Dancing With Demons [Hardcover]

Penny Valentine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2000

Dusty Springfield made her name in the 1960s with a string of top ten hits and, despite a period in the wilderness during the 70s and 80s, she was back on top in the 90s until her death in 1999. Drawing on personal memories, this biography offers a revealing picture of Dusty's life. Paperback: ISBN 0340794410, $32.95.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arguably Britain's top pop singer, Dusty Springfield (1939-1999) possessed a voice that survived decades of abuse and, over four decades of recording, proved to be equally adept at lushly orchestrated pop tunes (You Don't Have to Say You Love Me), R & B (Son of a Preacher Man) and disco (What Have I Done to Deserve This?). The confidence she exuded on vinyl was a facade masking severe insecurities, addictions to drink and drugs, bouts of self-mutilation and fear of losing her career if exposed as a lesbian. With her towering blonde beehive hairdo, panda-eye black mascara and elaborate hand gestures, Springfield had a decade of international hits in the 1960s before moving to the U.S., where her career faltered and her demons crippled her career. By the late '70s, she was once again releasing critically acclaimed albums with lackluster sales. Her career resurrected in the late '80s when her duet with the Pet Shop Boys became a global hit. With most of her demons behind her, the singer battled cancer for the last five years of her life, dying just shy of her 60th birthday and weeks before being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although one wonders just who authorized this, as Springfield didn't participate in the writing of the book, the two authors are knowledgeable insiders (Wickham was Dusty's manager for 13 years and Valentine was a close friend and music journalist). The unvarnished portrait of a troubled, volatile and gifted singer is told with equal parts compassion and sensation. Most of Springfield's more eyebrow-raising incidents were played out of the spotlight (fans will get a first look at what went on during the "missing years" of the '70s); with this fast-paced tell-all bringing them center stage, she may soon rival Judy Garland for tragic diva status. 16 pages b&w photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

British soulstress Springfield, who died of breast cancer in 2001, survives as an indelible symbol of the 1960s. Coauthors Valentine, a reporter for the Guardian, and Wickham, Springfield's former manager, reveal the consequences of her staggering fame, which included numerous Top 40 hits, in this first biography of the singer to be published in the United States. They portray their subject as perpetually in conflict with her insecurity, homosexuality, and drug and alcohol addiction. Despite having known Springfield personally, the authors sadly reduce Springfield's titular "demons" to a series of unflattering anecdotes and a scattering of aimless quotes. The book lacks a cohesive narrative voice and skips around in time, detracting from the dramatic story of her artistry. If only Springfield were portrayed as something other than a caricature of a spoiled pop diva, the reader could have moved closer to understanding the woman behind the voice. Not recommended. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Illinois Urbana, Champaign
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Hb; 1st ed edition (August 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340766735
• ISBN-13: 978-0340766736
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,396,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very accurate...and defintely not "authorized"., October 24, 2001

By 

S. Sittig "Divawatch" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield (Hardcover)

This so called "authorized" biography reads more like the musings of 2 friends and not as a serious biography of this woman, perhaps the greatest female pop vocalist of the 20th century.

First of all, to this day it is unclear who exactly "authorized" this biography. Records show that Springfield left nothing in her will to indicate that Wickham and Valentine were in any way legally authorized to write it.

Secondly, those who knew Dusty best, including her long time friend and back up singer Simon Bell (who was with her during her final moments) and her faithful lighting designer, Fred Perry, have argued the merits of this book and have pointed out several mistakes and inconsistencies. (Perry listed over 10 pages worth of mistakes with corrections in a recent issue of the fanzine, "Dusty Springfield Bulletin" put out by Paul Howes in England.)

But you don't have to be a member of Springfield's intimate circle or even a longtime fan to spot the many glaring errors. Several songs are credited to the wrong albums and several pictures have the wrong captions. Events and names are created that never happened or existed and dates are all mixed up.

This is shoddy work and no serious fan of Springfield's would be able to recommend it as anything more than just the vague recollections of 2 friends of the great singer.

Perhaps the biggest diservice the book pays to Springfield is that it focuses on her personal life (which was certainly ripe for tabloid fodder) and misses out on accurately and seriously cataloguing her extensive contributions to the world of pop music as both a producer and performer.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely NOT definitive!, July 16, 2006

By 

Booklover "LA" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield (Hardcover)

I have no idea how the word "Authorized" got into the subtitle. While it's entirely possible the two writers knew Dusty and were part of her intimate circle, they absolutely dropped the ball on this one. I have no doubt that her life was as troubled as they claim, but I'm furious that the so-called biographers often decided to go all "coy" on us. Why not name Dusty's lovers? Instead they use pseudonyms along with tantalizing descriptions. This perpetuates the stereotype that being a lesbian is embarrassing. Also, they'll make a statement saying that one song was probably the worst cover ever recorded in the history of the world -- and then not name the song! What is wrong with these people!? I hope to God that with the renewed interest in Dusty -- and let's face it, she is and will always be a legend, no matter how troubled her life may have been -- a truly definitive book will come out that will be straightforward and real. This one isn't it--though I wish it were.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only a slice of who Dusty was, February 26, 2002

By 

Linda Bowden (Northampton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield (Hardcover)

Dancing with Demons is best read only after you read Lucy O'Brien's exceptional biography on Dusty Springfield that came out in 1988. That book is called "Dusty" and has only been published in England. What a shame because it has extensive quotes by Dusty about her life and appreciates her journey as an artist and human being that is virtually missing from this book.
Vicki Wickham knew Dusty well in a professional sense, but seems devoid of the love a friend would express in trying to understand Springfield's life. She does Dusty Springfield such a deservice by concentrating on the human failings we all have. Dusty was a very intelligent, complicated woman and a very private woman, who would have found this book an insult to her contribution to musical history and to her personal struggles. it is not a worthless book, just lacking in comprehension and also has factual inaccuracies, what songs were on which album,etc., which makes one feel that this was a sloppy effort for commercial gain primarily.