Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter

I think a Streisand imitation is completely in keeping with Karen's quirky sense of humor. Frenda said she crossed her eyes and everything!!!

Randy

Yes, I definately agree with what you are saying Randy!! She was SUCH a comedienne!!

I bet it is, what I highly doubt is that she could SOUND like Streisand.

Maybe not EXACTLY like Streisand, but Karen was indeed able to do different things with her voice (check out the "Grease" parody on YouTube- you can barely tell it's her!) Plus, Karen was a huge Streisand fan, so was probably very familiar with the "little things" in her voice that would make for a pretty hilarious imitation.

Interestingly, Sandi Patty did imitations (with love- she's also a fan) of both Karen and Barbra in the same show (also very funny, though the Barbra one is funnier, since Karen generally sang things "straight" without all that much to imitate. Mostly Sandi held out notes very long, sang "yew" for "you," used the "vocal fry" crackle, and held out "fffff" and "sssss.")

Her imitations were the way she thought Karen and Babs would sing JESUS LOVES ME....espcially the words,...Biiiii...iiible tells me, tells me so....(for the Karen part...if she had sung it an octave lower she would have got the Karen part down pat!!) but it was a fave part of the concert...

Those interested in listening to the Sandi Patty clip can find it here:

http://www.4shared.com/audio/CUqlyCCc/Sandi_Patty__More_Than_Wonderf.html

On Monday, I finished reading LGB and the tragic death of Karen Carpenter left me emotionally numb. If there was ever a testament over the destruction and terror of addiction and disorders, it is certainly this life story. This protrayal, accurate as possible to date, answered many questions left by the books of others. As I read my spirit traveled through great depths of despair over the facts of reality told in this painful tragedy. One thing that rang clear in my mind at the end of the book is that all her family and friends did love her dearly. I am thankful to Randy Schmidt for the commitment to get the facts as accurate as possible. The voice of emotion that she delived through a song was finally matched with the face of emotion from the people who knew her best. It was a great parallel that traveled through the book.

I have read Randy's book twice and really agree with what Craig said above regarding how much her friends and family not only loved her but also had her best interest at heart. I remember reading all that the first time but the 2nd time around it really hit me that Karen had so many friends and family that cared for her and wanted her to get well. The way that Randy was able to capture all these emotions in words from those closest to Karen, I don't know but it touched me and I felt that these were real people who knew Karen best and the words were just honest and true. It was presented in a way that I felt like I was there witnessing all that happened, it left me sad at times yet I could not stop reading. It really gives the reader a whole new perspective on the life of Karen. I thought I knew alot, since reading the Coleman book, but after reading Little Girl Blue I walked away with a better understanding about the life of Karen Carpenter.

On my 2nd read through, some things just surprised me, it was noted by Itchie in the final chapter that Tom Burris call Itchie after Karen passed but it left me as the reader wondering why he called her, the book never said, it just mentioned that Itchie responded to him about his call. It left me wondering why he called her after all that happened.

The other item that still leaves me confused is Richard didn't promote Karen's solo album when it was released, it's mentioned that Phil said Richard didn't have to embrace it but he could have offered some type of promotion. I think had Richard done some kind of promotion in honor of Karen for her own work, it could have increased sales and generated more public interest in her only solo project. If he had promoted it as just a brother and friend it could have helped the public understand and could have helped him heal in the process. I also don't understand why Phil didn't help promote it more or at all when it was finally released. I guess he could have done as much as Richard, yet I think it would have been stronger and more endearing to the fans to have had Richard promote something when it was released. There are so many interviews on record of Richard speaking about the album even after it was released yet he still doesn't speak highly about it at all. It could have been promoted in a very honorable yet tender way but we were left with just the album being released and not a word from anyone.

It's great to hear that Little Girl Blue will be released in paperback this fall. I wonder if Randy could share how many hardback copies have been sold worldwide thus far, it would be interesting.

No idea why the solo project wasn't promoted more, except perhaps that seven of the tracks had already been released on various Carpenters collections (albeit remixed and/or re-rerecorded). I also remember there being a bit of a mystique about the album while it went unreleased, that it was one of the great lost works of pop music, considered simply too daring to see the light of day, so maybe there were some concerns that the album was ultimately going to disappoint. At any rate, I imagine A&M knew what kind of sales to expect and didn't put any more into promotion than they believed they were going to get back out.

The thing I've wondered about is why the cost of the album was apparently charged totally to Karen. According to the bios, the idea for the album was as much her management's and A&M's as her own; they're described as having to persuade her to do it. And A&M matched her with Ramone. So the project doesn't meet their expectations, they tell her "No, it's not going to get released," and she's handed the bill? That would be tough to swallow, I think.

I, too, would like to know why Tom called Itchie. We went on to something else and I didn't think to ask. I remember thinking he was just reaching out to Karen's friends and trying to act like "the husband" again. She didn't mention if he called for any specific reason. As for the number of books sold, I would need to ask my publisher for permission to share that. It may or may not be confidential. I do know that BookScan numbers are quite a bit lower than total/overall sales.

CraigGA -- are you in Georgia? I will be doing a book event in Atlanta on July 11. I will make a separate post to share info on this and other book tour events...

Thanks so much for sharing your comments about the book. It means a lot that you were moved by the story...

