Classic Hits

Barbra Streisand‘s long-awaited memoir, My Name Is Barbra, is out now, and it features endless stories about her encounters with people she’s worked with over the years. One such encounter has been excerpted by People, and it involves Barbra’s co-star in Yentl, Mandy Patinkin.

Patinkin played Avigdor, the love interest of Barbra’s character Yentl, in the movie. She writes that a week into shooting the film, which she was also directing, the actor started acting odd, so she called him into her dressing room and asked him what was wrong.

“His face crumpled and he said, ‘I thought we were going to have a more personal relationship,’” she writes. “‘What?’ I had no idea what he was talking about. [He said], ‘I thought we were going to have an affair.’”

She writes that she looked at Patinkin “as if he were crazy” because she was not only married at the time, but would never have an affair with an actor she was directing. Plus, she wasn’t attracted to him.

“I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I simply said, ‘I don’t operate that way,’” she writes. “Tears rolled down his cheeks. And I suddenly realized what this was really about. I wasn’t paying enough attention to him as a man… or at least not the kind of attention he wanted.”

Barbra told him to shape up or he was off the movie. She writes Patinkin later revealed he gave her a “hard time” on set because he was scared.

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A new book called Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae, in stores November 7, features contributions from Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Simon, Keith Richards and more.

The book comes from photographer Kate Simon, who met Bob Marley in 1975 and gained unprecedented access to him, his band and his fellow reggae stars. Originally released in 2004 in a sold-out limited edition, this marks the first time Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae has been widely available.

Patti Smith wrote the intro for the book, Kravitz wrote the foreword, and Richards wrote the afterword. Other artists’ contributions come in the form of essays or paragraphs, included alongside the more than 400 photographs Simon took of Marley and his circle.

Kravitz writes that Marley was “raw, powerful, vulnerable” and “a genius without pretense,” while Smith says he “kept his spiritual sense intact, even at the height of public acclaim” and “set an example for the rest of the world.”

Richards adds that Marley “never got over” discovering reggae in Jamaica in 1972, and Bruce writes, “He filled your spirit, made you dance and sharpened your thoughts.” Bob Marley & the Wailers opened for Springsteen in 1973.

Visit MarleyBook.com for more information on the book.

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On This Day, November 7, 1987 …

Bruce Springsteen landed at #1 with his eighth studio album, Tunnel of Love, which he recorded without the E Street Band.

The record featured the hits “Brilliant Disguise,” which peaked at #5; the album’s title track, which peaked at #9; and “One Step Up,” which went to #13.

Although he didn’t record the album with the E Street Band, Springsteen did tour with them, launching the Tunnel of Love Express Tour in February 1988.

The album went on to be certified triple Platinum, and the song “Tunnel of Love” earned Springsteen a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.

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Celebrations are in order as legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell turns 80 on November 7.

Born Roberta Joan “Joni” Anderson in Alberta, Canada, Mitchell’s rise to fame began in the ’60s and ’70s with such classic songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Chelsea Morning,” “River” and “Both Sides Now.” She also wrote “Woodstock,” which later became a huge hit for her friends Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Mitchell has released 19 studio albums over the course of her career, but it’s her fourth album, 1971’s Blue, that is considered by many to be one of the best pop and rock albums in history.

Her biggest commercial success came with the 1974 release Court and Spark, which features the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Help Me.”

Turning 80 is a pretty big deal considering in 2015 Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm. She once revealed that she had to learn to walk again following the medical emergency. She made few public appearances after that but hadn’t performed live in 20 years when, in 2022, she surprised audiences at the Newport Folk Festival, joining Brandi Carlile for a guest-filled “Joni Jam.”

Mitchell again returned to the stage in June 2023, headlining a night at Carlile’s Echoes Through the Canyon festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington. The set again featured a “Joni Jam” with guests like Annie Lennox and Sarah McLachlan.

Joni has received several accolades over the course of her career. She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2021 and was awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2023.

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The perfect holiday gift for the Bruce Springsteen fan in your life may end up costing you more than a ticket to see one of his shows in 2024.

Photographer Lynn Goldsmith, who dated Bruce in the ’70s, has documented his Darkness on The Edge of Town era in a new book, which is being published this month. Because Goldsmith had inside access to Bruce and the E Street Band, she was able to capture him and the band in intimate moments, as well as moments when they, as Goldsmith writes, “left everything on the stage to create a musical performance that suggested the failures and glories of being human.” 

Springsteen writes in the book’s foreword,  “These photos remain a record of a time when I truly played for my life, night after night.”

The lavish, 364-page hardcover book is a limited edition of only 1,978 copies, each numbered and signed by Goldsmith. You can order it now, but the bad news is that it costs $750.

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Neither of them are Scottish, but Elton John and The Who were among the winners at the Scottish Music Awards, held November 4 in Glasgow.

Elton received the Global Artist Award, which was accepted by his bandmate, Scot Davey Johnstone. But when Johnstone was given the Outstanding Achievement Award, Elton appeared via video to congratulate him.

