DAISY JONES & THE SIX. Addicted to Rock [Review]
Amazon’s latest series is the story of the winding road to fame and the great breakup of a band that never really existed. Daisy Jones & The Six, modeled on Fleetwood Mac, had the whole world at their feet in the 70s – their singles hit the top of the charts, the Aurora album gained cult status, money, recognition and drugs became their daily bread. What we see on stage, however, is not always in line with the relationships between the members behind the scenes. The team’s biggest concert, played in Chicago in 1979, where they gathered an audience of over 15,000, turned out to be their last performance together. What secrets will the members of Daisy Jones & The Six choose to tell us 20 years after that fateful evening? What led these young, talented musicians at the peak of their popularity to such a spectacular fall?
Love, drugs and music - the winding road to fame
At first, we know only a small part of the story of Daisy Jones & The Six – the former members of the most famous rock band of the 70’s speak about their short but intense adventure with music on such a large scale for the first time in several decades. They take part in a documentary that is supposed to reveal to the public the most juicy details of their rise to fame. Each of them has their own life today, devotes themselves to their passions and family, but subconsciously they keep coming back to the reasons why they no longer give concerts today, wondering what would have happened if that fateful night in 1979 had not taken place at all…
The first 3 episodes released by Amazon, compared to the subsequent parts of the production, are quite a numb introduction and make you wait a long time for the action to develop. We meet the heroes before they even dream that one day their images will be seen on posters in the windows of music stores. Teenage Daisy Jones from a quiet, insecure girl with a great vocal talent, which she has to polish all by herself without the support of her parents, becomes a child of the crazy 60’s and 70’s – she is a playboy, as she says about herself – she will never be a muse, and a full-fledged musician who finally learned her worth. Meanwhile, across the country in Pittsburgh, the eldest Dunn sibling, Billy, advises younger brother Graham on how to start his little garage boy band. Over time, he not only joins the band, but also takes over as the frontman and vocalist of The Dunne Brothers, which eventually turns into the famous The Six. Billy and Graham, their bass player Eddie, drummer Warren and pianist Karen, and Daisy, drifting in the world of her own imagination, dream of great fame. However, both Daisy as a solo artist and The Six won’t get very far without a distinctive female voice. Their paths will soon merge to create one of the most iconic music albums in rock history.
Related:
A truly explosive story
Daisy Jones & The Six is a real treat for fans of the writing of Taylor Jenkins Reid, on the basis of which the popular Amazon series was finally created. The unforgettable atmosphere of the 70’s, brilliant music, which not without reason swept the crowds, and costumes that perfectly reflect the rock spirit are just a few of the many reasons why Daisy Jones & The Six looks absolutely sensational. The aforementioned somewhat tedious, overlong and clichéd beginnings are only a prelude to the real fire that appears when The Six jumps on the charts.
Even though the events to which the characters return are shown from the perspective of all team members, its leaders – Billy and Daisy – have the most to say, between whom sparks spark incredibly from the very beginning. Originally, their relationship is a conflict between two extremely strong characters – Billy, who has just returned from rehab and is afraid to go back to his addiction, so as not to disappoint his wife and daughter, makes Daisy a scapegoat on whom he transfers all his frustrations. She doesn’t owe him anything, constantly making fun of his hackneyed texts and the constant need to prove to his wife that he’s sober. Over time, however, their tense team relationship develops into something much deeper than just having to work together and spend time refining songs. Billy and Daisy complement each other – he needs her and she needs him. However, they realize that their rapprochement can destroy everything they have built so far – it will take away Billy’s family, plunge Daisy even further into a drug frenzy, and most likely put an end to their fame. They are therefore forced to suppress their inner desires, but we expect that in the end it is their many years of accumulation that will explode during the last concert together.
Addicted to rock
Daisy Jones & The Six is a story about desire and temptations that often win over rationality and commitment. In addition, it is an extremely pleasing to the eye and ear musical spectacle, full of passion, charisma and warmth, to which one clings. The real icing on the cake is the brilliantly chosen cast, to which we immediately become attached and, despite everything, wish for their heroes a happy ending. Sam Claflin as Billy is a real hit, just like Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, who, like the rest of the band, honed their vocal and instrumental skills especially for the series. The production, although at times predictable and using well-known melodramatic schemes, hides an originality and freshness that has a great chance to make it a real hit, if it hasn’t already done so.
Daisy Jones & The Six definitely uses the potential of a full-blooded, coherent story, seasoned with great music and good quality acting. The fictitious band naturally fell in love with the viewers, and the album that the actors recorded for the series has been at the forefront of the most-bought in the US for weeks. It’s a title that will move you, move you and awaken a true love for classic rock and will not be forgotten long after you turn off the last episode.
Mary Kosiarz