Lesley-Ann Jones - 'Hero: David Bowie'

08/30/2019

'This is Bowie as you've never seen him before'

Published in 2016. 'Hero: David Bowie' is a biography of David Jones' life, though he was known to us as David Bowie. It is written by Lesley-Ann Jones, who spent more than twenty years on Fleet Street as a newspaper journalist.

Her first published work was in 1990 with 'Kylie Minogue: The Superstar Next Door', and from then on she has penned many other biographies; including 'Bohemian Rhapsody: The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury' (2018), 'Ride a White Swan: The Lives and Death of Marc Bolan' (2012) and 'Hero: David Bowie', which I enjoyed so much.

I acquired this book at a car boot-sale, and picked it up just as I was starting to get into Bowie's music - it sat on my shelf for a little bit because I wasn't reading much, and then I picked it up - just begging for a book that could get me back into reading; a hobby that I had once enjoyed so much. Before that point, it had been more than two years since I had finished a book (unless it was for school).

I started the book without knowledge of Bowie's life, and very minimal knowledge about his music - all I knew was that he had died in January 2016, and he was a big name in the music industry.

Right from the get-go, I was gripped; sitting on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down. It started off with his background, as all biographies and autobiographies should, and then went into his birth, and his childhood.

The book quickly moved on, however, and began to talk about his earliest years of producing music, starting in 1963. It talked of his friends and his family, and how each aspect of his life influenced and affected them, as well as influencing himself - for example his brother Terry, who suffered with mental illness quite badly. I knew more about his later life, because that seems to be all you ever hear of Bowie, so it was extremely interesting to hear about his earlier years, and how he came to be the legend that he now is.

The author, Lesley-Ann Jones, spoke with Bowie several times, and at points in the book, it seemed quite personal between them - I enjoyed reading about these encounters because it seemed like I was there with them. Jones' writing brings Bowie to life within the pages, and I felt as though I was living his life, too.

I noticed that throughout the book, the author included lyrics from other artists' songs, and added context on what other musicians and things were going on at the time that she is writing about. This was helpful as I knew more about some artists than I did Bowie; The Beatles, for example, and Queen, so it was good to be able to match up the timelines, I suppose. Everything came together and formed the bigger picture, which I feel has made me more knowledgeable about other artists; not just Bowie. It clearly shows how he influenced others' work, and how the friendships that he formed within the music industry changed him and led to developments within his own music.

Moreover, I also enjoyed how Jones wrote about what she was doing at the time. I thought it was interesting to know what people from two different backgrounds and walks-of-life were doing, and how they seemed to keep meeting each other once over and over again. However, Jones did not push her life into the pages, and this was good too because it did not feel as though Jones was trying to make herself known as the author, but instead just a person in Bowie's life every so often.

The words from people who did know Bowie were obviously said with heart, soul and emotions, and at some points I found it hard to hold my tears back. It was heart-wrenching in some places, and not many books have made me feel so emotion.

Jones is a talented writer, and that only became clearer as I continued to read. I never lost interest, and spent three nights in a row staying up until my eyes could stay open no longer - I wanted to finish the book and get to the end of Bowie's life... but I didn't at the same time.

I especially enjoyed the pictures that were included within the book; of David Bowie, the author, and others; they were interesting, and it was good to be able to place a photo in with a situation which was being written about... I only wish that there could have been more. 

Like I said, I haven't finished a book in a while - but I don't remember ever reading a book that had me as captivated as this one did. Now here I am, four days after finishing it, scouting Amazon and Ebay in hopes of finding more books about Bowie, and hoping that they're as good as Jones'.

© 2023 Music Blog.
Powered by Webnode
Create your website for free! This website was made with Webnode. Create your own for free today! Get started