Customer Reviews

C'mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Once I started reading I could not stop although if your memories of David are of a sweet faced butter wouldn't melt in your mouth type, this book may shatter some of those illusions. (My friend who read it at the same time was stunned!) However, I admire David's complete honesty in saying the truth of what it really was like to be "an idol" in the seventies and his relationship with Susan Dey (well we did always wonder). I wish he had expanded more on life after he retired from the world of pop in the 70s but the title of the book does suggest his time on "the Partridge Family Bus". It was quite an insight into how lonely life at the top can really be (and not necessarily financially secure). There were quite a few similarities in his story to that of Donny Osmond - fame, adulation and then zip! (Oh how fickle people are)If you were a big David Cassidy fan in the 70s you may be amazed at what he was really like but in reading this book I can only admire his courage for being so honest and it is an interesting (to say the least) book to read.

Sure, David Cassidy had an active sex life. After all, it was the 70s, he was the biggest teen idol of the entire decade, and he was the star of an incredibly popular TV show. But what some reviewers seem to miss is that his personal life was incredibly compromised by his stardom...considering his lifestyle, it really didn't seem possible for him to have a "meaningful relationship" with anybody. This book shows how he survived an almost suffocating sort of fame and lived to tell about it, with great humor and wisdom.

Obviously, I'm a huge fan of David's but I was STILL pleasantly surprised at how funny and honest this book was. Not many people would decide to call it quits at the height of their fame, but David wisely saw the writing on the wall and got out while he still had his sanity. The years that followed do not sound pleasant by any means, but to his credit, he seems to have learned some very important life lessons from this dark period.

If you're interested in learning about "the making of a teen idol", this book is for you. The picture isn't pretty, but it is fascinating. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the GORGEOUS photos of David included in this book...that shag haircut still makes my heart flutter. David Cassidy...still a fox after all these years! ;)

P.S. to Susan Dey: I feel for you, Susan...I know what it's like to love him, too!

I read this book in two (2) sittings.

David Cassidy isn't a great writer but he is a great storyteller and he has an interesting, painful, exhilerating, thought provoking story to tell. By the way, he tells it in a gritty, earthy tone that is inappropriate for non-adults.

The old joke is that if you remember the 70's you weren't there. Unfortunately, alot of us were - and lived to tell about it. The remembering can, at times, be tough. How do you bring closure to the decade that has been described as:

'The decade that taste forgot'

'The decade that had all the morality of two dogs in a park'

In this regard I found this book to be cathartic.

Without disclosing too much of the plot, I discovered that David Cassidy was a real guy with a real life and real issues to boot! I found much of myself in his story - especially in the areas of addiction and recovery. I found myself dealing with feelings and memories buried deep. I began to not only understand that crazy period better but come to grips with my place in that time as well.

Anyone who thinks that the answer to their problems is more money and/or fame should read this book! David Cassidy has gained much wisdom from his experiences and there is much to gain from his sharing.

I did.

I thought this book was wonderful.It took me less than ten hours to read It ansererd a lot of qustions I never knew about David Cassidy. This book is about how he found himself in the end I'm Glad he's is back in the spotlight better than ever. And happy with himself

I called the publisher on this book yesterday and was able to order it directly from them for 11.99 plus shipping. They guaranteed it within 2 weeks. The name of the publisher is Warner Books. The number is 1-800-759-0190. You just need your credit card ready. This is the only way to get it at this time. Even book stores could not guarantee delivery. Obviously they have decided to do another reprint.

I recently received the book as a birthday present - purchased through Ebay. I couldn't put it down. It included details and specific examples and incidents, it was honest and above all INTERESTING. I have more respect for Cassidy's acting now, knowing how different his own personality was from that of Keith Partridge. I can't stand actors who always play themselves. I didn't see the book as bragging as one reviewer put it, but rather an up close and honest look at who David Cassidy was and is including what was important to him and what was available as far as recreational activities for the accidental shut in.

This book is more than the story of a once mega star. It is the story of a heartbreaking father/son relationship. It reveals the struggles of a young artist and well as the madness of becoming a pop icon. It speaks to unfullfilled dreams and achieving the highest level of success, but not in the area/realm that once actually dreamed of. It's about corruption in the entertainment industry and finances mismanaged. It's the story of coming of age in the wild late 60's and 70's with hippies, sex and drugs. It's the story of a television show that will forever be a part of America's history. Reading it, I found myself rooting for Mr. Cassidy to find a lasting and meaningful love interest and a once again successful, though more personally meaningful, career. I also loved that Mr. Cassidy reveals Don Johnson to be the arrogant, shallow person I always assumed him to be. It was nice to learn that Shirley Jones was such a warm and caring person.

I was only 6 years-old when the Partridge Family first aired and I always thought him to be the handsomest of men. I was unaware of his concerts while the show was airing or his fan clubs. I was also unaware that he had written a biography unitl I saw him concert this past Summer. A concert which I learned about more or less by accident. I was mostly interested in seeing that famous smile for old times sake. But I have to say that I was quite impressed with Mr. Cassidy's singing voice and his entertainment capabilities. I have a new view and sense of respect for him. This guy is way more than Keith Partridge (whom I always remembered him as). He can REALLY sing. His life story is a turbulent one and at times a tearfully sad one, but it is also one of ultimate success as a person.

Star of the hit Partridge family, Cassidy saturated the bubblegum market in the early 70's, even as his own personal tastes ran more towards hard rock and the counterculture (like many baby boomers then) Reportedly, he was getting more fan mail than the rest of the show combined and selling out more concerts than the Beatles. The meteoric rise to fame was accompanied by a string of personal issues that were not considered appropriate to air at the time-consequently he was more glum than one might think. The book chronicles his relationship with the rest of the cast (especially co-star Susan Dey) his agent and especially his father, actor Jack Cassidy. Despite the liberated premise of the Partridge family, Cassidy's real life experience was more ambivalent. Because dysfunctional family had not entered popular culture at that point in time (and references to those families were invariably slanted towards lower economic classes) Cassidy did not have the words to describe what he was feeling at the time, except he understood that he was frustrated about the past and the bizarre dichotomy between his public and private personas. At the end of the day, he was a person who was simply looking for somebody to truly love him for himself and not as his on screen alter-ego Keith Partridge. Unfortunately, he did not quite know what else he wanted yet, and this book does an excellent job of taking the reader through that sometimes painful and difficult journey. Although the revelations contained in this book might be too frank for some people, I personally found them a refreshing antidote to the star biographies which are super slick. The ability to be candid with who you are and what your needs are is an important step in the journey to finding your true self.

...then you have to buy this book. It tells you about the REAL David Cassidy, not the made up image portrayed on the Partridge family. I used to be his "#1 fan" when I was a kid so never in a million years did I guess what the real David was like. I'm so proud of him for telling us all the truth about his life and feelings. This was a very good book. He was honest, and the book was extremely interesting. There are some good photo's in there too.

Cassidy does not hold back in telling his story. Blunt, frank, and sometimes searingly honest, David tells all. Especially interesting was how he and his agent were tricked out of millions of dollars due to a misleading contract. I like the fact that Cassidy and his co-author wrote the book in his own voice. When you read it, it's like David is telling you his story, rather than having a sanitized version written in perfect prose by a ghost writer. It's a definite must-read for all Cassidy fans. My only criticism is that David wrote about his Partridge Family years in great detail, but glossed over his post-Partridge years. Hopefully he'll consider doing a fuller autobiography.