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Shel Silverstein
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Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930–May 8, 1999) was an American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He sometimes styled himself as Uncle Shelby, especially for his early children's books.
Silverstein confirmed he never studied the poetry of others therefore, developed his own quirky style: laid-back and conversational, occasionally employing profanity and slang.
don Alan Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 25, 1930 to Nathan Silverstein (July 1, 1890 – July 17, 1995) and Barbara Balkany (January 5, 1899 – May 9, 1993).
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Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930–May 8, 1999) was an American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He sometimes styled himself as Uncle Shelby, especially for his early children's books.
Silverstein confirmed he never studied the poetry of others therefore, developed his own quirky style: laid-back and conversational, occasionally employing profanity and slang.
Life
Sheldon Alan Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 25, 1930 to Nathan Silverstein (July 1, 1890 – July 17, 1995) and Barbara Balkany (January 5, 1899 – May 9, 1993). He had one younger sister named Peggy, who died of the common cold.
Silverstein had been writing and drawing since early adolescence, and had developed his own writing style because he would not read work from other writers. After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School several months before his class, he attended the University of Illinois, however he was expelled for failing grades in 1949. Shortly after, he began attending Roosevelt University, and graduated from there in 1953 with a bachelor's degree. Shortly after he graduated, he was drafted into the Army.
Silverstein was stationed in Kyoto, Japan and South Korea, and during his tour, he worked as cartoonist for the Pacific military newspaper Stars and Stripes, and had worked alongside and befriended Don Carpenter, who would later become a novelist and screenwriter. He served in the Army for two years until he was honorably discharged in 1955.
He is most commonly known for writing and illustrating children's literature, including The Missing Piece, A Light in the Attic, Lafcadio, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, The Giving Tree, A Giraffe and a Half, and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O. For adults he wrote Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, a satirical mock-children's book, and created Different Dances, a coffee table book of wordless, adult-themed cartoons. He continued to write colloquial poetry on occasion throughout his life, including a beatnik-hipster version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Playboy magazine in 1998. He also co-wrote the screenplay Things Change with David Mamet
In 2005, Runny Babbit: a Billy Sook, was published posthumously. As the title suggests, every poem and illustration in the book consists of spoonerisms. In an NPR interview, Mitch Myers, Shel Silverstein's nephew, who wrote the liner notes for a Best of Shel Silverstein CD and helped compile the new collection of poems, said, "I think he wasn't sure about how it would be received. It is and was very different. And it's not easy, even for adults to read. I think, actually, younger children have a better time at it because they're not so preconceived in their notions of how words work. And the playfulness of it really comes across." Silverstein said, "I did not have any inspirations, my talent formed, because that was what I loved to do...[and forever will].
Many kids should know their talents form in their heart and soul."
He died at the age of 68 on May 8, 1999.
Writings
Silverstein's work did not include writing for children when he first began his career, but his editor at Harper & Row (now HarperCollins), Ursula Nordstrom, encouraged Silverstein to write children's poetry. After having used his clever, silly ideas in his first book, Silverstein decided that he enjoyed the product and wanted to do it again.
A blurb by Otto Penzler from his crime anthology Murder for Revenge (1998) states:
This anthology was the second in a series, which also included Murder for Love (1996) and Murder and Obsession (1999). All three anthologies included contributions by Shel Silverstein.
As a songwriter
Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied briefly at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University He is remembered as one of the greatest songwriters of our time. As such, Silverstein tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included an astounding catalog of songs. A great number of which were huge hits for other artists - most notably the rock & roll group Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (later shortened to just Dr. Hook).
He wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" (which was performed by Johnny Cash and for which Silverstein won a Grammy in 1970), Tompall Glaser's highest-charting solo single "Put Another Log on the Fire," "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn" (which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became
the signature piece for the Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in Irish pubs all over the world to this day). Another Silverstein-penned song recorded by Cash is "25 Minutes to Go," sung from the point of view of a man facing his last 25 minutes on Death Row, with each line of the song counting down one minute closer. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show songs, including "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball," "Sylvia's Mother," "The Things I Didn't Say", and a cautionary song about venereal disease, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most." He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Rosalie's Good Eats Café," "The Mermaid," "The Winner," "Tequila Sheila," and co-wrote with Baxter Taylor the song "Marie Laveau," for which the songwriters received a BMI Award in 1975. "The Mermaid" was also covered in 2005 by Great Big Sea, which released its version on the album The Hard and the Easy. Further famous songs that Shel Silverstein wrote were "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan," (first recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show in 1975) which was re-recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise and "Queen of the Silver Dollar," (first recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show in 1973) which appeared on Emmylou Harris's 1975 album Pieces of the Sky, later covered by Dave & Sugar as well as Doyle Holly in 1973. Shel was nominated for an Oscar for his music for the film Postcards from the Edge. He also composed original music for several other films and displayed a musical versatility in these projects, playing guitar, piano, saxophone, and trombone.
