Dion Dimucci Information Exchange

Book Review - The Wanderer by D Dimucci and D Seay

by Stephen Islip

In 1987 tied in with his return to the mainstream at the WCBS concert, Dion decided to come clean and publish an autobiography. This clearly is'nt intended to be a work of great literary merit but more a route-map to his life to satisfy his fans. This article looks to see if the book satisfies that need.

The book is fairly thorough on his childhood, family and early musical influences. We gain a thorough picture of growing up on the Bronx, the gangs, his relationship with his future wife, his introduction to drug culture .

He goes into some detail on his first long forgotten record -The Chosen Few and then follows it through with his introduction of the Belmonts to his record company and the making of their second record "I wonder why".

We are then treated to some wonderful memories as his career takes off and tales of going on the road, the people he meets and the joys and the frustrations - Buddy Hollys death from The Winter Dance Party Tour. Its here that the book wins through because he can go into more detail than he can in any sound bite dominated interview .

At each stage of his career he tells us how his dependence on a range of drugs starts to increase along with the pressures of success. He recounts in a circumspect manner, the pressures on the group over musical direction, his perceived unequal input for an equal return and then the splitting of his personality, as one half went for drugs rehabilitation while the pop star half continued, a separate lifestyle in the media. He recounts the frustration of trying to fight against the infrastructure of the music establishment all pushing him in the same middle of the road direction.

His frustration was finally overcome with the release of "Sue" and "The Wanderer" and his career was starting to head in the direction he wanted, with an opportunistic manager to support him and boost his ego. Then the frustrations of accepting the mega-bucks contract at Columbia come out with the commitment once again to the more "adult" market. His reaction against this moulding leads to gaining an appreciation of the blues from the legendary Albert Hammond, coming under the influence of the early Dylan and starting to participate in the Greenwich Village folk scene. These influences all coalesced in the LP Donna Prima Donna.

Dimucci painfully recalls his addiction became the determining factor in his lifestyle and how it affected everything including his album of folk and blues songs, Wonder Where I'm Bound . The account of blown gigs and personal depravity is harrowing . He speaks of the various occasions on which he bottomed out only to start perusing a new binge. He explains that not until he fled New York and found God through his father in law, was he able to start rebuilding his life.

Only after the termination of his Columbia contract and, an unsuccessful re-union project with the Belmonts does his old Company make an offer to record an album of folk songs with him. Out of this album he returns to the charts and starts to rebuild his career on the folk circuit, still damaged but now in control of his future.

Suddenly the book departs from the leisurely description of his career. His four folk albums for Warner Brothers are dismissed in one paragraph, the 72 reunion concert gets 2 paragraphs , while the failed Spector project gets a whole 2 pages. If you think this brief he next 3 albums are totally ignored. As he spends so long in telling us about his conversion to a Christian how come no reference to his 5 1980's gospel albums covering nearly 10 years of his life?

Most pop and rock stars are remembered by their fans, long after the memories of concerts have faded, through their records, yet no discography appears. Surely the role of the collaborator should be to compile a discography before the start of the project, then ensure that the subject talks about key albums and key tracks. This clearly did not happen here, leaving the reader to make the connection between his life and his songs. In addition all Dions later collaborators are ignored or given short shrift.

So although the book purports to be Dions Story in fact its only his early years, not directed to the lifetime fan , but the one who only has a few singles or a greatest hits album. Taken on this level its OK but its frustrating for all those who wanted to know about his seventies work, or where he met Bill Tuoey etc.

I believe the Book is still available through ex-Dions Manager (or try a net bookshop) and its certainly worth reading if you can stand the frustration of having his career cut off at about one third distance.