BOOK REVIEW
by Roger M. Spoto

"The Bitter End: Hanging Out at America's Nightclub"
by Paul Colby with Martin Fitzpatrick
Cooper Square Press

This coffee house which became a nightclub has a place in the history of music and entertainment as a talent breeding ground which nurtured acts such as Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger, Woody Allen, Kris Kristofferson, Neil Young, Carly Simon, Bill Cosby, Bob Dylaqn, Joan Baez……..the list is too long but you get the drift. This was the ultimate acid test for young artists and the club reflected the socio-political textures of the burgeoning folk/activist scene in New York's Greenwich Village.

Owner Paul Colby relates some wonderful stories (mostly behind-the-scenes) about bombastic egos, lost souls, the FBI, the mob, the Hell's Angels, competing clubs, agents, hangers-on, hootenanny's and a whirling vortex of drink, drugs, drop-outs and drama. Some of the names may not be familiar but most will. Colby is a multi-talented octopus who had to book acts while nurturing, guiding and orchestrating an array of artists that would have institutionalized lesser men. He's dealt with the likes of Sinatra, Arlo Guthrie, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Phil Ochs and all points in between -- in a professional, forthright style that called upon his many entrepreneurial skills to sail through the storms of the sixties and seventies.

The friendships, tough love and funny scenes frozen in time make this a fun book. As Wavy Gravy (remember him?) said, "If you knew where you were or what you were doing in the sixties, you probably weren't there." In case you forgot, Colby will jog your memory. And if you do remember those days and/or the club, the Bambino of Bleecker Street will take you back in time to re-live some of the best moments of that special scene. An enjoyable journey…..to the Bitter End.