Dave Van Ronk, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" page

"the book is a gem . . .Van Ronk was an urban griot, one of those tribal elders who passes on the history of the village interwoven with his personal asides, many of them hilarious."
-- New York Daily News

"Charming, evocative autobiography by one of the key figures in the mid-20th-century folk revival. . . . A must for those with an interest in the music, and of great appeal as well for anyone who enjoys a roistering life story recounted in a lively narrative voice."
-- Kirkus Review

". . . a funny, insightful and honest recounting . . . Many readers may go to the book looking for stories about other people including Dylan -- and they are here -- but along the way they will discover, or rediscover, the story of Dave Van Ronk."
-- Scott Bauer, Associated Press

"In this always engaging and frequently laugh-out-loud funny memoir, Van Ronk . . . gives us an insightful description of the development of the scene that Dylan and countless others were drawn to and swept up in. I've read most of the books that have been written about that time and place. This one may well be the best, as a historical narrative, a critical analysis of the music and the musicians who made it - and as an altogether enjoyable read."
-- Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette

A richly evocative paean to a lost era.
-- June Sawyers, Booklist

If Bob Dylan's recollection of early '60s Greenwich Village in Chronicles
Volume One left you thirsting for more eye-of-the-hurricane reports on that
incredibly vital, kaleidoscopic time and place, then you've got to pick this
up next. Gravel-voiced, folk singing giant Dave Van Ronk was an early Dylan mentor,
and his (sadly posthumous) memoir lives and breathes the Village underground
from the early 1950s through the late '60s taking in the walk-up apartments,
political infighting, Washington Square hootenannies, sleazy club owners and
primitive drug copping with a scraping wit that's not afraid to deflate
sacred cows on the Left, Right, and Centre (and his own youthful
aspirations, too).
-- Richie Unterberger, Mojo magazine

"Everybody knew what a fine musician Dave Van Ronk was, but who knew he could write a book like this! You can hear his voice on every page. Brilliant writing."
--Christine Lavin

"Dave Van Ronk was a truly inspirational artist whose music overflowed with passion, intelligence, independence and originality. Not to mention a wicked sense of humor and a great, loving heart. All artists, writers, and performers (politicians too, for that matter) know that the best and the best known are not necessarily the same. If they were, Dave Van Ronk would be a household name and the wide public would know him as he is known to so many musicians-one of the best. I hope this book will open the way for a huge new audience to discover this tremendous musical treasure."
--Jimmie Dale Gilmore

"Dave was the man on MacDougal Street when I arrived in the Village over forty years ago, and he is once more raucously ruling the street in these pages. God's in His Heaven and all's right with the world."
--Tom Paxton

"In the engine room of the NY Folk Scene shoveling coal into the furnace, one Big Man rules. Dog faced roustabout songster. Bluesman, Dave Van Ronk. Long may he howl."
--Tom Waits

"Hey, you won't be able to put it down."
-- Pete Seeger