Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This biography, written by an enthusiast, suffers the usual problems one encounters when there is no input from the subject of the bio, i.e. it's all secondary sources, mostly quotes from old interviews etc that have been hashed and re-hashed over and over,then organized around a thin narrative. Because the author is so respectful of his subject,the less savory episodes concerning drugs, groupies, violence are glossed over.Much more interesting, to me at least, would be a book that pulls no punches concerning the salacious aspects of being a 'guitar god'and rock star, but then attempts to reconcile this with the 'interesting' Jimmy Page who is obviously blessed with intelligence and talent over and above the usual rock'n'roll suspects.That would require access to the man himself, and I gather the author's overtures in that direction were ignored.
Echoing Voltaire's adage "To the living we owe respect...." the author treads so gingerly around his subject that all we are left with is a transparent chronology of life on the road with Jimmy Page, and it's been covered pretty well in many other more interesting books.
The discussions of the music are surprisingly weak, tours roar by in the space of a few sentences, and Page's inactivity as a 'visible' musician over the past decade means the last half to one third of the book fizzles out.
Until Jimmy Page himself sets the record straight, by himself or with a trusted collaborator, attempts at his biography by others, however well-intentioned, will always fall well short of the mark. I cannot recommend this book to seasoned or casual fans of Page, The Yardbirds or Led Zeppelin.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man: An Unauthorized Biography
Click here for more information about Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man: An Unauthorized Biography
0 comments:
Post a Comment