Sheryl Crow: No Fool to This Game (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Akira Kurosawa's 1950 cinematic classic, Rashomon, centers on the alleged rape of a woman and the murder of her husband in ancient Japan, as described..." (more)
Key Phrases: hacking vocals, tribute album, movie soundtrack, Sheryl Crow, Bill Bottrell, David Anderle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the surface, this first, full Crow biography is a straightforward story about the pop star's rise to fame. Buskin claims he isn't out for dirt: he often praises the singer's determination and talent and provides excuses for her morally questionable behavior. Early on, he laments that Crow, her family and manager declined to be interviewed. Buskin tracks Crow's career from her beginnings as a sorority girl singing in a cover band to the release of her most recent album, C'mon, C'mon. By juxtaposing Crow's published interviews, videos and recordings with interviews with her friends and colleagues, past and present, Buskin creates a compelling and occasionally dirty portrait. Hardworking, a fast learner and a master of self-promotion, Crow eventually made her way to Los Angeles, determined to land a record deal. Buskin alludes to the fact that Crow had a knack for dating men who could (and often did) help her attain her next goal. The bio turns Faustian after Crow's debut, recorded for an estimated half-million dollars, was deemed a failure and shelved. Crow was given a second chance, but this time record executives decided that the former cheerleader and Michael Jackson backup singer would be promoted as a folksy singer-songwriter. Author of more than a dozen pulpy bios (including bestseller Princess Diana: Her Life Story), Buskin goes beyond his subject-whose tremendous drive and work ethic he admires-to offer a fascinating and somewhat disheartening example of the branding and marketing of pop stars.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Compelling ... a fascinating and somewhat disheartening example of the branding and marketing of pop stars."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823084329
• ISBN-13: 978-0823084326
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #877,159 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind the Music......, April 7, 2003

By	Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It's fascinating reading about how my favorite Sheryl Crow songs were birthed into existence. That was my favorite part of the book and Mr. Buskin did a superb job of detailing the history of all of her songs. This is a gripping story of Ms. Crow's rise to fame via determination, hard work and a single-minded ambition to succeed. I came away applauding her tenacity, her talent and her sheer will to survive in the dog-eat-dog music business. If you enjoy Sheryl Crow's music then this book is a must-read for you. You'll come away feeling as if you know her and her music in a deeper way. I highly recommend this well-written book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not too much to expect..., April 1, 2005

By	Crodeste "desperatemusic" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This book is very enjoyable - up until the part dealing with Tuesday Night Music Club. This part easily takes up 2/3 of the book. It also becomes over-informative about the album and its making - there's so many little remarks and infos that really aren't that interesting about the album, and make reading that section tedious.

Everything else in the book relating to the other albums is basically short mentions of them, compared to the TNMC section. Don't expect to learn anything much about the follow-up albums.

In short, I wanted a bio of Sheryl Crow, not a long-winded overdone account of how TNMC was made.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great effort especially given his limitations, August 3, 2003

By A Customer

Hope that Mr. Buskin gets an opportunity to write an authorized biography of Ms. Crow. In the introduction, he freely acknowledges that neither she, her family nor her management would speak to him. In spite of this, his book seems to present a pretty balanced account of her career and avoids being sleazy. He provides terrific insight into the record industry and how records and stars are made. Still, I would like to read "the rest of the story...," to hear more from Ms. Crow and her family. Would recommend to book to anyone interested in Ms. Crow and her career.