Daisy Jones & The Six Book Review

Music, like all art, has the power to bring people together. But ego and personal issues have the same power to pull us apart.

Taylor Jenkins Reid‘s 2019 novel, Daisy Jones & The Six is the story of a fictional band from the 1970s that hit it big before mysteriously breaking up. Daisy Jones came up of age in Los Angeles in the late 1960s during the heyday of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Blessed with a beautiful face and a singing voice that is unparalleled, her path to a successful music career is not too far out of reach.

Also gaining notice is the band The Six. Led by Billy Dunne, their path the fame and fortune are equally assured. As their first tour is getting off the ground, Billy’s girlfriend, Camila announces that she is pregnant. With the pressure of his personal and professional life compounding, Billy starts to lose himself to the temptations of the road.

When Daisy and Billy meet, the music they make is electric. What happens behind the scenes becomes a narrative that lives on long after they have gone their separate ways.

I loved the Behind the Music narrative structure. Though I’m sure that it was daunting to write, the author has created a story that is alluring, powerful, and truly one of the best books I have read in a long time. I never thought that Jenkins Reid could top herself, but somehow, she has.

I love how flawed and human her characters are. Daisy for one is hard to like. But we do so anyway because she is magnetic and we understand her, even if we don’t agree with her. I also appreciated Camila. Though she could have been created as the standard musician’s spouse who stays in the background, she is not that. She has a voice, and a backbone and is not afraid to use either.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Daisy Jones & The Six is available wherever books are sold.

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Flashback Friday: Celebrity Fit Club (2005 to 2010)

Basic medical advice tells us that carrying extra weight on our body creates health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. The larger problem is that in our culture, there is such a focus on body size (i.e. thin) that it is more about fitting in than being healthy.

Celebrity Fit Club aired on VH1 from 2005 to 2010. Like its non-celebrity reality show sibling, The Biggest Loser, the purpose of the show was for the contestants to lose weight. The only difference is that those involved in this show are famous. Throughout the series, they are put through their paces and weighed at the end of each episode.

Working with a nutritionist, a psychologist, and a trainer, each competitor is given the opportunity not just to lose physical pounds. They are encouraged to work through the issues that have led them to their current state.

Like all reality television, there is the usual question of what is “real” and what is scripted for the cameras. But what I think makes it different is that this program is that it shows that those who work in show business don’t always look like we think they should look. Like all humans, if they drink and eat excessively without some sort of physical activity, they will put on the pounds.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Throwback Thursday: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008 to 2011)

These days, it seems that reality television knows no bounds.

Between 2008 and 2011, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew aired on VH1. Led by Dr. Drew Pinsky, the raison d’etre of the program was to help celebrities break their addictions to drugs and alcohol.

I have mixed feelings about this reality show. This is obviously an issue that is deeply personal and requires a lot of emotional excavation to get to the bottom of. While it takes away some of the stigma from addiction, it also comes off as slightly voyeuristic. Someone else’s pain should not be entertainment for another.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Throwback Thursday: Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood

One of the hallmarks of celebrity culture is the constant need to prove that they are no different than the average person.

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (originally titled Tori & Dean: Inn Love) aired on the Oxygen Network (and then VH1) from 2007 to 2012. This reality show followed the life and marriage of Beverly Hills 90210 star Tori Spelling and her husband, Dean McDermott.

Ok, I admit that I watched this show. I wouldn’t be writing about it otherwise. While it was entertaining at the time, I can see it as just another example of another Hollywood vanity project/reality television.

Do I recommend it? No.

Flashback Friday: Mob Wives (2011-2016)

There has been a fascination with the mafia since the beginning of the modern entertainment industry. The danger, the violence, and the potential for financial and material profit have a certain appeal. But there is also the chance that the ones you love most will not be immune from your decisions.

Mob Wives was on the air via VH1 from 2011-2016. This Real Housewives-esque series followed the lives of women whose relations were in jail due to mafia-related activities. Shot in the New York City borough of Staten Island, this reality show delves into the day-to-day lives of the wives and daughters of prominent members of the American Mafia. While they are trying to support the men they love, they are doing their best to provide for their children and live as normally as possible.

When the series initially premiered ten years ago, the argument that it was based on Italian-American stereotypes was not one that went unnoticed. Like all reality television, it can be mildly entertaining. But, the catch is that the reader knows that it can be as fully scripted as programs that are completely fictional.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Flashback Friday: Celebracadabra (2008)

Within the world of television, thinking out of the box can be a good thing. But, like life, not every program is guaranteed multiple seasons with celebrated reviews and a dedicated fan base. As different as the program is, it is sometimes fated to only be on the air for a short amount of time.

In 2008, Celebracadabra aired on VH1.This reality competition show followed a group of B list celebrities as they learn to become magicians. One by one, each contestant is eliminated until the winner was crowned Greatest Celebrity Magician.

Within the reality show genre, this show both colored within the lines and dared to be different by adding the element of magic. But at the end of the day, it had just enough steam to last for one season. Anything more than that would have been too much.

Do I recommend it? Sort of.

Throwback Thursday: Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby (2010-2011)

Impending parenthood often brings a mix of emotions. Especially when this is the first pregnancy.

From 2010-2011, Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby aired on VH1. It followed actor and TV host Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell) and his then-girlfriend (now wife), Courtney Mazza as they prepared for the birth of their first child.

As most celebrity centered reality shows go, this was far from the worst program within the sub-genre. But it was not all that special either.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Throwback Thursday- Hogan Knows Best (2005-2007)

Do parents always know what is best? That question has been posed in many ways over the years.

Hogan Knows Best aired on VH1 from 2005-2007. This reality show followed the personal and professional life of wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan and his family.

As a reality show, it was the standard celebrity-based program. While other programs of this nature were somewhat compelling, this program was just plain dumb. I have to admit that I did watch it, but looking back, I wish I hadn’t.

Do I recommend it? Not really.

Flashback Friday-Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School (2007)

In the world of reality television shows, a spin off is common place. The question is, if the spin off, like any sequel is worthy of it’s predecessor?

In 2007, Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School premiered on VH1. A spin off of Flavor of Love, the show was hosted by Mo’Nique. The purpose of the program was to teach etiquette to the female contestants from the two seasons of Flavor of Love. The winner would walk away with $50,000 and the title of Charm School Queen.

I have to admit that I am a former reality show addict. I didn’t watch every show, but this one I did watch. Though it had some appeal at the time, at the end of the day, it was just another reality show.

Do I recommend it? Not really.

Flashback Friday-I Love New York (2007)

Finding that right person with whom we will hopefully spend our life with is a process that often can take years. The reality show genre has capitalized on this want by presenting dating shows to the audience.

I Love New York aired on VH1 in 2007. A spin-off of Flavor of Love, the show followed runner up Tiffany Pollard, known as New York as she starred in her own dating reality show. I Love New York followed the same format of any reality dating show. A group of men are chosen to pitch themselves as her future partner. One by one, they are all eliminated until one is chosen.

I’ve spoken in the past of my disdain for most reality shows. This one, I have to admit that I watched. Would I watch it again, if the show had another reason? Probably not.

Do I recommend it? No.