Molecular Biology | Sarbola

Molecular Biology
&
Sarbola
&
Richie Havens

Dear Dr. Phage:

I'm curious about your nom de review. What do you eat? Wannabe writers?

--- Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D.
bawriting@earthlink.net

Hello Barbara Ardinger,

Thanks for your note. I am pleased that you liked the review. We phages are reputed to eat bacteria, but I like to nibble on a little of this and a little of that. The results can be found in RALPH from time to time.

I am slightly curious about the book's author. The molecular biology in Sarbola contains some errors, but it is not entirely off the wall (as in most sci fi). From this I deduce that the author has taken a course or two in modern biochemistry or microbiology, at the undergraduate level.

His picture of labs and graduate work in a science department is also decidedly undergraduate. On the other hand, his hostility to academia suggests that his undergraduate career was mercifully short. Then, the business about the heroine being General Rommel's granddaughter also ought to be a psychological clue of some sort, but I can't quite make it out.

Maybe we will turn the book over to RALPH's staff psychoanalyst for further study.

Go to the review in question

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RALPH:

i totally agreed that richie havens did not provide more details about events he was a part of --- for example, it would have been good to know something about his relationship with bob dylan since richie has recorded many of his songs. Or, more details about the very early folk scene in the village when so many folk artist were struggling to be heard and what was going on regarding richie's own struggle to break through.

As a personal friend of richie's for the past 40 years and having hung out with him on many occasions, it would have been good to know more about the 3 guys that started with him and went through many of their own struggles. By name they are --- Eric Oxendine bass, Daniel Zebulon congas, and, Paul Williams guitar. These 3 were there from the very beginning thru all of the trials and tribulations that richie has been thru for so many years. On occasion Joe Price played congas with richie and can be heard on the Cellar Door gig that featured "Here comes the sun".

Although i think that you were rather hard on richie, he could have provided so much more information focusing on the personal side of his life, and you are right on that score. But you cannot take away from the fact that richie's an extremely talentd artist who has survived all of these years and still play:s to sold out venues around the world without the luxury of a "hit" recording.

Nevertheless, you do make a very good point that richie's book could have been more compelling if he would have gotten into more details about alot of other things regarding his life.

--- Rafael Cepeda
Maelo163@aol.com

Go to the review in question