The novel “Daisy Jones and The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid was published in 2019. This year, a television series was released, following the same story as the book and with an entire album accompanying it. Having visuals and true music connected to these characters has brought a whole other level of depth to the story.
The book and the Amazon Prime Video series “Daisy Jones and The Six” follow interviews with a fictional band in the 1970s that abruptly broke up after becoming one of the most prominent bands in the country. Daisy Jones (played by Riley Keough) is a redhead mess who holds huge talent. Daisy and Billy Dunne (played by Sam Claflin) are a large focal point because Billy is a father and is married at the time Daisy joins, but they still have a connection.
The other members are Graham Dunne (played by Will Harrison) on guitar, Eddie Roundtree (played by Josh Whitehouse) on bass, Warner Rhodes (played by Sebastian Chacon) on drums and Karen Sirko (played by Suki Waterhouse) on keyboards. Daisy Jones and The Six was a roaring rock band and now 40 years later– 20 years in the show– they are sitting down to reflect on what exactly went down. The story is perfect for music lovers, as it discusses lyrics and songwriting techniques while demonstrating love, loss, drugs and the complications of true connections.
Each song depicts a new chapter in Daisy and Billy’s relationship and their life struggles. Some lyrics are about true love and others are about despair and hardships. One of the first songs to be released and one of the first songs to be somewhat created by the group was “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb).”
This song is what set The Six up for success, and it brought Daisy into the band. In the novel, the lyrics of the book are written, but adding all the real musical aspects created another layer. I loved watching the performances of the songs after reading what the band members were thinking in the book. The songs allow people to see and hear the connections among the characters and how important this life is to them.
This book, movie and album created a multi-depth story that feels real. When writing the book, Reid was loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac, particularly the romance of its two leads, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. This inspiration correlates to the positive and negative draw that Billy and Daisy have toward each other and how visible it is on stage. The music also reflects one another and Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman” even plays at the beginning of episode nine. Having a whole entertainment sector about the music life of the 1970s and having it feel so real is truly mesmerizing. It is a fictional story, but all of the pieces of the story and how the novel was written bring you back in time.
The story isn’t just about Daisy and Billy. Billy’s wife, Camila Alvarez (played by Camila Morrone), is a character that stands out because despite repeatedly getting hurt, she continues to stay where she is and be an amazing mother. This isn’t done through weakness, but is rather done through strength.
Karen, Graham, Eddie and Warner have their own issues (some with each other), but every character brings forth a different personality and challenge as they deal with friendship, jealousy and love.
What makes “Daisy Jones and The Six” so unique is that readers, watchers and listeners can participate. I loved reading the lyrics and making up tunes in my head while reading the book, and I was mesmerized to feel the passion and true talent in the album when it came out. I also enjoyed seeing the characters after I had a vision of what they would look like. This entire story leads up to a beautiful finish and I loved experiencing it in multiple ways.
Kyra Dapore is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kyra know by emailing her at kd364521@ohio.edu.
