer to this. I mean, for instance Jann Wenner (Rolling Stone publisher) is on the voting committee, as am I, and I know for a fact that Neil was on the cover of Rolling Stone only once and that was in 1976 when Robbie Robertson produced Neil’s Beautiful Noise album. Robertson is a good friend of Wenner. It’s an elite group that votes. Hell just this year Kiss finally got nominated.
He’s been eligible since —
— Since 1991. The only rule is you can (only) be nominated 25 years after the release of your first album.
Well, I can see the impact Neil Diamond has had on popular music.
All of Neil Diamond’s songs are off-center a bit. Sure they can be poppy, but they are good songs. And yes, some of his outfits are cheesy, but there’s a certain kitsch value. There is certainly something legitimate about his role in the history of popular music. I say put him on the ballet already!
Tell me about your relationship with Neil Diamond.
Well, we really don’t have one, per se. I’ve only met him once and that was a fluke backstage meeting. All the other times have been through phone calls. The guy is a mensch really. He’s polite, thoughtful, gracious, and takes contemplative deep thoughts before answering questions…then usually hits you with something vague and elliptical like his lyrics.
What’s coming up for you?
Nothing definite. I’ve been thinking about doing a book, a compilation of my Star Tribune stories, all the stuff that didn’t make it to print, how I got to the interviews and things. Being on the road with Dylan, performing with Alice Cooper, all the way up to the new artists I have interviewed like Taylor Swift. For now, there’s nothing definite except this book and my job at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Ralph Greco, Jr.
