Product Description

Breaking a decades-long silence, Clarence "Big Man" Clemons, superlative saxophonist and right-hand man to Bruce Springsteen, reveals all about life both and off the road with one of the world's most famous rock stars. For 35 years, Clemons has performed with the E Street Band, and has not only observed but been a huge presence in Springsteen's career. In BIG MAN, Clarence tells astounding true stories and spins a few legendary yarns to add to the already mystical lore of the E Street Band. From breaking into Graceland to meet the King, to sharing a drink or three with Robert De Niro, Clarence and his closest friend Don Reo have woven a patchwork quilt of truth and fiction that is truly groundbreaking. A must-have for anyone even remotely interested in The Boss, BIG MAN contains stories that even the most dedicated fan will never have heard before.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1577 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-22
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

About the Author
Clarence Clemons is the legendary saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street band. He lives in Florida. Don Reo is a writer/producer of many award-winning television shows. He lives in California.

Customer Reviews

One for the fans?
I'm a Springsteen fan. I think Clarence's sax marks out many of the Boss's finest tracks, I think he's an extremely gifted and talented musician. But I have mixed feelings about this book.

The book has three main veins. Stories straight from Clarence. These are great, and a very interesting insight into the man who helps define the E Street Band. Some quite funny moments too, the one about the prison when the gear blew up made me laugh out loud. It's also truthful. He obviously doesn't care about the light he is seen in, and I think this is commendable. I enjoyed these chapters the most, but they are too brief.

Second up, there's the 'legendary' stories. Not legendary because they are about the outrageous wild times of Clarence. Nope, legendary in the sense that they're not real. You don't often get those in an autobiography. Some are loosely based on fact, some are dreams etc etc. This has me very puzzled. A musician of Clarence's ability and experience, who has been at the centre of one of the greatest bands of all time, who was a fairly wild individual, has to fill put his autobiography with made up stories? Very strange, but I suspect that it's more Don than Clarence behind these bits. He played pool with Castro once. Is that not interesting enough? Does it have to spin off into the stratosphere of make-believe and come crashing down with one of the most bizarre endings to a chapter I have ever read? Don't let that last sentence intrigue you, btw.

Third vein, stories about Don and his time as a hanger-on. Sorry Don, I've never heard of you and to be frank, I really don't care. If I thought you would have had such a chunk of the book to name drop and tell us all how great you are (wow, you have offices at Disney!), but humble (used to buy his own tickets, just like us fans. Well done, you) I don't think I'd have bothered. I don't think there is a single person in the world outside of your family and no doubt yourself, who has the slightest interest in reading about you. By all means, as fans we'd like to hear experiences from people connected with the band. But these are usually in the form of quotes and quips, but entire chapters?

Thank you for the insights Clarence, and thank-you for the wonderful music. As for Don, next time you write a book about yourself, do it on your own, that way I can avoid giving you any of my money.

Big man - new perspective
This book brings a new perspective on Springsteen and his band but from the Big Man himself. The stories are good and you have to accept that it is embellished slightly (and he admits it) for artistic effect and to fill in the 'gaps' in knowledge. Its a light hearted and easy read and it helps the reader understand the history and life of Clarence and the E St Band. Recommended.

big man short story
I'm a big Springsteen fan so the chance of some inside information was expected but I was dissappointed when it was not delivered. However, I liked the story teller style of the book and the humour, and this soon kept me reading.
We don't really learn that much about either Clarence or Bruce, or for that matter Clarence's mixed up private life, but we did learnt about a man on man friendship, which had some great twists. I didn't put the book down once I started, which I have found so easy with many other Springsteen related books.

I would like to read the x rated version though.

I recommend the book for the fact that it is a great book about a male friendship and numerous encounters, but also illustrates how ordinary people really are, even when they are as unforgettable as the BIG MAN.