Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Rezensionen

British soulstress Springfield, who died of breast cancer in 2001, survives as an indelible symbol of the 1960s. Coauthors Valentine, a reporter for the Guardian, and Wickham, Springfield's former manager, reveal the consequences of her staggering fame, which included numerous Top 40 hits, in this first biography of the singer to be published in the United States. They portray their subject as perpetually in conflict with her insecurity, homosexuality, and drug and alcohol addiction. Despite having known Springfield personally, the authors sadly reduce Springfield's titular "demons" to a series of unflattering anecdotes and a scattering of aimless quotes. The book lacks a cohesive narrative voice and skips around in time, detracting from the dramatic story of her artistry. If only Springfield were portrayed as something other than a caricature of a spoiled pop diva, the reader could have moved closer to understanding the woman behind the voice. Not recommended. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Illinois Urbana, Champaign
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Arguably Britain's top pop singer, Dusty Springfield (1939-1999) possessed a voice that survived decades of abuse and, over four decades of recording, proved to be equally adept at lushly orchestrated pop tunes (You Don't Have to Say You Love Me), R & B (Son of a Preacher Man) and disco (What Have I Done to Deserve This?). The confidence she exuded on vinyl was a facade masking severe insecurities, addictions to drink and drugs, bouts of self-mutilation and fear of losing her career if exposed as a lesbian. With her towering blonde beehive hairdo, panda-eye black mascara and elaborate hand gestures, Springfield had a decade of international hits in the 1960s before moving to the U.S., where her career faltered and her demons crippled her career. By the late '70s, she was once again releasing critically acclaimed albums with lackluster sales. Her career resurrected in the late '80s when her duet with the Pet Shop Boys became a global hit. With most of her demons behind her, the singer battled cancer for the last five years of her life, dying just shy of her 60th birthday and weeks before being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although one wonders just who authorized this, as Springfield didn't participate in the writing of the book, the two authors are knowledgeable insiders (Wickham was Dusty's manager for 13 years and Valentine was a close friend and music journalist). The unvarnished portrait of a troubled, volatile and gifted singer is told with equal parts compassion and sensation. Most of Springfield's more eyebrow-raising incidents were played out of the spotlight (fans will get a first look at what went on during the "missing years" of the '70s); with this fast-paced tell-all bringing them center stage, she may soon rival Judy Garland for tragic diva status. 16 pages b&w photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Here is overdue recognition of a singer mostly remembered for one song, "Son of a Preacher Man." Second only to Petula Clark among mod-era British female pop singers, Springfield's trademark heavy eye makeup gave her a hint of danger that combined nicely with her smoky vocals in a string of mid-to-late-'60s hits, including "Wishin' and Hopin'" and "I Only Want to Be with You." A regular guest and later cohost of English TV's Ready, Steady, Go, Springfield struggled with drug and alcohol abuse--usual rock-career plagues--and also manic-depressive tendencies and sexuality issues. When she embarked on a "gay marriage," she and spouse bashed one another with cookware, and Springfield ended up in the hospital. Through it all, journalist Valentine and manager Wickham were there. Despite being an authorized biography, no salacious material seems to have been suppressed, and yet this is a very warm paean to the late singer. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved