With all the alcohol and drug use in this book it could almost be titled "Fear and Loathing on the Classical Music Circuit". Charlie Harmon took over as Maestro Leonard Bernstein's personal assistant, charged with keeping his day to day life running while touring around the world and making sure the Maestro finished writing his opera "A Quiet Place". Harmon had been at loose ends about what to do with his musical career when this job fell in his lap. However, most of his duties at the start were more logistical than musical; booking flights and hotels, packing mountains of luggage, getting Bernstein to his appointments, and providing for his needs. Soon he was also a music copyist and travelling music librarian for the various tours. The biggest challenge was the hard drinking, chain smoking, Dexedrine dependent, sexually promiscuous Bernstein himself. Sleep "schedules" were chaotic and the work was often thankless. By the time he resigned as assistant Harmon was overworked, depressed, suicidal, and constantly at odds with Bernstein's producer and business manager. On his death bed Bernstein requested that Harmon "take care of his music" which he went on spend endless hours cataloging. This is an unwhitewashed look at a complex genius.
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