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Books > Biography > Film, television, music, theatre
The star of Marvel's first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a lifetime. In this honest, inspiring and relatable memoir, Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with wit and humour. As a child, Simu's parents left him in the care of his grandparents, bringing him to Canada when he was four. However, Simu soon senses that his new guardians lack the gentle touch of his grandparents, resulting in harsh words and hurt feelings between him and his parents, who find their son emotionally distant and difficult to relate to. Although they are related by blood, they are separated by culture, language, and values. As Simu grows up, he plays the part of the pious child flawlessly - he gets straight As, performs exceptionally in national math competitions and makes his parents proud. However, as time passes, he grows increasingly disillusioned with the path that has been laid out for him. Less than a year out of University, he is fired from his first job and hits rock bottom. He develops a determination centred around creating his own path. This leads him to not only succeeding as an actor, but also opens the door to reconciling with his parents. We Were Dreamers is a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstance.
A singer once said "His pitch was right on the nose: his word
enunciation letter perfect: his understanding of a song thorough.
He will be missed very much, not only by myself, but by his fans
all over the world." The singer was the legendary Frank Sinatra,
the man he spoke about: Matt Monro.
The Moog synthesizer "bent the course of music forever" Rolling Stone declared. Bob Moog, the man who did that bending, was a lovable geek with Einstein hair and pocket protectors. He walked into history in 1964 when his homemade contraption unexpectedly became a sensation--suddenly everyone wanted a Moog. The Beatles, The Doors, The Byrds, and Stevie Wonder discovered his synthesizer, and it came to be featured in seminal film scores including Apocalypse Now and A Clockwork Orange. The Moog's game-changing sounds saturated 60's counterculture and burst into the disco party in the 70's to set off the electronic dance music movement. Bob had singlehandedly founded the synth industry and become a star in the process. But he was also going broke. Imitators copied his technology, the musicians' union accused him of replacing live players, and Japanese competitors started overtaking his work. He struggled to hang on to his inventions, his business, and his very name. Bob's story upends our notions of success and wealth, showing that the two don't always go together. In Switched On, author Albert Glinsky draws on exclusive access to Bob Moog's personal archives and his probing interviews with Bob's family and a multitude of associates, for this first complete biography of the man and his work. Switched On takes the reader on a roller coaster ride at turns triumphant, heart-breaking, and frequently laugh out loud absurd--a nuanced trip through the public and private worlds of this legendary inventor who altered the course of music.
Fifteen years in the making, "860 glittering pages" ("The New York
Times"), the first volume of the astonishing life of Barbara
Sanwyck--one of our greatest screen actresses--explores her
extraordinary range of eighty-eight motion pictures, her work, her
world, and her Hollywood through an American century.
A guide to the music and multifaceted career of Canadian artists and songwriters Tegan and Sara. Through interviews with Tegan and Sara, their collaborators, journalists, and fans, this book explores the multifaceted career of one of music's most celebrated sister duos, from their start as Neil Young's proteges to Canadian indie-rock purveyors and, making their riskiest transformation yet, into mainstream pop breakouts. Coming up as grunge-loving musicians in the late '90s and early 2000s, Tegan and Sara found themselves awkwardly pushed into categories that didn't quite fit: a novelty twin sister folk act when they wanted to be taken seriously; pop when they wanted to be indie rock; and sellouts when they finally made their bid for mainstream success. As young, queer musicians who didn't see anyone else like themselves growing up (in a time where Internet access hadn't yet formed global spaces and communities for LGBTQ+ people), Tegan and Sara's path to pop stardom was filled with familiar hurdles, but no clear instructions on how to navigate things like homophobic press, niche queer audiences that wanted to claim them, or sexism at every turn. It's a journey with ups and downs, but Tegan and Sara's perseverance-alongside a music industry and journalism world that's had to learn to confront its own biases-has helped create a musical world today that more readily accepts and embraces queer voices. Featuring continuous sonic transformations, Tegan and Sara's story is essential to Canadian music history.
A monumental oral biography filled with raucous joy, aching loss and terrible poignancy, Elvis & the Memphis Mafia is the first book to capture the King - the man and the phenomenon - in his full complexity. Through revealing interviews with three of Elvis' s closest friends, who were also his protectors and rescuers, Nash achieves the first true mapping of Elvis' s psyche. Billy Smith - Elvis' s first cousin and the person he reputedly loved most after his own mother - Marty Lacker - best man at his wedding and foreman of the ' Memphis Mafia' , the King' s handpicked group of gatekeepers and confidants - and Lamar Fike - the touring crew member who accompanied him into the Army - were with Elvis from his teens to his final days and provide unique access to the greatest of all rock and roll legends. The revelations cut through every aspect of Elvis' s life, from the childhood seeds of his drug dependency, through his fear for his mother' s life and his plan to change his identity, to his bizarre self-mutilation. No one who reads this symphonic blending of three proud, ribald, sad and ultimately wistful voices can fail to be profoundly moved.
