Reviews

Somebody to Love?: A Rock-and-Roll Memoir by Andrea Cagan, Grace Slick

whitmi03's review

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

2.75

Enjoyed the voice but thought there could have been more tie ins to real life events, especially near the end. 

franklyfrank's review

5.0

I still can't think about when Grace and Abbie wanted to dose Nixon with LSD in 1970 when Vietnam was happening, but decided against it

What would have happened if Nixon had tripped on LSD?

gsatori's review

4.0

It is a fun read from a woman who is obviously full of herself. Grace comes across as an entitled hippie. Her talent and contributions to her era's music are undeniable, her self-indulgence screams "spoiled brat." Or maybe borderline personality disorder.

traciemasek's review

1.0

I love a celebrity autobiography and I love a tale of 60s rock and roll, but somehow this managed to be almost unreadable. Grace Slick (and her co-writer) couldn't even make her anecdote about fucking Jim Morrison interesting. It was missing a lot of context, and there's a weird bit near the end where she won't stop talking about biomedical research. Not worth reading.

aarontremper's review

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.5

reasie's review

3.0

Grace Slick does present a clear and consistent "voice" in her autobiography, at turns wry and irreverent, though she gets bogged down in some painfully shallow philosophizing and quoting her own lyrics.

The best parts are where she simply recounts her past, particularly the interesting years at the height of hippie culture. We get to see Jim Morrison crawling around a motel balcony and Janice Joplin preparing for an interview. Plus she really introduces us to important and unsung characters in early rock - roadies and promoters. Who can't like a behind-the-scenes reminiscence of Woodstock?

The best you can hope for from an autobiography is that feeling of having gotten to see the world the author inhabited, however briefly. And she does succeed at that.

caddysnack's review

2.0

There was a small part of me that was worried that reading the Slick autobio would maybe make me like her and force me to retract every bad thing I've ever said about her. Instead, it added fuel to the fire of hatred, and I am now armored with an arsenal of self-involved hippie anecdotes that will keep me seething until death.

norrin2's review

4.0

I have a problem with autobiographies. Generally I end up liking the person a lot less after watching them gloss over their own faults and failings -- or conversely, exaggerating them to come across more hard-assed. But "Somebody to Love?" doesn't come across as a typical autobiography, it's arranged more or less chronological but it feels more like just sitting around and having a conversation with Ms.Slick. And she is a great conversationalist. The only thing I hoped to learn but didn't was where the name Jefferson Airplane came from.

jesswantsitall's review

5.0

This book was an absolute joy to read. Grace is a great storyteller, al though I had expected nothing less from her. I'm a big fan of her music (both solo and with Jefferson Airplane) so it was interesting to read about her life before, during and after her period of fame. It's a funny and candid book, highly enjoyable if you're a fan of Grace. I don't think I would recommend this to someone who has never heard of Grace or no interest in her whatsoever.

satyridae's review

3.0

Surprisingly engaging. I feel like this book captures the Grace Slick I've known through the rock press for years, and adds some besides. There's nothing here for the non-fan, but for those of us who grew up with Slick, there's plenty. I wish she didn't hate her old-lady body so much, or so vocally, but it was all interesting. Not nearly enough photos, but lots of background info. Well worth a read if you love her music.