The collective publishing rejection heap must be piled high with fiction efforts that fail to execute what Taylor Jenkins Reid achieves in Daisy Jones and the Six. In an industry that strives for original voices, there is no story more predictable than that of a rock star. If you’ve ever seen Behind the Music, you know what I am talking about. Every narrative starts with a child born to impossible odds (poverty, prejudice, fractured family) who catapults to improbable stardom based on their unique drive and/or talent. They are then tested by a standard trajectory of industry treachery and indulgence. Many die young. What lives on, always, is their music.
What is remarkable about Daisy Jones and the Six is that it takes many of those basic ingredients and creates something that feels fresh. Daisy Jones and her band mates resemble Fleetwood Mac. There are some key differences (I won’t spoil the fun by saying what they are) but you would be forgiven for missing them. Daisy Jones is also very much the archetype of the underappreciated female songwriter. And the LA setting, with its famous music venues and rustic bohemian communities, is also familiar.
And, yet, the story is completely riveting. I sat down to check it out and didn’t get up from my seat for another four hours. I was hard-pressed at times to wrap my mind around the fact that these were fictional characters. I can’t wait for the TV production which will bring these songs to life. And I can’t wait to see these characters embodied by actors.
Highly recommended.
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