Well, if you had the rockin' pneumonia or the boogie woogie flu, Neil Ratner is the man you wanted to see. A licensed anesthesiologist, Ratner was first and foremost a rock 'n' roll devotee and-wanna be drummer. He never made it as a drummer, but he did carve out an impressive career catering medically to Michael Jackson as well as working with bands such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Edgar Winter and Pink Floyd.
In this memoir, Ratner talks about his friendship with the Gloved One, traveling with Jackson to various exotic locales and providing his services medically.
It is a fascinating tale, though it would have been immensely more entertaining had the writing risen to a higher level. Ratner wrote this himself, and that was a mistake. It is dull, plodding and full of clichés. He would have been much better served by bringing on a ghost writer.
Still, he provides a glimpse inside the life of Jackson and tells us what it was like hanging out with ELP and Pink Floyd. An intriguing book and one worth reading.