Rod McKuen
April 29, 1933-January 29, 2015
Rod McKuen was despised by every serious critic under the sun the same time that Frank Sinatra recorded an entire album of his work.
That is why he is the Official Poet of The Hidden Groove. He is our Icon, and our tormentor.
The keepers of The Canon, those works considered to be Great and Worthy of Passing on to future
generations, do not wish to remember people like Rod McKuen. They are preservers of civilization and seek to build a Cultural edifice, eschewing baser, mundane works of art.
Screw that.
Rod McKuen worked his ass off, fought for good causes, liked cats, never kicked a puppy and made millions happy with his art. So, we will play one track of his every episode.
He is also directly responsible for one of my LEAST favorite songs of all time.
And, I hate his poetry.
But I love his story. Stay tuned, we'll get to the bottom together.
“Am I gay? Let me put it this way, Collectively I spend more hours brushing my teeth than having sex so I refuse to define my life in sexual terms. I’ve been to bed with women and men and in most cases enjoyed the experience with either sex immensely. Does that make me bi-sexual? Nope. Heterosexual? Not exclusively. Homosexual? Certainly not by my definition.” Rod McKuen
McKuen has sold over 60 million books worldwide.
60 gold and platinum records.
His projected income from writing in 1973 alone was $30 million.
McKuen's songs sold over 100 million recordings worldwide.
