Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin »

DAVID EVANIER is a prizewinning writer; former senior editor of The Paris Review; author of Making the Wiseguys Weep, a biography of Jimmy Roselli that became a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and coauthor (with Joey Pantoliano of Sopranos fame) of the bestselling Who's Sorry Now. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

A performer who rivaled Sinatra, Bobby Darin rose from dire poverty to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Dogged by chronic illness, he knew that time was not on his side, and so, in a career full of dizzying twists and turns, he did it all, moving from teen idol to Vegas song-and-dance man, from hipster to folkie and back. In Roman Candle, David Evanier offers a multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, including the dark side of his celebrated marriage to America's sweetheart, Sandra Dee, and the incredible family secret that tore him apart at the end.

Publishers Weekly

Like Michael Starr's Bobby Darin (Forecasts, Oct. 4), Evanier's sturdy bio quickly notes how the specter of early death spurred Bobby Darin to early fame. When, at 13, Darin overheard his doctor giving him about three more years to live (rheumatic fever had weakened his heart), the teenager decided he'd better not waste any time in becoming a star. Former senior Paris Review editor Evanier (Making the Wise Guys Weep) follows Darin's career from his early days in the New York music scene through the commercial success of "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife" to his later, much-maligned attempt to be a folk singer (Frankie Avalon: "I said to him, `Bobby, what the fuck are you doing?' "). He also details Darin's attempts to launch a music publishing company (first by encouraging Wayne Newton, then an aspiring young singer, to record "Danke Schoen," a song Darin could have recorded himself) and to begin an acting career. Evanier also takes a hard look at Darin's personal relationships, particularly his troubled marriage to "America's Sweetheart," Sandra Dee. Informed by scores of interviews with Darin's friends and associates and written in no-nonsense, just-the-facts prose, Evanier's book paints a picture of a ruthlessly ambitious musician with a compelling, if not entirely sympathetic, reason for so much of his behavior. Sinatra may have had the bragging rights to "My Way," but Darin (1936-1973) lived out the lyrics. Agent, Andrew Blauner. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Introduction: Faster Than The Speed of Life

Chapter One The Hidden Child 1

Chapter Two A "Scrawny Thing" 6

Chapter Three The Nerve of a Burglar 13

Chapter Four Splish Splash 30

Chapter Five The Comet Ride 54

Chapter Six The Big Time 68

Chapter Seven The Shtarker 100

Chapter Eight The Genius 130

Chapter Nine The Chameleon 141

Chapter Ten A Higher Calling 151

Chapter Eleven Slip-Sliding Away 169

Chapter Twelve The Lost Chord 181

Chapter Thirteen Whirling Dervish 192

Chapter Fourteen Roman Candle 213

Chapter Fifteen The Curtain Falls 230

The Best of Bobby: A Selected Guide 253

Acknowledgments 255