Reviews

The Mayor of Macdougal Street by Dave Van Ronk

sebastianhafner's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

4.5

catharmonica's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

llewyndavisofficial's review against another edition

4.0

Inside Llewyn Davis is my favorite movie, so obviously I wanted to read the extended lore. I related to much to Llewyn in the movie because of his struggles with mental health and the cyclical nature of being a starving artist. I was surprised to find in Van Ronk’s memoir that his life isn’t nearly as depressing as Llewyn’s was in the movie. It provided me with a weird moment of hope to see that the real person that my favorite movie is based on was doing considerably better than the Oscar Isaac character. Maybe in this real life where Van Ronk and I exist things can actually get better.
I love books about music and I love books about being an artist in New York, so I am not shocked at all that I enjoyed this book very much.

offbalance80's review against another edition

4.0

I only picked up this memoir after I heard that it was one of the inspirational texts for the Cohen Brothers for their upcoming movie "Inside Llywellen Davis." I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the witty and fascinating account of Van Ronk's days as a folk and blues "hipster" in the 1950s and 1960s (in both New York and points elsewhere). The major players you might expect to get entire chapters (Baez, Dylan, Ochs) only get a few anecdotes here and there. But Van Ronk is such an engaging storyteller that you really don't care. In fact, the best chapter of all is about an ill-fated California road trip that would make a great movie all on its own. The epilogue says that this slim 226-page volume was meant to be part of a larger work, and the fact that work never happened due to Van Ronk's death is a sad thing indeed - it would have been as crucial for aspiring musicians and lovers of great memoir as this book was.

reebeee's review against another edition

funny informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.0

bgg616's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed the inside story of Greenwich Village in the late 50's and 60's. Dave Van Ronk was there, and met "everybody" in the music scene. I learned a lot I never knew, particularly about the conflict between the clean cut "folk singers" and the scruffy, more authentic singers like Van Ronk. He also goes into a lot of detail about the transition from singing old or folk songs, including the blues, and singer songwriters like Joni Mitchell. This memoir was written near the end of his life, and could have been more extensive if he had had the time to write more or another book.
I listened to the audiobook and although the narrator was competent, I felt his voice was too mellow and nice for the memoir.

lsullivan3672's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

4.0

mattbutreads's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

A memoir masterclass; Ronk lived the history and tells an American story like only he could. 

adamjcalhoun's review against another edition

5.0

I couldn't care less about folk music, let alone the very specific Greenwich Village Folk revival scene of the 50s/60s, but Van Ronk makes me care about it. Tells a little bit about artistry, artisanship, craftsmanship, and craziness.

sohnesorge's review against another edition

4.0

A funny, poignant, and cheerfully cynical memoir set during a fascinating period of musical and political history in Greenwich Village. Lots of good new (old) music to discover, too.