Ronnie Wood’s Ronnie is a chaotic and often unsettling dive into the life of a rock star, filled with hedonism, recklessness, and shocking anecdotes tRonnie Wood’s Ronnie is a chaotic and often unsettling dive into the life of a rock star, filled with hedonism, recklessness, and shocking anecdotes that make for an uneasy read. His writing comes across as simple and somewhat illiterate, yet the sheer madness of his experiences—from spying on his cousin in the bathroom to groping women and brandishing weapons—keeps the pages turning, albeit with a sense of discomfort. The book skims over major life events, like deaths of friends and family members as well as self-induced near-death experiences, in favor of endless tales of partying, drugs, and destructive relationships. While the stories of rubbing shoulders with rock legends like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix add historical intrigue, the rampant debauchery and lack of introspection make it a cringey read and leaves me feeling dirty just for reading it. Fame may be intoxicating, but Ronnie often reads more like a cautionary tale than a celebration, as no-one emerges as a likeable person....more
This rollercoaster of emotions offers a candid look at Amanda's professional and personal adult life on a very low blend setting, with little gems of This rollercoaster of emotions offers a candid look at Amanda's professional and personal adult life on a very low blend setting, with little gems of lifestyle advice along the way. It held a mirror up to some aspects of my own relationships and it's comforting to know others face similar difficulties. I found it particularly lovely when Amanda says of husband Neil Gaiman that she "trusts him not to hurt me, not to judge me", as it's not easy to be vulnerable in front of others.
I would say that her experiences with her million Twitter followers is going to hugely different to the relationships of the average person, but I think the ideologies still broadly apply. Amanda's in the "community art cultural poetry family love business" and these are some of her teachings:
* Ask for assistance from influential people for big opportunities. * Acts of kindness brighten up someone's day more than you would think and has a positive knock-on effect. * Small inspiration or encouragement from artists can awaken latent artistic spirits. * Artists often play therapist to people who are willing to share their insecurities, which can help the artists face their own insecurities but also means they collect the loneliness of strangers. * Performing to a crowd can be alienating and lonely if you don't connect with them. * Couch-surfing is great for inspiration. * Some people never get asked to share how they're feeling and some people go unnoticed. They shouldn't do. * Building a close relationship with fans to develop merchandise, concerts and bespoke experiences is a rewarding experience for artists and audience alike. * Men can ask for a raise but they won't ask for a hug. * Women tend to feel shame about feeling "not enough" and men feel shame about being perceived as weak. * Artists frequently battle accusations of being shameless by asking for money when it's guaranteed in other professions.
This is a meander through the history of music's technological breakthroughs and the public perceptions of music through the ages, told in a witty andThis is a meander through the history of music's technological breakthroughs and the public perceptions of music through the ages, told in a witty and conversational style, served with a dollop of Byrne autobiography.
Considering the broad subject range it's unsurprising that it lacks direction and structure, and there are a few bold generalisations early on that bring to mind the phrase "so open-minded your brain fell out", but I've got to admit that I found myself agreeing with the majority of his opinions. I appreciate his outlook of wanting to explore life and create something different, which sometimes involved collaborations and changes to his work which he tried and often found he loved. He doesn't pretend to have all the answers but his job as an artist is to be an ideas man who tries everything and doesn't always hit the target, but when he does it can be magical.
Performing was a way for Byrne's introverted character to reach out to people and communicate, to initiate conversations with people and create a memorable moment for both the audience and himself to relive repeatedly in memory.
The chapters that I'll be returning to are "My Life In Performance", "Technology Shapes Music" and "Business and Finances", and the quote that'll stick with me is "What begins as a random walk often ends up taking you somewhere, somewhere that you later realise was exactly where you wanted to go". ...more
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