I have read this before. I have seen it. I have heard it. This book is like a transcription of a Behind the Music episode. Everyone waxing rhapsodic over the Sunset Strip in the 70s. Ugh. There is nothing unique or remarkable about this tale. No grand revelations, nothing that overcomes tropes, just archetypes smashing into archetypes while being saved-by-or-slaves-to tHe MuSic. I truly do not understand the rapturous reviews around Daisy Jones and The Six. There is nothing special about this story, nor is there anything special about Daisy, despite how often we are told how “special” she is.
The drama is comical. The drug use is embarrassing; not just in the sense that you embarrassed for these people and their debilitating problems, but embarrassed by the writer and their understanding (if any) of drug use and addiction. The characters are paper-thin and most are truly unlikable. The plot was predictable. The songs, while not truly “songs” as there is no music within, are absolutely dreadful. The lyrics will do anything for a (very simple) rhyme. Not everyone can write music! The music here feels like someone creating a “viral video” in a modern movie or TV show; soulless and out of touch.
Now that all of that is out of the way, this journey was not without enjoyment. At the recommendation of Halbs I picked up the audio book, and while I did not care for the story or the characters, I did care for the voice work from the cast! Benjamin Bratt was fantastic as the brother-in-the-shadow of the front man; his gravely gravitas brought elevation to the shallow story. He sounded so much like Eddie Vedder I frequently thought “hey, what’s Eddie Vedder doing here?”Judy Greer was excellent as always; no one else can say as much in a whole statement as she can in half a giggle. The group worked together as a whole to cobble together a collection of characters into something coherent. I often enjoy oral histories, and hearing one was a new experience for me.
All in all I don’t feel like I wasted my time, but I do feel that it failed to live up to the hype. Two stars for the story and four for the performance places us at a solid three. I wish it could have been more.