The soundtrack of the 1970 film Ned Kelly is composed of Silverstein's songs, performed by Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson among others
Silverstein also had a popular following on Dr. Demento's radio show. Among his best-known comedy songs were "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout (Would Not Take The Garbage Out)," "The Smoke-Off" (a tale of a contest to determine who could roll—or smoke—marijuana joints faster), and "I Got Stoned and I Missed It." He also wrote "The Father of a Boy Named Sue," in which he tells the story from the original song from the father's point of view, and the 1962 song "Boa Constrictor" that is sung by a man who is being progressively swallowed whole by a snake (recorded by the folk group The Brothers Four), although it is now better known as a children's playground chant.
A longtime friend of American singer and songwriter Pat Dailey, Silverstein collaborated with him on the posthumously released 2002 Underwater Land album. It contains 17 children's songs written and produced by Silverstein and sung by Dailey. Silverstein also appears along with him on a few tracks. The album also contains artwork by Silverstein.
Silverstein was posthumously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
As a playwright
An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein was produced by the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City in September 2001. The collection of short sketches, directed by Karen Kohlhaas, comprised the following:
- "One Tennis Shoe"—Harvey claims that his wife Sylvia is becoming a bag lady, but she claims that he is just overreacting.
- "Bus Stop"—Irwin stands on a street corner with a sign reading
bust stop and uses the opportunity to pontificate on the subject."Going Once"—A monologue in which an auctioneer shows off a woman who is putting herself up for auction to the highest bidder."The Best Daddy"—Lisa's got the best daddy in the world. After all, he bought her a pony for her birthday. Too bad he shot it dead."The Lifeboat is Sinking"—Jen and Sherwin sit safely on their bed playing a game of Who-Would-You-Save-If—the family was drowning."Smile"—Bender and his henchmen have found the man responsible for the phrase Have a nice day, and they're going to make him pay."Watch and Dry"—Marianne stops by the laundromat, but she's horrified to discover that her laundry hasn't been cleaned."Thinking Up a New Name for the Act"—Pete thinks that the phrase meat and potatoes is the perfect name for their vaudeville act."Buy One, Get One Free" —Two hookers who speak in rhymes are offering the deal of the century, offering a golden opportunity to passersby."Blind Willie and the Talking Dog"—Blind Willie begs for money as his dog argues that they could use his talent to make some real money.
Shel's Shorts was produced in repertory as two separate evenings under the titles Signs of Trouble and Shel Shocked by the Market Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in December 2001. Signs of Trouble was directed by Wesley Savick, and Shel Shocked was directed by Larry Coen.
The Mind of Shel Silverstein was a collection of Shel Silverstein poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up that was directed for the stage in 2007 by Jesse S. Martinez for Marana Middle School's Off Freeway Performers in Marana, Arizona.
The Devil and Billy Markham was published in an issue of Playboy magazine in 1979. It was written as an epic poem in doggerel form. It was then adapted into a solo one-act play that debuted for the first time on a double bill with Mamet's "Bobby Gould in Hell" in 1989. it has subsequently been performed many times by different companies and in different forms.
Personal life
Silverstein had two children. His first child was daughter Shoshanna (Shanna), born June 30, 1970, with Susan Hastings. Susan Hastings died 5 years later, on June 29, 1975, in Baltimore, Maryland. Shoshanna's aunt and uncle, Meg and Curtis Marshall, raised Shanna from the age of 5 until her death of a cerebral aneurysm in Baltimore on April 24, 1982, at the age of 11. She was attending the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore at the time of her death. Silverstein dedicated his 1983 reprint of Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros to the Marshalls. A Light in the Attic was dedicated to Shanna, and Silverstein drew the sign with a flower attached. Shoshanna means lily or rose in Hebrew.
Silverstein's other child was his son Matthew, born on November 10, 1983. Silverstein's 1996 Falling Up was dedicated to Matt. Matthew's mother is alleged to be the Sarah mentioned in the other thanks that appears on the dedication page.
Late in life, Silverstein loved to spend time in his favorite places such as Greenwich Village, Key West, Martha’s Vineyard, and Sausalito, California. He continued to create plays, songs, poems, stories, and drawings until his death in 1999.
Shel Silverstein died sometime during the weekend of May 8, 1999, in Key West, Florida, of a heart attack. His body was found by two housekeepers the following Monday, May 10. It was reported that he could have died on either day that weekend.