According to the Scottish Sun, Elton said to Johnstone, “You’re certainly the best guitarist, I think, to ever come out of Scotland, and that’s saying a lot. I’ve had the best time playing alongside you … you’re an incredible musician and have been with me so long.”

“You’ve always inspired me with your brilliance. I can’t think of anyone who deserves this award more than you and I love you dearly,” he added.

The Who won the Icon Award, and Roger Daltrey accepted remotely. The Scottish Music Awards ceremony raises money for Nordoff & Robbins, the U.K.’s largest music therapy charity, which The Who has supported for decades.

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While “Now and Then” is billed as the last song from The Beatles, director Peter Jackson, who helmed the Get Back documentary and directed the “Now and Then” video, says it might not be quite as final as that.

While speaking to the U.K.’s Sunday Times about “Now and Then,” Jackson was asked if there’s any footage from the Get Back sessions of the band — for example, jamming on a random song or piece of music — that could be turned into another “new” track.

“It did cross my mind!” Jackson tells the Sunday Times. “We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John [Lennon] and George [Harrison], and then have Paul [McCartney] and Ringo [Starr] add a chorus or harmonies.”

“You might end up with a decent song but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that,” he added. “It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable.”

Jackson also says he agreed to work on the project — which was created using technology he developed to isolate the audio tracks for Get Back — because of what he believes John Lennon was trying to say when he wrote “Now and Then.”

“It sounds like John is writing a message [to the rest of the Beatles] as an apology for however he may have behaved,” Jackson says. “I found that incredibly moving, that the final Beatles song is the Beatles singing to each other.”

In the same interview, McCartney says he wants to hang on to The Beatles just as much as the fans do.

“I like the idea of not letting go of each other,” he says, noting that when you love someone you don’t want to let go. “They’re in your memory, always in your heart. And, yes, that’s certainly true of me and the boys.”

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After a 20-year hiatus, Boy George is returning to Broadway — in the Tony Award-winning show Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

George was last on Broadway in 2003, when he starred in Taboo, a musical for which he wrote the music and lyrics. The show featured George playing the late Australian performance artist and club promoter Leigh Bowery, who was a friend, as well as an influence.

George will take over the role of Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! starting February 6; he’ll be in the show through May 12. In the show, Zidler is the owner of the Moulin Rouge nightclub and serves as an MC. The role is currently being played by Tituss Burgess.

You can buy tickets via MoulinRougeMusical.com.

Meanwhile, George’s autobiography, Karma, will be out on November 9. In a statement, he says, “I went to a lot of trouble to create Boy George and then I went through a whole battle for years about not wanting to be him. But now I enjoy and embrace it in a way that I wasn’t able to as a young person … I’m finally learning to be George Alan O’Dowd from Eltham.”

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Alan Parsons, the recording engineer-turned-Alan Parsons Project leader, will turn 75 on December 20, so some of his famous pals are gathering in Santa Barbara, California, next month to mark the occasion at a charity concert. And you can attend.

Michael McDonald, Al Stewart, Terry Sylvester of The Hollies and David Pack of Ambrosia are among the stars taking part in the Alan Parsons and Friends 75th Birthday Tribute Concert, scheduled for December 20 at the historic Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara. Tickets go on sale November 9 at 10 a.m. PT.

This isn’t just a random collection of artists, though: Parsons has worked with all of them. While he’s famous for engineering albums like Abbey Road, Let It Be and Dark Side of the Moon, Parsons also either mixed or produced the first two albums by Ambrosia, five albums by The Hollies and Al Stewart’s 1976 album, Year of the Cat, including its hit title track. McDonald has also performed with Parson numerous times.

Proceeds from the show will go to the charity One805, which supports the first responders of Santa Barbara County.

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Maybe Barbra Streisand‘s memoir isn’t as shocking as Britney Spears‘ book, but it certainly has more stories, as the 81-year-old diva opens up about her legendary life and career.

The memoir, My Name is Barbra, is out November 7, but People magazine has published a few excerpts:

On her famous nose:

In the prologue, she writes, “Sometimes I feel like my nose got more press than I did … After all these years, I’m still hurt by the insults and can’t quite believe the praise.” 

In another chapter, she writes, “I had already been told by several people that I should get a nose job and cap my teeth. I thought, ‘Isn’t my talent enough?’ … and who knew what it might do to my voice?“

On her relationship with Marlon Brando:

Streisand writes that when she met the famous actor, “He looked into my eyes and said, ‘I’d like to f*** you.’ I was taken aback. ‘That sounds awful,’ I said. After a moment of thought, he said, ‘Okay. Then I’d like to go to a museum with you.’ ‘Now that’s very romantic. I’d like that.'” 

On the Hollywood pay gap:

Streisand writes that when she was making Meet the Fockers with Dustin Hoffman, “I was definitely hurt when I found out that Dustin was getting three times as much as me, plus a tiny percentage, which is significant on a movie that made $520 million.” The studio head ended up giving her a bonus, she adds.

On her husband, James Brolin:

“I think the real reason our relationship has endured is that we’re both willing to work at it. Jim and I are very different. As he’s said to me, ‘You’re an expert at looking for what’s wrong, while I’m just happy to wake up in the morning.’”

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