When Tina asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, “Nothing, I don’t need anything.” A New York Times article about Barbra Streisand’s new memoir, “My Name is Barbra,” solved the problem.
Streisand and I are the same age (81), but that’s about all we share. Her father died when she was a young girl; my father died at age 97. Her mother thought Barbra could do no right; my mother thought I could no wrong. She has a habit of being late; I hate to be late. She’s a Jewish female; I’m a Christian male. She’s a perfectionist, I’m anything but.
“My Name is Barbra” is a big book (968 pages plus photos) befitting Streisand’s big life. It is both a cornucopia of conceit and a waterfall of wisdom. It took her 10 years to write, and she admits that her editors at Random House practically had to rip it out of her hands because, for her, nothing is ever just right.
Listen to Barbra sing or read how she speaks her mind, and you’ll think she’s fearless. She’s not. In fact, she’s always suffered stage fright; she hates to speak extemporaneously in public; and she’s not good at making small talk. She remains haunted by insecurities. Yet, a big yet, she’s driven to perform and share her emotions, be they love or disappointment or anger or whatever. She gives her all — and then some — to every performance, but she can be absolutely brutal if a fellow actor or anyone lets her down or, worst of all, lies. She’s big on telling the truth and even bigger on stressing the importance of love and family.
It was fascinating to learn the back stories of Streisand’s many marriages and love affairs. She was a magnet for men and her insecurity about her looks as a young girl made her especially vulnerable to handsome men. I won’t name names here; just read the book or do some research and you’ll agree that she’s experienced, shall we say, a robust love live. She’s been happily married to actor James Brolin for 25 years. Incidentally, when she first met Brolin she said to him, “Who did your f—king haircut?” He explained that he had to have it changed for a film; clearly, he was enchanted, not repulsed, by her candor.
I’m guessing that Newt Gingrich was not as smitten with Streisand’s candor as James Brolin was. Gingrich was standing behind her in a line and whispered, “I’m a fan of yours.” She turned around and said, in much more than a whisper, “I’m not a fan of yours!”
Even though Streisand had proven her talent as a musician and an actor, she faced huge resentment from members of Hollywood when she decided that she — a woman! — wanted to direct films as well as act in them. She wanted full control. She was obsessive about getting everything right: the actors, the settings, the lighting, the sound — everything.
At one point, Streisand wrote, “Less is more,” but in her book sometimes more is never enough. She goes on and on about this scene or that lighting arrangement or that prop. More than I needed to know. On the other hand, I loved her descriptions of her close relationships with various people such as Marlon Brando and Omar Shariff and Robert Redford. She truly adored Madeline Albright and Bill Clinton’s mother Virginia, who gave her the love and support that her mother never did. Prince Charles was a devoted fan; Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau wanted her to move to Canada and marry him. She became such close friends with Bill Clinton that she’d often call him to offer advice about this or that political situation.
Streisand was and remains obsessive about food, even requiring a certain brand of ice cream or coffee or whatever. Again, more than I needed to know.
On the other hand, I was thrilled to read about her encounters with Stephen Sondheim (my favorite Broadway composer) and Pat Conroy (one of my favorite writers). She greatly respects their talents and they greatly respect hers. She is obsessive about the lyrics of a song and the emotions they convey. She treated those writers as the artists they are.
While reading the book, I took timeouts to watch clips of her singing with Judy Garland, whom she adored, and with her son Jason, who has real talent although he hates the limelight.
I admire Streisand’s willingness to use her voice and platform to advance various political causes. She’s been at parades to protest wars, protect gay rights and preserve abortion rights. She’s raised money for research on women’s heart diseases and to fund school art, music and drama programs.
She’s been an avid advocate for the environment and civil rights.
Here are just a few of the things Streisand has said that convey who she is and why. “When I was maybe 5 or 6 years old, the neighborhood girls would sit on the stoop and sing. I was known as the kid who had a good voice and no father. … I knew that with my mouth I had to be a star or something. … There’s a part of you that always remains a child, no matter how mature you get, how sophisticated or how weary. … There is nothing more important in life than love.”
Over the past several years, I sometimes go to YouTube to listen to some of my favorite singers, especially Barbra Streisand. Name me songs that touch the heart more than “Evergreen” or “The Way We Were” or her renditions of “Send in the Clowns” or “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
Thanks, Barbra, for your gifts of love to me and millions of others around the world. You will remain, forever, a star.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com
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