Talk:Shel Silverstein

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[edit] Coolness of SS

Shel Silverstein is the coolest guy in the world. It is a proven fact. I bet he liked marshmallows.

So now we know that Homestar Runner is a fan! How do you type with no arms, Homestar?

The article says that Silverstein started as a Playboy cartoonist in 1952, but the magazine didn't begin publication until December 1953. Can anyone correct Silverstein's starting date? --Metropolitan90 June 29, 2005 03:17 (UTC)

And he had to be forced to write children's books!

Does this article need some citation, or is it already properly cited? 71.175.128.253 20:31, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

However cool he might have been, I think calling him the coolest guy in the world is just silly. :-) Like his work, though.--Carboxy's moron (talk) 17:11, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] From the article...

  • "He also co-wrote several songs with David Allen Coe, including the controversial 'Nigger Fucker.'"

Is that true? The only sources I can find online saying that Silverstein helped David Allen Coe write that song seem to be other wikis and Wikipedia mirrors. --Aquillion 06:17, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

Good question! Coe is listed (on the Wikipedia David Allan Coe page as having written that song and 3 others in collaboration with Silverstein, but the BMI database doesn't mention Silverstein's collaboration on any of them. Both Coe's titles and Silversteins are in the database, but I never see them mentioned together.
Can anyone do better? --Steve Rapaport 10:25, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
Well, I trawled through allmusic.com, and Silverstein did write a couple of songs for Coe, most notably "If You Ever Think Of Me At All", but none of the ones mentioned. Certainly, it was nowhere near as important as Silverstein's collaborations with Cash or Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, which really merits a mention. RMoloney (talk) 18:01, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
There is no way he wrote "Nigger Fucker." Deleted until evidence is given. 65.115.176.43 15:55, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
How about mentioning the fact that the rumour exists but is probably not true, to avoid people (like I did) re-adding the claim that he wrote Nigger Fucker? If it's been established that he wrote some songs with Coe, how about something like this:
"He also co-wrote a number of songs with David Allan Coe. Some sources say he co-wrote Coe's controversial song Nigger Fucker, but this is disputed." (Entheta 00:11, 20 February 2006 (UTC))
http://www.banned-width.com claims to be a complete list of his adult songs, and it is not listed there. Turtleboy 00:32, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Is Shel Silverstein an African American?

you don't get more jewish than Shel Silverstein. what an inane question from IP 66.30.26.109 above. --Snottily 12:39, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
Considering it seems the only photo used in his press releases are B&W photos like in this article, it's not easy to tell. Furthermore, "African American" and "Jewish" are not mutually exclusive states. Given that the answer to his question is not apparent in the article, or a quick Google search, his question is perfectly understandable, and could have done without such an asinine response. Hell, I've also wondered what ethnicities might be present in his ancestry, based upon the photos on the book jackets, and I know that I'mnot the only one. --Reverend Loki 18:46, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
It's a common rumor that he's African-American, generated by the cover image. But he's just Jewish (Ashkenazi) Mad Jack 22:10, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
What a waste of bandwidth this section of this Talk Page is. From "How about mentioning the fact that the rumour exists but is probably not true" to "Hell, I've also wondered what ethnicities might be present in his ancestry," this section is reeks of idiocy from a great distance. That is to say, it smells strongly of stupidity, if one can imagine stupidity as having a smell. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.170.189 (talk) 05:50, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Birthdate

On Find-A-Grave he was born in 1930 (as seen on his grave), is this right or is WP right? Lincher 03:19, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sentence needs rewritten

From the Personal bio, there is ths sentence: "Shoshanna's mother Susan just 5 years later: June 29, 1975, also in Baltimore. " Even in context, it doesn't make much sense. I'd fix, but I have no idea what it is trying to say. --Reverend Loki 05:19, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

Does anyone know why The Missing Piece Meets the Big O redirects here? All of the other books have there own pages, even if most of them are still blank. Yoyogod 18:15, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

It might just be that the page hasn't been written yet. 71.175.119.156 00:52, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Date inaccuracy

Shel was born in 1930 but the article states that in 1956, he started crafting for Playboy at the age of 21.

[edit] Critiques

This reads more like an editorial piece than an encyclopedia article. bananapunch

I agree, this section is completely inappropriate. C. Anita Tarr is apparently an associate professor of English at Illinois State University, but that is hardly notable enough to cite as a true critic. Not to mention that Playboy's supposed comments are not even critiques. Whoever wrote this section did not site their sources, as well; I would be very tempted to do away with the entire thing. It's mostly POV and nonsense. Comments, anyone? Maria 23:20, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
Heck, this looked like I was reading a 9 year old's opinionated collaboration of nonsensical gibberish. Despite my self contradiction, this section needs clean-up. Hyukan 06:41, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
Personally, I don't know if it would even work if it were cleaned up. As I stated above, half of it isn't even critiquing Silverstein's work, and half of it is gibberish. I saw that someone had removed it (which I agreed with), and then someone reverted it as if it were vandalism. I wouldn't have done the same. I for one strongly believe it just needs to be removed for the sake of the article. It's horrid. Maria 19:39, 6 January 2007 (UTC)
Needs a total rewrite.. as it's been a couple weeks I removed the section and pasted it here, for reference. Rhobite 06:13, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
I think the article is better off without it. -gohlkus 16:28, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Critiques section (removed)

Some people loved and still love Silverstein's work; however, some did not care for one word of it. C. Anita Tarr, a published writer, did not seem to care for Shel's work at all: "Silverstein may appeal to children's everyday situations, but he simply does not pay as much attention to each word as does Prelutsky." She sums up her dismissal of his work as "inappropriate to the spirit of his work." Some called Shel's work abundant in excess, and did not care for how many words he seemingly crammed into each poem. But anyone who knew Shel would say that he didn't really care what those kinds of people thought. He lived not caring about his image and lived his life to bring laughter and happiness to others--and he was happy, as anyone could see in each of his works, all of those that he did.