Harry Redknapp is a well known and highly respected face in the world of football. But it wasn't until his stint in the I'm A Celebrity Jungle in 2018 that he was propelled into a whole new audience along with his loyal wife of 55 years, Sandra. Viewers instantly fell in love with the couple after Harry regaled tales of their meeting in the Two Puddings pub in Barking, London in 1963. And there was even a new found love for the classic jam roly-poly as Harry fondly revealed it was the dessert she always cooks for him! Now, Sandra is joining Harry in the spotlight as they share their entire love story for the very first time. From their low key wedding, to the births of their two sons Mark and Jamie, Harry and Sandra will reveal the highs and lows of their marriage in their first ever joint autobiography, When Harry Met Sandra. Sandra will open up for the first time about the devastating death of her beloved sister, Pat, mum to former Chelsea star Frank, and the horror car crash that left Harry feared dead in Italy in 1990. The couple will also candidly discuss the deep depression Harry felt as a footballer manager, his arrest for alleged tax evasion in 2006 and the moment Harry accidentally ran his wife over in his car, crushing her foot - with Sandra being his rock throughout. In happier times, Harry and Sandra will recall their time spent living in America with the late, great Bobby Moore, as well as the births of their much loved grandchildren, including former footballer Jamie's son, Raphael, who was born last November. The couple will also look ahead to next year, which marks 60 years since they first met. When Harry Met Sandra is an incredible tale of love, loss and loyalty.
Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Throughout the eighties they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their classic songs - 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Money for Nothing', 'Brothers In Arms' - formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. In My Life in Dire Straits, John Illsley - founder member, bassist and mainstay - evokes the spirit of the times and tells the story of one of the great live acts of rock history. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he recounts the band's rise from humble origins in London's spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working man's clubs to Madison Square Garden, gigging with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley. Until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll. John's story is also a tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band's lead singer, songwriter and gifted guitarist - the only band members to stay the fifteen-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.
From the platinum selling recording artist and New York Times bestselling author of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane comes THE GUCCI MANE GUIDE TO GREATNESS - an unprecedented look at Gucci Mane's secrets to success, health, wealth and self-improvement. From Gucci: 'I live by the principles in this book. I wanted to write this book to give you a tool set. This book should touch people who are going through something. It's not going to be easy. But study these words, and put them into action. I want this book to keep you motivated. I want you to keep coming back to it for guidance and inspiration. You can put it on your shelf and keep going to TheGucci Mane Guide to Greatness. This book is a challenge. Don't underestimate yourself. Don't think that what you're saying is not important. Don't think you can't achieve the impossible. Everyone needs some game, so here it is. TheGucci Mane Guide to Greatness is for the world. Enjoy.' In this inspiring follow-up to his iconic memoir, Gucci Mane gifts us with his playbook for living your best life. Packed with stunning photographs, The Gucci Mane Guide to Greatness distils the legend's timeless wisdom into a one-of-a-kind motivational guidebook. Gucci Mane emerged transformed after a turbulent life of violence, crime and addiction to become a dazzling embodiment of the power of positivity, focus and hard work. Using examples from his life of unparalleled success, Gucci Mane looks inwards and upwards to offer his blueprint for greatness. A must-read for anyone with big ambitions and bigger dreams.
Come round to Louis Theroux's house where the much-loved TV documentary-maker, podcaster and bestselling author of Gotta Get Theroux This finds himself in unexpected danger . . . Like millions of others, Louis' plans were mothballed by the onset of Covid. Unable to escape to the porn sets, prisons and maximum-security psychiatric units that are his usual journalistic beat, he began reporting on a location even more full of pitfalls and hostile objects of inquiry: his own home during a pandemic. Theroux the Keyhole is an honest, hilarious and ultimately heartwarming diary of the weirdness of family life in Covid World. A wife intolerant of his obsession with Joe Wicks' daily workouts. Two teenage sons, inseparable from their videogames, for whom he is increasingly 'cringe'. A five-year-old happily spamming out videos on his own new TikTok account while on holiday with his oblivious family. Louis also describes how he launches his podcast, Grounded, finally gets to the US to film a new Joe Exotic documentary and aims his sights on the latest incarnation of the far right in a world becoming radicalized by social media. Theroux the Keyhole is Louis at his insightful best, as he faces unforeseen new challenges and wonders why it took a pandemic for him to learn that what really matters in life is right in front of him.
