Can You Feel the Silence? - by Clinton Heylin (Paperback)

About the Book

"A terrific, detailed look at Van Morrison's life. . . A must for anyone who enjoys tales of tortured stars behaving badly."--"Entertainment Weekly." 13 photos.

Book Synopsis

This groundbreaking biography of a brilliant but disturbed performer explores the paradox of the man and the artist. Based on more than 100 interviews, this intelligent profile explores Morrison's roots; the hard times he went through in London, New York, and Boston; the making of his seminal albums Moondance and Astral Weeks; and the disastrous business arrangements that left Morrison hungry and penniless while his songs were topping the charts. Detailed are the breakdown of Morrison's marriage, the creative drought that followed, and his triumphant reemergence. In addition, this biography attempts to explain the forbidding aspects of Morrison's persona, such as paranoia, hard drinking, misanthropy, as well as why, in the words of his one-time singing partner Linda Gail Lewis, Morrison's music "brings happiness to other people, not him." Also included is a Van Morrision sessionography that spans 1964 to 2001.

Review Quotes

"A meticulously researched account of Morrison's life and work. Silence is loaded with stories of the man's misdeeds, not to mention plenty of dish about the singer's cantankerous dislike of record companies and biographers." --Rolling Stone


"A terrific, detailed look at Van Morrison's life. . . . Particularly fascinating is the portrait of the artist as a young R&B fan in Belfast. . . . Silence should prove indispensable for Morrisonites--and a must for anyone who enjoys tales of tortured stars behaving badly." --Entertainment Weekly


"For long-suffering admirers, Silence both deepens his enigma and gives various aspects of the tortured-genius myth a kick in the Astral Weeks." --The Village Voice

About the Author

Clinton Heylin is the author of Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades, Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, and No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny.