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M US I C book REviEw By Compton Maddux CAREY GENESiS oF THE SoNG A Memoir by Cary Wingfield Raditz It is a deligh4ul surprise when a friend tells you, "I just finished my book", and even be6er when it turns out to be a great read and tale. A love story and a personal odyssey that resonates from the halls of academia to a seaside cave in Matala Crete— to the bazaars of Persia, there is never a dull moment. Time does not stands5ll nor does Cary. He is alway on the move. Even in his sleep. A writer of songs, Joni Mitchell moves into Cary's (also known as Carey) cen- taur's cave and lives off the grid 5ll she has to go home and become a managed star. And she writes a song. The coda to an enchant- ment. In the song "Its really hard to leave you Carey but it's really not my home." Joni invites him to California where he rubs shoulders with the Warner/Asylum Elite and her new flame, James Taylor. In a wonderful turn, the three of them Joni, James and Cary find themselves at Cary's grandmother's house. Joni presents the two song birds with a song she wrote as a young woman. A gi% of the song. The six5es Cary clearly recalls an era por- trayed as rive5ng, the ex- pression "far out man". Cary's remembrances are wrought like etchings on a psychedelic mobile. A Calder if you will — each gust of wind showing the aspects and dimensions another piece of 5me and space. All bound in a nomadic narra5ve so unique and original. The reality is, he made up a world and proceeded to live in it through both joyous and fearful moments. He fleshes out a largely unchronicled 5me the way a balladeer makes an epic poem. Chap- ters more like verses than prose. "What a story, what a life. Anyone riding this magic bus with Cary doesn't want to get off. They want the dream to go on", quoted one reviewer of the book. And according to Cary he is well on his way to the next gig, and remains Joni Mitchells most beloved biographer.

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