Playboy in 1957 not only loved their "Uncle Shelby", but they also bragged about their "whiskered wit." They referred to him as a "bearded and unpredictable bohemian". Indeed, Shel had that unique look about him; the bald head, the full beard and his pictures never really seemed to say "friendly children's poet." Jean Shepherd, a disc jockey, sometimes writer, and good friend of Silverstein's, says in his forward that Silverstein is:

"Neanderthalic: stocky, bearded, vaguely stooped, and unbelievably sloppy. Yet there is also a distinct air of imperious Edwardian dignity about him. He has a New Testament face that is strong and hawk-like and that gives the impression that he is about to build an ark. Which is probably true."

Then there are those who thought Shel was a great artist, someone who drew fun drawings for each poem, an amazing artist for words and had an abundant talent for song.

[edit] His friends

The section title 'His friends' seems to have close to noting to do with friendship. Perhaps the title should be changed? 71.141.116.27 17:48, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

I so agree with you.TommyCT 20:30, 29 January 2007 (UTC)TommyC

[edit] His enemies

Does anyone else find Shel's dribble absolutely contaminating? To me, it's atrocities are beyond words. -AD

[edit] German Sites

Are these German sites here for a reason? Are they references? If so, can we find alternate English language sites with the same information? akruble 08:16, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

You won't find alternate English language sites with the same information. The German sites are very interesting. --Popmuseum 12:56, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why is this article so frequently vandalized?

  • Seriously. What did Shel Silverstein ever do to deserve that? :( JuJube 19:49, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interview Section

The interview section doesn't make any sense. Look at the dates. I'm not sure if they are particularly relevant in any case. tommy.rousse

[edit] Shel Silverstein lived in a San Francisco houseboat at one time.

18:20, 12 August 2007 (UTC)CatmehitableI found some great information about Shel Silverstein that should be included in this Wikipedia article. At one time Shel lived in a balloon barge (floating boat house) that was made by the sculpture Christopher Roberts. Christopher Roberts turned houseboats into works of art. Christopher created the houseboat in the waters of the Gate Five Sausalito Harbor area. Gate Five became Haight-Ashbury-on-the-water in the early sixties.

[edit] Eight Children?

He had eight children? Is this right? I thought he had 2. If he had 8 why are only two mentioned specifically? That must be wrong. AmericanGuru 03:57, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mad Magazine

I seem to recall that Shel did some work for Mad Magazine in the 60's. Can anyone confirm (or refute) that, and if so, put it in the article? --Nibios 07:29, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Noodle and his Kaboodle - a fake?

I know a lot about Shel Silverstein but i've never heard or read about an album by Shel Silverstein named The Noodle and his Kaboodle (Cadet Records) (1959). It seems to be a fake. That's why i canceled it. --Popmuseum 12:55, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

No doubt, it's a fake! What did Shel Silverstein ever do to deserve that vandalism? --Popmuseum (talk) 10:26, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lisa Rogak's Biography: A Boy Named Shel

Published now: Lisa Rogak: A Boy Named Shel. The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein (2007). ISBN: 0312353596. --Popmuseum (talk) 10:22, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

I've read it now - Lisa Rogak's "A Boy Named Shel" stays / keeps far behind the expectations. Too bad! --Popmuseum (talk) 07:18, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
Interview with Lisa Rogak: The Many Sides of Shel Silverstein 10 Minutes-Interview (MP3-File, 5 MB) --Popmuseum (talk) 16:48, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ballad of Lucy Jordan

It says in the text that he wrote it for Marianne faithful. But that is wrong: The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan, although written in '73 by prolific songwriter, artist, poet and storyteller Shel Silverstein, was not officially released until 1975. Surprisingly to many, the original version was released by soft-rock band Dr Hook, for whom Shel wrote more than one hit, including Sylvia's Mother and Cover Of The Rolling Stone. Unlike these two songs, however, The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan made little impact on the charts.

1979 saw the release of Marianne Faithfull's album Broken English, which not only revitalised Marianne's career but also breathed new life into The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan. It is Marianne's version which is considered classic, while Dr Hook's initial outing is a curiosity for fans to seek out. It's happened before - Ed Cobb's Tainted Love belongs entirely to Soft Cell now - and it'll happen again. Additionally, Lee Hazelwood has provided a country version. Out of the three, quite simply, Marianne's version is the best... Copied from: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=508648 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.204.65.2 (talk) 09:20, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Smothers Brothers

I always thought Shel wrote for the Smothers Brothers, especially The Slitherdee. There's no mention of this in the article. Was I wrong? —Preceding unsigned comment added by NoMinorChords (talk • contribs) 07:12, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree seems to spark an enormous range of reactions in people. Some think that it's a heartwarming tale of devotion, others that it is a satire on a sick co-dependent relationship, still others that it is a metaphor about man's indifference to nature. Is there any evidence from those who knew Shel about what he intended? —Preceding unsigned comment added by NoMinorChords (talk • contribs) 07:15, 16 May 2008 (UTC)