The Mayor of Macdougal Street - by Dave Van Ronk (Paperback)

About the Book

Reprint. Originally published in paperback: 2006.

Book Synopsis

Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) was one of the founding figures of the 1960s folk revival, but he was far more than that. A pioneer of modern acoustic blues, a fine songwriter and arranger, a powerful singer, and one of the most influential guitarists of the '60s, he was also a marvelous storyteller, a peerless musical historian, and one of the most quotable figures on the Village scene.

Featuring encounters with young stars-to-be like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, The Mayor of MacDougal Street is a vivid evocation of a singular time and place -- a feast not only for fans of folk music and blues, but for anyone interested in the music, politics, and spirit of a revolutionary period in American culture.

Review Quotes

Praise for "The Mayor of MacDougal Street"
NewYorker.com, 9/30/13
[A] wonderful memoir.
"Slate, " 12/2/13
Your best guide when it comes to Inside Llewyn Davisapart from what follows, of courseis Van Ronk s posthumous memoir, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street."
"New York Times," 11/30/13
[A] sharp cantankerous memoir.
The Culture Trip, 4/1/16
Gives the play-by-play for a musical movement that was humble in origin, but huge in populous fervor. Woody Guthrie; Joan Baez; Pete Seeger; Richie Havens; Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary; plus dozens more, they all live and breathe within these pagesOne of folk s unsung heroes, Van Ronk mixes poetry and revolution, rolled into a posthumously released autobiography as much a history of the Village, and the folk venues that made it famous, as the life story of its Mayor.
"

NewYorker.com, 9/30/13

"[A] wonderful memoir."



"Slate, " 12/2/13

"Your best guide when it comes to Inside Llewyn Davis--apart from what follows, of course--is Van Ronk's posthumous memoir, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street"."



"New York Times", 11/30/13

"[A] sharp cantankerous memoir."


"New York Review of Books"blog, 12/16/2013

"The movie extensively mines Van Ronk's remarkable posthumous memoir"The Mayor of MacDougal Street"(seamlessly compiled from interviews by Elijah Wald; Da Capo, 2005) for scenes, anecdotes, and details of background, and its protagonist, Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac) sings songs closely associated with Van Ronk."


"Seattle Times, "12/15/2013

"[A] delightful, keenly-observed, cantankerous autobiography...which, if you love 'Inside Llewyn Davis' you owe it to yourself to read."


"Paste Magazine", 12/12/2013

"[An] acclaimed and enjoyable memoir."


NewYorker.com, 1/22/2014

""The Mayor of MacDougal Street" is one of the dozen best books ever written about a New York life and time: dense with wisdom, humor, judgment, and an amazingly vivid recreation of the rites and rituals and characters of a whole lost world and scene."


NewYorker.com, 9/30/13
"[A] wonderful memoir."

"Slate, " 12/2/13
"Your best guide when it comes to Inside Llewyn Davis--apart from what follows, of course--is Van Ronk's posthumous memoir, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street"."

"New York Times", 11/30/13
"[A] sharp cantankerous memoir."

About the Author

Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) was one of the founding figures of the 1960s folk revival, but he was far more than that. A pioneer of modern acoustic blues, a fine songwriter and arranger, a powerful singer, and one of the most influential guitarists of the '60s, he was also a marvelous storyteller, a peerless musical historian, and one of the most quotable figures on the Village scene. The Mayor of MacDougal Street is a firsthand account by a major player in the social and musical history of the '50s and '60s. It features encounters with young stars-to-be like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Joni Mitchell, as well as older luminaries like Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Odetta.

Elijah Wald wrote the acclaimed study of blues legend Robert Johnson, Escaping the Delta. He also wrote the biography Josh White: Society Blues and Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas. He lives in Los Angeles.