Product Description

In the seventies, when he was just 20 years old, David Cassidy achieved the sort of teen idol fame that is rarely seen. He was mobbed everywhere he went. His clothes were regularly ripped off by adoring fans. He sold records the world over. He was bigger than Elvis. And all thanks to a hit TV show called The Partridge Family. Now, in his own words, this is a brutally frank account of those mindblowing days of stardom in which being David Cassidy played second fiddle to being Keith Partridge. Including stories of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that explode the myth of Cassidy as squeaky clean, it's also the story of how to keep on living life and loving yourself when the fickle fans fall away.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43871 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

About the Author

In the autumn of 1970, after a brief acting career on Broadway and with various guest appearances on American TV shows, The Partridge Family catapulted David Cassidy to fame. Aged just 20, his face was on the cover of every teenage magazine. He became an international pop star. In 1974, his exhausting schedule took its toll on the quality of his life. David retired but has, since the 1990s, regularly appeared in and produced musicals in the States, and toured live - with Donny Osmond in particular - to appreciative audiences, particularly in the UK. He is happily married and has two children.

Customer Reviews

A refreshing tale of a real celebrity
With the likes of Chantelle, Jade goody, Colleen McLaughlin and other so called "celebrities" raiding the bestsellers list and making a mockery of the literary world by cashing in on the autobiography craze. It was a refreshing change to see David Cassidy, a real celebrity (who worked harder than you might have imagined becoming that overnight teen idol) tells the story of his life with such good humor and honesty.

What makes this book stand out from all of those other celebrity biographies is that David holds nothing back; he openly holds his hands up to experimenting with drugs, alcohol and having plenty of women at the peak of his fame. There is absolutely no celebrity bull**it here, the main message that's coming across is yes, I've done all of these crazy things, and yes it was stupid, but I'm not apologizing because anybody in my situation would have done the exact same thing. And let's face it, who wouldn't be seduced by all of that wealth and pleasure? And when you compare David Cassidy to some of his other 70's teen idols such as Michael Jackson and Garry glitter, you really do wonder what on earth stopped him from falling down the same dark pit of self destruction

Of course this book isn't perfect, the majority of the material is from the first edition, but when you have already written your biography it's quite difficult to take a new approach to it. I came to the conclusion that this version is much more sophisticated and wiser than the first book, David's ability to document his life and his writing style has improved greatly and It seems as if he was able to devote a lot more time and energy to this version making it a real success.

It was great to read articles contributed from his closest friends and family to see their viewpoint of David's success and the effect it had on them which gave the book added depth. I particularly enjoyed the chapter written by his 16 year old son Beau (which was written without David knowing) telling readers how much he admires his father. David also spoke of his estranged daughter Katie. If you were not a fan of David's and you read the first book, you would have had no idea she even existed so it was nice to see that she wasn't ignored this time.

Other than that this is a very well written and thought out biography from a man who got sucked into the dark depths of fame but returned to the light.

A Fascinating Life
When you grow from being a boy from a broken home with all the associated heartache into the arguably the biggest teen idol of all time - you can bet this is going to be a very interesting read. What stops this being a tragedy are the facts that (a) David Cassidy found real peace, love and happiness through his wife, son, daughter and extended family and (b) he found lasting, enduring success.

This is the true life story of pain and loss, of an ordinary person being thrust into an extraordinarily intense, mad and extreme fame, fan mania and associated excesses. But most importantly, it is an inspirational telling of how someone can face the greatest extremes in life and come through it all intact - as a decent person, a greatly respected talent and a personal and professional success.

I have always admired David Cassidy. I haven't always known or understood what he went through in order to be the David Cassidy I perceived him to be but I admire him all the more for who he has become today.

I've had the greatest pleasure in meeting David on two separate occasions on two separate continents. What struck me both times was that he was incredibly down to earth and very genuine. "Just a regular guy" as he would say. But a "regular guy" who has had a highly irregular and fascinating and inspirational life.

This book is an absorbing read. It's so well written, it's like David is talking to you personally. The story has no pretensions, no illusions of grandeur and is wonderfully annotated throughout with comments from the key people in David's life, past and present.

David Cassidy can legitimately claim to have once been the biggest superstar on this planet. He had an extraordinary fame that could so easily be forgotten simply because he was tagged a teen idol. But he also possesses an extraordinary talent and deserves every bit of the admiration and world-wide success that he still enjoys to this day.

If you purchase this book, I can assure you that you will find it an honest and sincere telling of an extraordinary life - and I can only hope that there will be many more chapters yet to come.

I loved it!
This book is an update of his previous autobiography that he wrote 11 or 12 years ago. In my opinion it is a much better read, its more honest, deeper and frank. Yes, there are parts that were in the previous book, there has to be, its HIS life, it didn't change overnight.
It has lots of quotes from David's Brothers, Wife, Friends, and Work Colleagues, and a lovely piece from his son Beau.

The pictures are truly beautiful, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves autobiographies, and any fans of David Cassidy, If you were a fan in the 70's, you get a real insight as to how the 'teen idol' marketing took its toll on David, personally and emotionally. If you have followed David's career for the last 35 years, Broadway, Las Vegas, Concerts, its great to read that he has now found a 'happy' place.