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kiwicoral's review
4.0
I found this book during an unrelated search of the library's database, and I'm sure glad I did. The author is truly a gifted writer and storyteller. About one third of the book is about the author's life as a writer and her family, and the other two thirds are stories about interviews with various musicians over the last thirty years. It was the chapters about the musicians that I really enjoyed the most - Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, Prince, and U2 were all standouts. Despite my knowledge of Brit Pop being fairly limited, it was still interesting to get some behind-the-scenes stories. And the dissection of modern celebrity culture in the new millennium was very insightful.
Anyone who has any interest in popular music would enjoy this book.
Anyone who has any interest in popular music would enjoy this book.
alyce6d980's review
4.0
Sylvia Patterson blends her autobiography with tales of musical misadventures and exposés of exactly what it's like to meet the biggest pop stars in the world. Having been born after the Smash Hits heydays, the first half of the book felt dated and wasn't something that I could connect with, but with the introduction of celebrities like Prince, David Beckham and Kylie, it quickly became fascinating and terrifying in equal parts.
As someone who has always wanted to be a music journalist, this has certainly given me the opportunity to reconsider my goals. Sylvia has had a difficult life, struggling on the brink of poverty thanks to her minuscule freelance wage, and despite the shocking - and envy-inducing - tales of her interactions with the rich and famous, I'm no longer certain it's a life I'd want to put myself through.
Definitely recommend this for anyone interested in pop music, celebrity culture and journalism, particularly those who lived through - and can vaguely remember - the 80s and 90s.
As someone who has always wanted to be a music journalist, this has certainly given me the opportunity to reconsider my goals. Sylvia has had a difficult life, struggling on the brink of poverty thanks to her minuscule freelance wage, and despite the shocking - and envy-inducing - tales of her interactions with the rich and famous, I'm no longer certain it's a life I'd want to put myself through.
Definitely recommend this for anyone interested in pop music, celebrity culture and journalism, particularly those who lived through - and can vaguely remember - the 80s and 90s.
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