Jrand wrote a lovelier than lovely review and it's already up. Here it is:
5.0 out of 5 stars Richard and Me and Us!
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2025
There are some memoirs that fully embrace the idea. Such is Richard and Me by Bruce Kimmel. It discusses he personal and professional relationship with composer/lyricist Richard M. Sherman - one half of the Sherman Brothers team..
From the story of their first meeting - decades after Kimmel became aware of the brothers - to the finale there are so many interesting and charming and enlightening tales that are included in this book. The Disney fonts are immediately recognizable and perfect.
The personal details are most wonderfully rendered. One can feel the emotional connection the two gentlemen shared. It begins of course with their mutual love for music and movies.
If you have ever attended a cabaret performance and wondered how it happened - Kimmel describes it to a tee. He also explains why some shows get a great response and others merely get an "okay." Kimmel and Sherman were never content that anything they wrote or produced together or separately was just "okay."
Enjoy the book for what it reveals and revel in what you can learn.
By the end of the book - in which the inevitable occurs - you will be happy and sad and also uplifted. Many of the memories Kimmel includes are enlightened by quotes from his internet bog at Haines His Way. Because I have been a regular subscriber there since 2003, I remember most of these paragraphs from when they were originally written. It's like having a contemporary report from the moment it happened.
Recommended to anyone interested in music, friendship, and life. All of these are explored, explained, and celebrated. So many times I hear folks say the the Sherman Brothers songs are for kids. I disagree. Think of the feelings engendered by one of their songs: "Let's Go Fly A Kite" from MARY POPPINS. How you feel about it when you're 10 years old is one thing but it can also have perhaps even more profound feelings when you hear it later in life.
Listen to "Two Roads" a song written by Sherman & Kimmel. You'll want to hear it again. Just as you will surely want to read this book again and share it with friends."
