DIAMOND'S FENCING MEDAL IS LUCKY CHARM, NEIL DIAMOND

NEIL DIAMOND turns to a fencing medal he won as a teenager when he's feeling low because he thinks the prize is a good luck charm.The Sweet Caroline hitmaker admits the swordfighting honour he won as a high school student in New York gave him the boost he needed to follow his musical dreams. He says, "This actually tiny fencing medal has been a good omen for me. I do believe in luck, and I somehow think this medal brings me good fortune. "(Winning it) was a defining moment for me. It actually did change me because it raised my self-esteem."

Love Neil Diamond, By David Wild, How I Learned to Stop Worrying

David Wild is a "Diamondhead". It has been this way since childhood, when the music of Neil Diamond filtered through his family home: the Wilds worshipped the musician as a "Jewish Elvis". David Wild manages to turn his personal passion into a profession and becomes a Rolling Stone journalist charged with interviewing his hero several times. He wins Diamond over and the Wild family receives a personal invitation to gigs.
The book, then, is part Wild's memoir, part biography of Diamond, tracing the arc of his career and private life. It was at a progressive Jewish camp in 1956 that Diamond was inspired to take up guitar, going on to produce what Wild feels is the "almost existential quality of loneliness" at the heart of his best early work. He paints a portrait of a solitary, otherworldly, self deprecating musician with single minded vision, who made a decision to please the masses rather than the critics.
Wild is captivated by Diamond's "beautiful noise" and the "semireligious experience" of speaking with the man. While his enthusiasm is not always infectious, the book sheds insights into the fascinating psychology of fandom.

Neil Diamond is Forever

The man had stood before Jon Bream dozens of times over the course of four decades, as an interview subject and as a performer. But Bream's approach of Neil Diamond has abided the same throughout, even as other critics changed their minds, because after every conversation the two ever had, Diamond would tell Bream, "Stop by the show and say hi."
Through a collection of interviews, mementos and memorabilia, such candor becomes the main headquartes in Bream's Neil Diamond is Forever: The Man and His Music, out Oct. 15. A longtime music journalist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bream had earlier investigated the life of Prince and graphiced the history of Led Zeppelin in past books. But for Diamond, Bream needed to further establish the legacy he had to fans. "These books are designed to be the eventual fan books, and Neil Diamond had incredibly devoted, fanatic fans," Bream tells Paste. "So we needed to put together a project that would give them the eventual fan book."As shown in the book, the conversations Bream had with Diamond have been characteristically consistent. All had been over the phone, and all had brought up one subject in particular."The interesting thing is the one topic we have always covered over the years: the relationship he has with his conferences," Bream says. "It's interesting to see how he relates to them, how he treats them. It becomes interesting to see how those answers would evolve."Neil Diamond is Forever also contains photos of 45 singles, ticket bits and other merchandise Bream saved from Diamond's merchandise manager of the mid '70s to mid '90s. Much of what illustrates the 160-page book is a acting of his career, though mementos like a handwritten thank you note from Diamond evident the personality that very few saw on a regular basis.But while Bream's compensation spans Diamond's absolute career, the book fails to provide the answer to just one question: why he has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I dont' think the process has been fair. There are people with less impact and less success that are in the Hall of Fame. One hit wonders," Bream says. "But Neil exactly had a distinguished career, whether you like it or not."

DVD and show to Diamond excited

Neil Diamond has accepted he feels like "an expectant father" as he waits for his new concert DVD to hurt the shops.
The singer's latest offering, Hot August Night/NYC, will be in Walmart stores in the US on Friday and a companion TV specific will air the same day and he can't wait.
"Basically I feel like an anticipant father and I'm just nervously sitting around the waiting room hoping that the baby is healthy and happy," the 68 year old said.
The DVD, filmed during Diamond's accomplishment at Madison Square Garden last summer, armpad more than two dozen songs including classics such as Sweet Caroline and Love On The Rocks.
Diamond said he wanted to make a agreement film for years and "just never got to it".
He finally decided to shoot a show in his native New York City. "There's something specfic when you play your hometown," he said. "It makes my felling that I haven't filmed antecedent tours, but I'm happy we got this one."
The television special includes extract from the DVD and pictures from Diamond's recent trip home.
Diamond said, "This is my first TV special in over 20 years, so I feel my heart beating a little faster. It's exciting,"

Hot August Night Of Neil Diamond

wIT was back in 1972 that Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night, recorded live at the Greek Theatre in LA, helped turn him into a superstar. Last year he played another hot August night but he did not famous, this time he played same on Hot August Night in his Big Apple hometown. Photography on double CD and DVD and every body like him, the setlist boasts all the hallmark hits plus a handful of stripped back songs from his recent sessions with Rick Rubin. His voice isn’t what it was but I Am I Said, Cracklin’ and it has famous Rosie and Brother Love’s was very happy and Travelling Salvation Show still sound strong and there’s a huge Sweet Caroline singalong that all but raises the roof. PC

Esplanade last night and Neil Diamond

The evening’s biggest draw, though, was Neil Diamond, who appeared early in the evening for a jaunty one-two punch of “Cracklin’ Rosie’’ and “Forever In Blue Jeans.’’

He waited till the national broadcast of the festivities began before he busted out the big guns. It’s one exciting for 40,000 people at Fenway to sing “Sweet Caroline’’; it’s another entirely to hear about a half-million holler “So good! So good! So good!’’ at the top of their lungs.

Diamond did what anybody would do during the brief break: He launched into the song again. If anything, the “bap ba baa’’s were even louder when nobody at home was listening.

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