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A review by lynburn
Please Please Tell Me Now: The Duran Duran Story by Stephen Davis
3.0
3 stars. I love Duran Duran! I’ve been a self-confessed Durannie since The Reflex. Love these guys!
And I will confess I’ve read John Taylor’s, “In the Pleasure Groove” and Andy Taylor’s, “Wild Boy.” Those two books provide a more intimate look at Duran Duran while focusing on the band members’ own perspectives. “Please Please Tell Me Now” by Stephen Davis is a more clinical version of the bands story. Mr. Davis interviewed the band members in 2004, yet the book was just published last week. It’s a very slow pace through the early days of the band at The Rum Runner, various members of a very young Duran Duran, and the early days touring of the lineup that became the Fab 5. If you’ve read both the Taylor’s books, there isn’t really a lot of new information in this book about the band. But it was fun revisiting the band, hearing all the songs I’ve loved for 30+ years (in my head), and reading of some other huge artists who orbited their band.
Ultimately I gave this book 3 stars because the structure of the book led to repetition at times. Also, there is a detachment that lends a coldness to the storytelling. I don’t believe Mr. Davis is a fan, so there’s a distance in the writing, a lack of enthusiasm for the story. Also, there were anecdotes tossed in, that while fun, seemed irrelevant and odd to the story (example: a newly divorced Princess Di catcalling Simon at the gym. Fun, but seemed to be just thrown into the narrative).
If you love Duran Duran, read this. It’s a fun trip down memory lane. Thank you to #netgalley and @hachettebooks for the advanced e-copy of #pleasepleasetellmenow .
#book #bookreview
And I will confess I’ve read John Taylor’s, “In the Pleasure Groove” and Andy Taylor’s, “Wild Boy.” Those two books provide a more intimate look at Duran Duran while focusing on the band members’ own perspectives. “Please Please Tell Me Now” by Stephen Davis is a more clinical version of the bands story. Mr. Davis interviewed the band members in 2004, yet the book was just published last week. It’s a very slow pace through the early days of the band at The Rum Runner, various members of a very young Duran Duran, and the early days touring of the lineup that became the Fab 5. If you’ve read both the Taylor’s books, there isn’t really a lot of new information in this book about the band. But it was fun revisiting the band, hearing all the songs I’ve loved for 30+ years (in my head), and reading of some other huge artists who orbited their band.
Ultimately I gave this book 3 stars because the structure of the book led to repetition at times. Also, there is a detachment that lends a coldness to the storytelling. I don’t believe Mr. Davis is a fan, so there’s a distance in the writing, a lack of enthusiasm for the story. Also, there were anecdotes tossed in, that while fun, seemed irrelevant and odd to the story (example: a newly divorced Princess Di catcalling Simon at the gym. Fun, but seemed to be just thrown into the narrative).
If you love Duran Duran, read this. It’s a fun trip down memory lane. Thank you to #netgalley and @hachettebooks for the advanced e-copy of #pleasepleasetellmenow .
#book #bookreview