Education
Cornell University.
Cornell University.
He occasionally contributed book reviews to the San Francisco Chronicle, and he administered newsroom-l, an email discussion list for journalists. He died suddenly, of a heart attack, at age 77. His articles about Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Thomas Pynchon and other prominent Americans were primary (and often unique) sources of information based on his personal acquaintance and extensive direct interviews with the subjects.
"Goodbye Surfing, Hello God!" has been anthologized several times (most recently in The Rock History Reader by Theo Cateforis) and is used as a primary source in every book about Brian Wilson"s struggle to complete Smile, his "teenage symphony to God."
Siegel attended Cornell University with Pynchon during the 1953-1954 term and graduated from Hunter College with a degree in English and philosophy in 1959.
He was involved in politics, working for both the Nixon and Kennedy campaigns. He began working as a journalist in 1964.
He lived and worked in Mexico, beginning in 1981 (moving to Cancún in 1983), where he was a witness of the Hurricane Gilbert landfall. He was also active in the field of book art
His books and calligraphic journals were exhibited at Franklin Furnace in 1978.
Ample material on his life and works can be found in the links below.