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[Book Review] My Crazy Beautiful Life by Kesha
Title: My Crazy Beautiful Life
Author: Kesha
Publisher: Touchstone
Web Link: here
Date of Release: November 20, 2012
No. of Pages: 192
ISBN: 1476704163
Format: Coffee Table
Category: Non Fiction
Genre: Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Music
In less than three years, I’ve gone from being the worst waitress in LA to living out my childhood dreams of singing my songs to people all over the world. Sometimes, it feels as if the last few years have encompassed a few decades. . . . You might have heard my voice on the radio, seen me onstage and on the red carpet, or in a music video, but that’s only a part of the story. In these pages, I’m revealing a more complete picture of what my life is really like. It’s not all glamorous and it’s not all pretty, but it’s all real. . . . I want you to come on a whirlwind journey with an all-access pass to My Crazy Beautiful Life.
I bought this book on Periplus website (bargain bin FTW! Thank you, Ren). Not a huge fan of Ke$ha but I was quite intrigued by her antics.
I read the introduction and I liked it. I postponed my reading as I lost interest in reading (reader’s block?). Seriously, I’ve been trapped in this zone for quite some time. Then I got sick, had bedrest, and I picked it up again. I finished this book in an hour.
This book tells a bit about Kesha’s childhood, how her brother got her into music (they formed a garage band called “Dynamite Cop”), and she tells about her tough school years as she moves a lot. She starts writing music when she was 4 years old.
Kesha was born at a party, getting accepted into Ivy Leagues, but soon dropping out of high school to pursue music career. Moving to Los Angeles from Nashville, she works as a waitress, a telemarketer, a TV extra, etc, just to pay gas.
After 4 years, all her hardwork is paid. She hears “Tik Tok” on the radio and the rest is history.
This book is jam-packed with beautiful quotes, family and stage pictures, journals, and lyric sheets. I got a big picture of Kesha’s life as an artist. If you’re looking for an in-depth memoir, this is not the book for you. But if you want to read a fun and fast-paced book, you can give it a try.
Kesha is suing Dr. Luke (her producer) for alleged sexual assault and emotional abuse (link)
I know how it feels to be bullied; I know that it can stay with you for a long time.
I wanted to write a massive party anthem that would get the whole world moving.
I never have expectations, because as soon as you expect something, you can be disappointed.
[Book Review] The Last Living Slut by Roxana Shirazi
Title: The Last Living Slut: Born in Iran, Bred Backstage
Author: Roxana Shirazi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: June 1st, 2010
Number of pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Genre: Non-fiction/Autobiography/Memoir
Book Blurb
The outrageous, yet surprisingly moving, memoir of a girl who fled the Iranian Revolution–and found her salvation in the deliriously sexy life of a rock-‘n’-roll groupie.
Honest, provocative, and vividly written, “The Last Living Slut” is the memoir of Roxana Shirazi, who was raised traditionally in Tehran. After her family spirits her to the West in flight from the Iranian Revolution, Shirazi is led far astray by the sound–and the sex appeal–of rock and roll. Caught between her sexual appetites, passion for music (and musicians), and fear of being a bad seed, Shirazi bares her soul to offer a raw account of her life as an eager-to-please rock groupie. With appearances by members of Guns N’ Roses, MOtley CrUe, Velvet Revolver, and many more, The Last Living Slut is a moving memoir of growing up in the political turbulence of Tehran; an unflinching portrayal of teenage cultural dislocation in London; a backstage romp that makes Pamela Des Barres’s I’m with the Band read like a nun’s diary; and a white-knuckled tale of jilted love and brutal revenge.
Thoughts:
First of all, I agree with the book blurb The Last Living Slut is a moving memoir of growing up in the political turbulence of Tehran; an unflinching portrayal of teenage cultural dislocation in London; a backstage romp that makes Pamela Des Barres’s I’m with the Band read like a nun’s diary. This book is much better than “I’m With The Band. I was struggling to read that book even though it got praises from millions of its readers.
Secondly, groupies are always linked with sluttery and fuckery. A die hard fan would be obsessed with her/his idol but rarely spending time together in a hotel room. Groupies are not always fond of the band’s music, but most likely to sleep with one or all members of a particular band to fulfill their wildest dreams.
Roxana was born in Tehran, Iran. Her family is a traditional. When she was a child, she wore hijab religiously.
But her wildest fantasy began when she saw Axl Rose on TV (probably screaming “Welcome to the Jungle”).
Her sexual adventure just began from that moment.
Poverty and political forced the Shirazis to move to England.
Roxana was adopted by a hippie family and soon adapted the locals’ lifestyle.
She’s living a double life: as an A grader at school and a stripper at the middle eastern club at night.
Her rock star encounters began when she met Stuart Cable, ex drummer of Stereophonics, through a mutual friend.
Roxana was notoriously f*cking members of Avenged Sevenfold, Towers of London, Brides of Destructions, Motley Crue, Guns N’Roses, and so on.
I can’t fathom how a smart girl like her spending time with rockers, living like a porn star (most parts of the book is hardcore, I think, even put 50 Shades of Grey to shame). With her achievements, she could teach at a university and living graciously.
I also couldn’t stand the abortion part. I’m a mother and against abortion. She described the process in details, which put me to tears and disgust.
Overall, it’s a good reading if you want to dig up rock stars and groupies’ life.
