Daisy Jones and the Six

Once again I found a screen adaptation better than the book. It rarely happens, so I must come clean that this is my second admission. The other was the PBS adaption of Magpie Murders.

When Daisy Jones and the Six first came out, an advanced reading copy was kindly sent to me by the publisher, but I never felt right attempting a review. You see, I barely plodded my way through half of the novel before tossing it aside. It later became a blockbuster bestseller and adapted into a TV series.

Guess we let you down here at Book Barmy. But let me explain

The premise was, and still is, intriguing — the making and wild success of an iconic rock band. In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world; the band had risen from obscurity to fame, and then, after a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they called it quits. Now years later, the different band members and associates are being interviewed to finally uncover the true story of their experiences, and what went on behind the scenes.

But herein lies the problem, the story line is told through a series of interviews years after the band broke up and I really struggled with this format. I found it hard to keep the different characters straight through the interview format, and the different narratives were confusing. And these same characters never came to life even with their sex, drugs and rock and roll – it all fell flat for me.

I was a bit sad because 70’s rock and roll is the nostalgia of my high school and college years.

And yes, if all that sounds familiar, Daisy Jones and the Six is loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, with Daisy thinly disguised as Stevie Nicks.

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I’d heard about the TV series and one evening I gave it a try – and I was immediately hooked – line and sinker. I was transported back to the 70’s – the clothes, the original music throughout, and the cast was finally interesting and sprung to life. (Fun fact, Daisy is played by Elvis’s grand daughter, Riley Keough).

There’s sex, of course, drugs, yes – but mostly it’s about creating music which doesn’t always resonate with the band, but become hits — all while the band struggles to elevate themselves from the cliché.

The main relationships are portrayed with gritty realism, the male lead struggles with sobriety, his wife wants her family back, and then there’s Daisy who wants fame:

I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else’s muse.
I am not a muse.
I am the somebody.
End of f*****g story.

This is not a consistently great series, some episodes are better than others. And many of the characters are unnecessarily portrayed as jerks, which is supposed to make them more authentic to the 70’s LA music scene, but actually makes them hard to care about. Daisy wears flowing dresses and dances in circles, actually making a caricature of Steve Nicks – which is distracting.

Overall, it’s a somewhat stereotypical drama involving a rock band which becomes more compelling as the members alternately work their way through fame, success, love triangles, drugs, alcohol and angst.

It’s like some of us are chasing after our nightmares the way other people chase dreams.

I watched every single episode and adored being back in the 70’s. The Daisy Jones and the Six TV series is very well-produced, the sets are spot-on realistic – and the music — well, it was my music.

What else can I say — I had fun.

Try it, maybe you will too.