The Band's Talented & Troubled Richard Manuel with Biographer Steven Lewis: Reading Is Funktamental

In this installment of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Steven Lewis, the author of the first comprehensive biography of The Band's forgotten man, Richard Manuel. Lewis charts his journey from Stratford, Ontario, to his time with The Hawks, Bob Dylan, and the legendary The Band. More info can be found in my earlier review here: https://nysmusic.com/2025/06/06/the-b... "Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour radio show & podcast about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks with the authors of some of the best books about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and more. From time to time, the host and authors will be joined by notable musicians, writers, and artists who are die-hard fans of the subject matter covered. Expect lively conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it. "Reading Is Funktamental" can be heard the second Wednesday of every month from 10 – 11 AM on Wave Farm: WGXC 90.7 FM and online at wavefarm.org. It can also be found as a podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other platforms. Sal Cataldi is a musician and writer based in Saugerties, New York. He is best known for his work with his genre-leaping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music, and is also a member of the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, the poetry and music duo, Vapor Vespers, and the quartet, Spaceheater. His writing on music, books, and film has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, PopMatters, Seattle Times, Huffington Post, Inside+Out Upstate NY, and NYSMusic.com, where he is the book reviewer.