If you’ee curious about the author, just google her name and her pics will pop up. Guaranteed to make your eyes popped XD
[Book Review] This Is Gonna Hurt – Nikki Sixx
Title: This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx
Author: Nikki Sixx
Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)
Language: English
Format: Ebook
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir
This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx is part photo, part journal—but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling photography and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Combining the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller The Heroin Diaries with a photographic journey, This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Sixx’s experiences—from his early years filled with toxic waste, to his success with Motley Crue, to his death from an OD and his eventual rebirth through music, photography, and love.
Love story, bad-ass rock tell-all, social commentary, family memoir, This Is Gonna Hurt offers the compelling insights of an artist and a man struggling to survive, connect, and find a happy ending—a search that fuels Sixx’s being.
Bottom line, this book is amazingly stunning. Love every page, enjoy every line. Not as raw as The Heroin Diaries. No more wild parties, crazy sex, and all those things rock stars usually do. It’s amazing how Nikki found his true self through death, loss, and pain. He had a painful past, abandoned by both parents, grew up, became a wild child and struggled with personal demons. Life was cruel, but kind at the same time. Nikki said he came to the revelation about music, his relationship with his bandmates, recovery, and grief by Lisa’s death.
Nikki was sober in 1989, continued touring with Mötley Crüe, fell in and out of love. This book is more well-structured than The Heroin Diaries. And, of course, Nikki is maturing during This Is Gonna Hurt.
Nikki admits that he has the indication to get addicted to things. He replaced drugs with music, photography and writing, which are addicting according to Nikki.
Th pictures are beautiful. Nikki said he could see the beauty in people who are considered ugly. He was judged by a mother in Prague because of his looks.
This book is stunning. The words were beautifully crafted and there are so many beautiful quotes that touch my heart. It’s not just a celebrity memoir, it’s a collection of deep thoughts of a former junkie who happens to be a rock legend.
[Book Review] The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band
Title: Motley Crue: The Dirt – Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band
Authors: Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx and Neil Strauss
Published: 2001
Pages: 431
Genre: Autobiography
Bought at: bookdepository.com
Whiskey and porn stars, hot reds and car crashes, black leather and high heels, overdoses and death. This is the life of Mötley Crüe, the heaviest drinking, hardest fighting, most oversexed and arrogant band in the world. Their unbelievable exploits are the stuff of rock ‘n’ roll legend. They nailed the hottest chicks, started the bloodiest fights, partied with the biggest drug dealers, and got to know the inside of every jail cell from California to Japan. They have dedicated an entire career to living life to its extreme, from the greatest fantasies to the darkest tragedies. Tommy married two international sex symbols; Vince killed a man and lost a daughter to cancer; Nikki overdosed, rose from the dead, and then OD’d again the next day; and Mick shot a woman and tried to hang his own brother. But that’s just the beginning. Fueled by every drug they could get their hands on and obscene amounts of alcohol, driven by fury and headed straight for hell, Mötley Crüe raged through two decades, leaving behind a trail of debauched women, trashed hotel rooms, crashed cars, psychotic managers, and broken bones that has left the music industry cringing to this day. All these unspeakable acts, not to mention their dire consequences, are laid bare in The Dirt.
Here — directly from Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick — is the unexpurgated version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story. In these pages, published for the first time anywhere, are Tommy Lee’s letters to Pamela Anderson from prison: Mick’s confession to having an incurable disease that is slowly killing him; Vince’s experience burying his own daughter — and the train wreck that his life became afterward; and Nikki’s anguished struggle to deal with an entire life fueled by anger over his childhood abandonment, his discovery of the family he never knew he had — and his subsequent loss of them. And all of it accompanied by scores of rare, never-before-published photographs, mug shots, and handwritten lyrics. No one is spared. Not David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vanity, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, AC/DC, Lita Ford, Iron Maiden, Pamela Anderson, Guns N’ Roses, Donna D’Errico, RATT, or those two girls from Dallas, Texas.
Make no mistake about it: these guys are geniuses. They invented glam metal and then left it in the dust; sold more than forty million albums from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood; toured the world dozen times and have the scars to prove it it; and maintained a rabid following in an era of throwaway pop stars. Mötley Crüe has done nothing less than tattoo the psyche of the entire MTV generation. They are the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll band. And if you don’t believe it, read The Dirt. You don’t know what decadence is…
I bought this book last year, I guess. Why didn’t I read it earlier? I read The Heroin Diaries before I puchase this book. I must say The Heroin Diaries got me hooked and the book is soooo good!
The Dirt was written before the Heroin Diaries. And, I was hooked as well. It’s quite thick, 400-ish pages and I need 4 days to finish it.
It’s a rollercoaster ride where the 4 Motley dudes took you to Hollywood, where they opened the door for hair metal band to pop up on MTV in 1980s. From Whisky A Go Go to the huge arena in Moscow, the guys had their ups and downs, up, and down again, and up again, and then down to alcohol and drug-binges.
They’ve been through hell and all the craziness that you thought it onlg happened in porn movies. This book is sick!
I learned about Mick’s struggle with health, Nikki’s dark past, Vince’s tough upbringing and Tommy’s insecurity (I don’t understand why he had to deal with all those craziness, because he said his parents are fun-loving and still together).
Motley Crue rose to stardom and those guys didn’t know how to handle it. They’re still babies, they were on drugs before Motley was famous, they even punched guys without particular reasons.
The saddest part was when Nikki told about his long-lost sister. I read about it in Heroin diaries, but still the chapter brought tears to my eyes.
The Dirt is not about drugs, sex and name-dropping. It’s about finding one true self, brotherhood, and the disadvantage of being an asshole.
The Dirt is one of the best rock autobiographies, besides The Heroin Diaries.