Randy

I was reading an account of the tragic story of the world's largest battleship near the end of World War II when I finally got a new copy of Little Girl Blue, also with a tragic ending, and starting it, couldn't put it down. I rarely get into a celebrity's personal life, since their accomplishments are what is important, so I was ignorant of the details behind Karen's life (last similar read was Jefferson Airplane's Gracie Slick autobio.!?!). This book made me sad and then made me angry, and in the end, brought tears to my eyes. A good book is one that is engrossing and should bring out memories/emotions (good or bad) from readers, and possibly generate discussion, which this one has, judging by the previous posts - a very well done book IMO....

Karen was about 3 months older than I and so would be 61(!) years old now. Back at the height of her popularity, I recall reading in one of those Sunday paper insert magazines (Parade?) a quote from Karen, that she remembered being teased in junior or senior high by a boy she liked about her weight, and that should have sent out a red flag about her condition. Add to that the insane grind of sessions/travel/concerts as detailed in the book (SADNESS), the stifling control by those around her and the final (SADNESS & ANGER), fatal blow of a marriage to a scumbag (EXTREME ANGER). And the final details of her death brought out the tears...

I read LGB when it first came out and have read various views on the content on websites, including this one.

Yesterday I bought and downloaded the E-book version (you're welcome Randy ) and started reading it again. After all the input from other readers over time, I can say that I have a little different point of view this time on some events. Of course, the ending will be just as tragic.

I can't help but think how wonderful it was for Karen to have so many people in her life who truly cared about her - both professionally, A&M included, and personally. Yes, you could see she was overprotected at times, but she was so very young and naive when she went into the recording business that really she could have been taken advantage of terribly had she not been protected by those around her.

And I have read scathing opinions of Richard and how he dealt with Karen and her issues. I have never been one of that mind. I personally like the fact that Karen stuck by Richard early on when it was obvious that she was the "star" of the show. I think she showed good character in that. Later on, when she did go out on her own, it was time. It's too bad he did not support her doing so, as she probably would have listened to some of his suggestions on the project if he had.

It's still a great read, however tragic in places.

The "clinical definitions" of anorexia nervosa are my least favorite part of the Coleman book (besides the "mother knows best"/"Richard was right all along about the solo album being atrocious" angles). The "clinical definitions" "shaped out of scientific studies" given were already out of date when the book was published. Anorexia as a "rejection of adult sexuality"? She "wanted a boy's body"? Calling Dr. Freud!

I realize Coleman was trying to do the best with what was given at the time, but now those Freudian "explanatory" parts of the book make it ridiculous.

Finally got my hands on a copy of this book, can't wait to read it. I enjoyed Ray Coleman's book, but I'm sure I'm in for a real treat with Little Girl Blue. The cover photo is great, tinged in blue, love it, and photos inside I've never seen before. Found it quite difficult to get a copy in the UK, it's going to be worth the wait.

Though I do believe people often do things for no discernible reason, PERHAPS Mr. Grant have got feelings of regret and wanted to express it somehow to someone who was very close to Karen, since Karen herslef was not there anymore to hear it.

The "scientific" nature of Freud's psychoanalyses is battled. Anyway Karen HAS been called a "tomboy" as a kid, even by herself!! LOL, I have never noticed the link, thank you!!! Jane Fonda has been a tomboy too and her view of bulimia on her book My life so far IS absolutely Freudian.

Finally finished reading Little Girl Blue. Karen made some real bad decisions that altered what should have been great life for her. There was something inside of her that seemed to want to destroy herself, and then the next she bounces back and wants to live, she must have had some kind of bi-polar disorder.

I was really shocked at the way she was treated by Tom Burris, I can't imagine what his take would be on the time he spent with Karen, we will never know.

Felt really troubled by the fact that Karen's talent has given me so much pleasure over the years, and unfortunately she paid a terrible price in trying to find pleasure for herself.

I have started reading again. I had ordered a book from Randy to get a signed copy and in the meantime couldn't wait and got another copy..... probably won't buy the paperback, although if I buy this book like I buy compilation albums.....every new cover that comes out I may have to buy. ha
jonathan

Just blasted through this book in two days. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Like many others, I blame Agnes and her controlling ways for much of what happened to Karen (and Richard). But I also have to wonder (and the book hints at this) if she was an undiagnosed OCD case. Someone who scrubs locks with a toothbrush seems a wee bit obsessed with cleanliness. If that's the case, then her life would have been miserable, too. She would have been in the grips of something she didn't understand (and, from the sounds of it, didn't want to, given her aversion to therapy). I feel badly for Harold, who really didn't seem to have a voice in that family.

And then, of course, there's Tom Burris. I was shocked to read that he'd remarried. I hope that either he changed his ways (which I tend to doubt), or this wife had some idea of what she was in for. It's so sad to me that in the end, he got what he was after: the money.

I did feel we got to know Karen, the person, better in this book than in Ray Coleman's book. I instinctively knew at the time that much of the story was sanitized, and it turns out it was. I always knew that Karen had one of the all-time great voices, but when people talked about how much they loved her, I never got a picture of what it was about her they loved so much. Here we get a much clearer sense of who she was, and the complex dynamics that drove her down such a self-destructive path.

Question: There was a point where Karen's health first began declining, and after a Las Vegas run she checked into a hospital to be treated for exhaustion. In the book, Randy writes that Karen got through the Las Vegas gigs without any incident, yet I clearly remember reading in Rolling Stone that she had collapsed at a concert and was later hospitalized for exhaustion. It was even portrayed that way in The Karen Carpenter Story. So which is accurate?