Interviews
Silverstein had his own view of how his life started out:
Silverstein did not really care to conform to any sort of norm, but he did want to leave his mark for others to be inspired by
The few interviews he did give throughout his life gave insight to his thinking patterns. One example of these interviews:
Silverstein did not really enjoy interviews and because of this, he did not interview very much. Once in an interview he was asked about creativity and being an artist. This was his reply:
“I think that if you’re truly creative, you can work in certain related fields of creativity, but then there are others that are beyond you. For instance, a man who works well with words might work as a writer and as a poet and as a lyricist. But if he tried to work in sculpture, he might get absolutely nowhere. And a guy who is very visual might easily work in painting and drawing, could also work in costume design, if he leaned that way, could work in stage setting, and in those related fields. I do believe that a person who is truly observant in one of the arts will be truly observant and sensitive in the others as well, but it’s his ability to express these things that would limit him. I believe that a man who is a sensitive painter is sensitive to life, and therefore would be sensitive as a writer or as a storyteller, but having the ability to write is something more than merely seeing. Having the ability to paint is something more than merely seeing the colors, seeking the form. It’s in execution, in skill.”
--(1963) in an interview with Aardvark magazine.
Bibliography
Take Ten (1955) Grab Your Socks! (1956) Now Here's My Plan (1960) Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book (1961) A Playboy's Teevee Jeebies oh la la (1961) (Uncle Shelby's story of) Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back (1963) A Giraffe and a Half (1964) The Giving Tree (1964) Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (1964) Uncle Shelby's Zoo (1964) More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies (1965) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) The Missing Piece (1976) Different Dances (1979) A Light in the Attic (1981) The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981) Falling Up (1996) Draw a Skinny Elephant (1998) Runny Babbit (2005) (published posthumously) Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies (2008, originally published in 1964)
Silverstein believed that written works needed to be read on paper—the correct paper for the particular work. He usually would not allow his poems and stories to be published unless he could choose the type, size, shape, color, and quality of the paper himself. Being a book collector, he took seriously the feel of the paper, the look of the book from the inside and out, the typeface for each poem, and the binding of his books. He did not allow his books to be published in paperback because he did not want his work to diminish in any way.
Albums
Hairy Jazz (Elektra Records) (1959) Inside Folk Songs (Atlantic Records) (1962) I'm So Good That I Don't Have To Brag (Cadet Records) (1965) Drain My Brain (Cadet Records) (1967) A Boy Named Sue And Other Country Songs (RCA Records) (1969) Freakin' At The Freakers Ball (Columbia Records) (1972) Crouchin' On The Outside (Janus Records), collection of I'm So Good... and Drain My Brain (1973) Songs & Stories (Parachute Records) (1978) The Great Conch Train Robbery (Flying Fish Records) (1980) Where the Sidewalk Ends (book) (Columbia Records) (1984) A Light In The Attic (Columbia Records) (1985) Underwater Land (with Pat Dailey) (Olympia Records) (2002) (released posthumously) The Best of Shel Silverstein: His Words His Songs His Friends (Legacy/Columbia/SBMG Records) (2005) (released posthumously)
Popular culture references
- Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein takes its name from Shel Silverstein, and also recites
Where the Sidewalk Ends in its entirety at the end of its song "Forever and a Day." The band's bassist, Billy Hamilton, has a tattoo with a picture from Silverstein's poem "Hug O' War."
Family Guy episode "Barely Legal," Quagmire helps Meg overcome her obsession with Brian by giving her a copy of Silverstein's The Missing Piece.
- In an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Sperg yells "This is where the sidewalk ends, baby!" before flinging Billy's haunted tricycle off of the cliff.
American Dad! episode "When a Stan Loves a Woman," Cap'n Monty states that the fondue he was serving was "Hotter than the burning flesh of Shel Silverstein in hell."
- In the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the main character, Greg, says that Shel Silverstein "looks more like a criminal or pirate than a guy who writes poems for kids."
Mystery Science Theater 3000 , there was a fight scene involving a bald, bearded man—and one of the Bots quipped, "Damn you, Shel Silverstein!" when the bald man got punched out.
The Giving Tree was parodied as a 4-panel comic by The Perry Bible Fellowship, titled "The Unforgiving Tree."
- CollegeHumor.com has also parodied The Giving Tree in their short video, "The Really Really Giving Tree."
- Lost Reflections, a song by Progressive metal band Crimson Glory, starts with the lines "Locked in this attic, been here so many years, Shanna won't set me free."
- In an episode of Robot Chicken, there is a skit parodying The Giving Tree.
Book
- Lisa Rogak: A Boy Named Shel. The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein (2007). ISBN 0312353596
- Flippo, Chet. (1998). "Shel Silverstein". In
The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 484. Steve Pond: The Magical World of Shel Silverstein. PLAYBOY (US Edition) 1/2006. pp74-78 & pp 151-153.
Audio
German-language sites
- Andreas Weigel: . Leben, Lieder und Texte. ORF, "Spielräume spezial" (2006).
- Pop-Alphabet: .
- Bernd Glodek: . Was macht dieser Mann eigentlich nicht? (1977).
- . "Wiener Zeitung, Extra" (2005).
External links
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