Comments on: The Many Sides of Shel Silverstein

By: Rae Mc

Rae Mc — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:01:49 +0000

I knew Susan Hastings in Sausalito before, during and after she had Shanna. What did she die of? She was so young, gorgeous and I know she had been a former Playboy Bunny. I also knew Shel through Susan.

By: Kimberly Carey

Kimberly Carey — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:29:39 +0000

Anyone know how to best reach out to Shel’s son Matthew?

Is he a Doctor now in LA? Is that true? I can find him that way.

I have business questions regarding the copyright usage of one of his dad’s publishings.

No harm, just want to do the right thing. I am a big fan of Shel Silverstein.

Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Carey
butterfly-14@earthlink.net

By: Lucifer's Hammer

Lucifer's Hammer — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:42:41 +0000

In answer to DD’s question above: “Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back”. Much like “The Giving Tree”, widely misinterpreted, cursed, and banned for being non-PC. Shel must’ve loved that.

By: Ian Eisenberg

Ian Eisenberg — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:11:48 +0000

Uncle Shel (cousin actually) was a legend in the family. My kids love his stories and he was an inspiration for me to become an artist. I grew up with his books and illustrations and we have a few precious letters with drawings that are kept safe from prying eyes.
Miss you Uncle Shellie!

By: Anon of Ibid

Anon of Ibid — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Two more great ones to track down:

“The Great Smoke Off” and “Never Bite a Married Woman on the Thigh.”

There was a site a few years back that cataloged some of his more adult works, but it got stomped by the lawyers.

By: Starving Artist

Starving Artist — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:13:50 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. I have quite a few Shel Silverstein books and read them every so often. It’s always nice to learn more about a favorite author.

By: Anneke

Anneke — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:07:31 +0000

Men who treat women like that do not “love” women. They are obsessed with, objectify, and mistreat women, but they do not love them.

By: wendell

wendell — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:09:19 +0000

I’d seen his name on a few things before, but I was seriously introduced to Shel S. by his delightfully raunchy album of novelty songs from the early ’70s titled “Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball” featuring such proudly questionable material as “I Got Stoned And Missed It”, “Polly In A Porny”, “Don’t Give A Dose To The One You Love Most” and the oddly kid-friendly “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out”.

He also wrote the ‘Male Chauvinist Anthem’ “Put Another Log on the Fire” (“cook me up some bacon and some beans, go out to the car and change the tire… and then tell me why you’re leavin’ me”)

And don’t forget the deeply incorrect ‘response song’ to his most famous work: “The Father of a Boy Named Sue” telling his side of the story: “When thru the door with an awful scream comes the ugliest queen I’ve ever seen, He says my name is Sue how do you do then he hits me with his purse”.

It’s kind of a shame that shelsilverstein.com is set up as 100% kid-friendly.

By: Martijn

Martijn — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:16:47 +0000

To support my argument – see http://mlee1.com/hl2/father_gregory00.jpg

By: Martijn

Martijn — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:15:34 +0000

This guy totally looks like that Father Gregory character from Half-Life 2.

By: nip

nip — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:21:43 +0000

He was also close friends w Chet Atkins, the guitarist iirc

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:25:36 +0000

One of my all time favorite posts. I love Shel’s work and I knew so little about him. This info makes him more “real” as a person. The fact that he was a human with flaws and idiosyncrasies just makes his work all the more inspiring.

By: Katntn

Katntn — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:52:06 +0000

Shel was the Tree, a giver-not a taker.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:25:55 +0000

@gg, I have to agree with you… I was disappointed when I read that about him.

By: mark r

mark r — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:57:53 +0000

I can’t believe I have to defend The Giving Tree.

If you read that book and came away with just “the taking boy” you really missed out. That book can spark so many beautiful thoughts and conversations, it’s a shame to dismiss it so summarily. It’s really a quite accurate allegory for the earth, though i don’t know that humanity’s old age and the earth’s stump stage will coincide as nicely. And the earth doesn’t talk.

By: gg

gg — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:18:08 +0000

Maybe Shel was that boy in The Giving Tree (which I agree was a horrible book for children). Sounds like he would definitely take what people had to offer…
I enjoy his work but what is with artistic creative people and their neglect of their responsibility? If I was a kid whose Mom died when I was 5 and then I got to go live with my grandparents and died at age 11, I am sure having a book dedicated to me (especially a book that other children had read to them at bedtime by their parents) would even things out. Talented but very flawed.

By: astrodex

astrodex — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:52:45 +0000

My sister-in-law calls it The Taking Boy instead of The Giving Tree and I have to agree. Uncle Shelby’s ABZ’s is definitely my favorite. Brilliant and hilarious.

By: D.D.

D.D. — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:55:42 +0000

What was that book he had about the lion who learned to shoot a rifle with his tail and hunted the big game hunters?

By: JoeM

JoeM — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:44:40 +0000

Oh Woogie, a wife and kids?! Ha ha, always the jokester!

By: Trey

Trey — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:27:45 +0000

Always a pleasure to learn so much in such a short read.

Thanks!

By: Woogie

Woogie — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:13:57 +0000

The Giving Tree is a truly TERRIBLE book. Not only does he look like Satan on the back, but the story teaches kids to be a doormat.

Awful book. I hated it. Wife hated it. Kids hated it. “The tree is stupid” my eldest said.

Yep.

By: LW

LW — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:54:16 +0000

No mention of the racially “politically incorrect” songs he wrote with David Alan Coe?

By: ~April

~April — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:25:30 +0000

He also wrote all the songs on an album called, “Old Dogs”…songs sung by Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, and Jerry Reed.

I bought it for my dad and he absolutely loves it.

By: PotatoCouch

PotatoCouch — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:08:45 +0000

He also wrote a rather hilarious and brilliant play filled with little one-act bits, called “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein”. The same cadence and rhyme tricks as with his children’s books, but very, VERY adult. If you can find it, pick it up, it’s one of my favorites.

By: ted

ted — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:43:44 +0000

Did he write that streaker song?

By: joe

joe — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:18:13 +0000

the ABZ book is when i realized as a kid shel was more than just a cartoonist, he was a brilliant satirist and humorist. i always planned to name my first kid after shel (boy or girl) because i admire his creative genius

By: Eugene B. Bergmann

Eugene B. Bergmann — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:56:34 +0000

Shel dedicated his UNCLE SHELBY’S ABZ book to Jean Shepherd. Shepherd wrote the liner notes to Shel’s first album, HAIRY JAZZ. Shel appeared with Shepherd and several others in Shepherd’s 1959 theater piece, LOOK, CHARLIE. He also drew all the words and pictures for the program. They sometimes sketched together, and Shel once said a few words phoned-in to Shepherd’s radio program. (Which was carried by WOR from New York, heard in about 36 states for decades.) More about Shel and Shepherd in my book, EXCELSIOR, YOU FATHEAD! THE ART AND ENIGMA OF JEAN SHEPHERD.

By: csquared

csquared — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:15:41 +0000

has anyone ever heard of uncle shelby’s abz book? it is my most favorite (and probably most un-pc) book by him, and its definitely of his lesser known books.

By: Bret Hammond

Bret Hammond — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:11:59 +0000

This is an interesting rendition of “Boy Named Sue” with Johnny Cash and Shel singing together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npVZEOzotCE

By: aftershock

aftershock — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:46:19 +0000

These are one of my favorite books as well
Did you know Silverstein is the name of a band as well? Now I know why…

By: quinnnchick

quinnnchick — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:16:28 +0000

Thank you for the smile today. The Giving Tree is one of my all time favorite books.