Hugh Bonneville is one of Britain's most accomplished actors, whose credits include Downton Abbey, W1A and the Paddington films. 'I don't remember when I last read a book that gave me so many laughs' Christina Patterson, Sunday Times 'Tremendously entertaining' Rachel Cooke, Observer 'A writer of considerable urbanity and wit' Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph 'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love Hugh even more' Woman & Home 'Deliciously witty' Celia Imrie 'Utterly charming' Jack Whitehall 'A great read' Graham Norton 'Beautiful. Touching. And funny' Gary Oldman Hugh Bonneville is one of Britain's most accomplished actors, familiar to audiences worldwide for his roles in Notting Hill, the Paddington films and Downton Abbey. From getting his big break as Third Shepherd in the school nativity play, to mistaking a Hollywood star for an estate agent, Hugh creates a brilliantly vivid picture of a career on stage and screen. What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, or playing Robert de Niro's right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice? A wickedly funny storyteller, Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father's dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor.
The only book Michael Jackson ever wrote about his life It chronicles his humble beginnings in the Midwest, his early days with the Jackson 5, and his unprecedented solo success. Giving unrivalled insight into the King of Pop's life, it details his songwriting process for hits like Beat It, Rock With You, Billie Jean, and We Are the World; describes how he developed his signature dance style, including the Moon Walk; and opens the door to his very private personal relationships with his family, including sister Janet, and stars like Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Marlon Brando, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, and Brooke Shields. At the time of its original publication in 1988, MOONWALK broke the fiercely guarded barrier of silence that surrounded Michael Jackson. Candidly and courageously, Jackson talks openly about his wholly exceptional career and the crushing isolation of his fame, as well as the unfair rumours that have surrounded it. MOONWALK is illustrated with rare photographs from Jackson family albums and Michael's personal photographic archives, as well as a drawing done by Michael exclusively for the book. It reveals and celebrates, as no other book can, the life of this exceptional and beloved musician.
This is a fascinating collection on the life and times of Brenda Fassie, which includes a Foreword by Hugh Masekela and contributions from people who knew Brenda in both professional and personal capacities. It is being published in the year of the tenth anniversary of her death and is intended as both a tribute and to give fresh insight into Africa's biggest pop star. The collection includes reminiscences, criticism, elegies, essays and appreciation by friends, ex-lovers, critics, poets, academics and musicians, reflecting the endless and boundary-crossing legacy of Brenda Fassie. Funny, crazy, poignant, insightful and tragic, I'm Not Your Weekend Special traces the highs and lows of Brenda Fassie's life, celebrating the significance of this South African icon.
Coco Chanel is arguably the most significant influence on women's fashion in the twentieth century, a key designer to not only have captured a moment in fashion history, but to have shaped the fashion landscape in years to come. Coco's World is a compilation of Megan Hess' stunning illustrations of the 100 most quintessential moments through Chanel's history, from Coco's incredible life, to the impact of Karl Lagerfeld as creative director of the brand, and the incredible items that have become fashion icons the little black dress, the classic tweed jacket, the luxurious bags, alluring jewellery and, of course, the renowned Chanel No. 5 perfume. Interspersed with anecdotes and famous quotes from Coco herself, Karl Lagerfeld and other key fashion icons, this book is an elegant and immersive celebration of the moments that shaped Coco and the iconic Chanel brand.
Creative genius, war artist, adventurer, lover. These are just some of the words that can be used to describe Aberdeenshire-born painter and printmaker James McBey (1883-1959). McBey was a Scottish superstar amongst the creative spirits that fuelled the Etching Revival of the late nineteenth century and Etching Boom of the early twentieth century, and in an historical context, was the acknowledged heir to Whistler and Rembrandt. But after his death in Tangier, Morocco, in 1959, his renown as one of Britain's most accomplished artists - who took the art world by storm - faded from public consciousness. Born illegitimately in the tiny parish of Foveran, Aberdeenshire, in the late Victorian era, he was brought up by his blind mother and elderly grandmother amid the rigid Presbyterian confines of Scotland's north-east. Tragedy, dreary work as a bank clerk and a craving for success on his own terms all precipitated his leaving Aberdeen to live the life of an artist in London where he quickly became one of the most-talked about creatives of his generation. At the heart of this biography - the first ever to be published on McBey - is his time as a war artist in the Middle East during the Great War - where he would meet and paint T. E. Lawrence - his many love affairs, marriage to the beautiful American, Marguerite Loeb, and his enduring passion for Morocco. Drawing on his many diaries and letters and artistic creations, this is the story of one man who - clever, kind, intrepid, dashing, insecure and flawed - triumphed against the odds.
Born into the famous, sometimes scandalous, theatrical clan of Colley Cibber, Charlotte was an actress destined for greatness. But she rebelled, and started dressing as a man. When her father disowned her, her life became an adventure extending from the pinnacles of London society to its dangerous depths. Kathryn Shevelow captures Charlotte - an artist and a survivor - in all her guises, from her time among the leading lights of glamorous Drury Lane Theatre to her trials as a strolling player and puppeteer, to her comeback as author of one of the first autobiographies written by a woman. "Charlotte" is the captivating story of an extraordinary woman, set against the rich tapestry of London's colorful theatre world, its history and savage political battles. |
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