Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny
(Adobe EPUB eBook, OverDrive Read)
From Chic to Daft Punk, Nile Rodgers is the creative force behind some of the biggest hits ever recorded. Here is the story of how global pop's greatest genius transformed his own dramatic life into the brilliantly joyful playlist of a generation.
You will hear a Nile Rodgers song today. It will make you happy. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nile Rodgers wrote and produced the songs that defined the era and everything that came after: "Le Freak," "Good Times," "We Are Family," "Like a Virgin," "Let's Dance," "I'm Coming Out," "Rapper's Delight"—and worked with every influential pop star to create a string of enduring hits, from Diana Ross and Madonna to Duran Duran and David Bowie. Even today, he is still musically relevant: writing and performing record-breaking hits like "Get Lucky" with Daft Punk and Pharrell. But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. From jamming with Jimi Hendrix in a Greenwich Village haze to the decadence of the disco era to witnessing the birth of Madonna on the Danceteria dance floor, Le Freak traces one of the greatest musical journeys of our time.
Praise for Le Freak
"[An] amazing memoir . . . steeped in the incestuous energy of the times: Punk, funk and art rock mixed it up in the downtown clubs, where musicians partied together and shared ideas. . . . Le Freak has plenty of sex and drugs. But it's the music that makes it essential. . . . Rodgers gave those dreams a beat—and helped invent pop as we know it today."—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
"This book is an absolute knockout: exhilarating, warm, and courageous, deeply moving and deeply funny. Le Freak is as much about the greatness of life as it is about Nile Rodgers's extraordinary musical journey. As Rodgers well knows, the best music is the stuff we feel, the stuff that speaks to us and won't let go. Le Freak does all that and much more. This is truly one of the best books ever written about art, music, life, and the way we grow to be exactly who we are. Actually, one of the best books period."—Cameron Crowe
"A coming-of-age tale every bit as impressive as the musical insights and star-time chronicles that follow."—The New York Times Book Review
"Consistently entertaining . . . His legacy as a funk-rock visionary is assured, and his autobiography serves as further proof that disco does not suck."—San Francisco Chronicle
"An unforgettable, gripping book."—The Sunday Times (UK)
"Name a star and you can bet they're in this book, playing or partying with Rodgers. But far from being a succession of name-dropping anecdotes, this autobiography is a wonderfully funny, moving and wise reflection upon the important things in life: the people you love and the things you create."—The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
"Rodgers's page-turning memoir is packed with emotionally charged vignettes of a tumultuous childhood and equally dramatic adulthood that found him awash in cash, cars, and celebrities. . . . His storytelling skills propel the reader through the book, making the ending all the more jarring. Remarkable for its candor, this rags-to-riches story is on the year's shortlist of celebrity memoirs."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the Hardcover edition.
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Nile Rodgers. (2011). Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. Random House Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Nile Rodgers. 2011. Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. Random House Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Nile Rodgers, Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. Random House Publishing Group, 2011.
MLA Citation (style guide)Nile Rodgers. Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. Random House Publishing Group, 2011.
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- NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 10 ROCK MEMOIRS OF ALL TIME BY ROLLING STONE
From Chic to Daft Punk, Nile Rodgers is the creative force behind some of the biggest hits ever recorded. Here is the story of how global pop's greatest genius transformed his own dramatic life into the brilliantly joyful playlist of a generation.
You will hear a Nile Rodgers song today. It will make you happy. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nile Rodgers wrote and produced the songs that defined the era and everything that came after: "Le Freak," "Good Times," "We Are Family," "Like a Virgin," "Let's Dance," "I'm Coming Out," "Rapper's Delight"—and worked with every influential pop star to create a string of enduring hits, from Diana Ross and Madonna to Duran Duran and David Bowie. Even today, he is still musically relevant: writing and performing record-breaking hits like "Get Lucky" with Daft Punk and Pharrell. But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. From jamming with Jimi Hendrix in a Greenwich Village haze to the decadence of the disco era to witnessing the birth of Madonna on the Danceteria dance floor, Le Freak traces one of the greatest musical journeys of our time.
Praise for Le Freak
"[An] amazing memoir . . . steeped in the incestuous energy of the times: Punk, funk and art rock mixed it up in the downtown clubs, where musicians partied together and shared ideas. . . . Le Freak has plenty of sex and drugs. But it's the music that makes it essential. . . . Rodgers gave those dreams a beat—and helped invent pop as we know it today."—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
"This book is an absolute knockout: exhilarating, warm, and courageous, deeply moving and deeply funny. Le Freak is as much about the greatness of life as it is about Nile Rodgers's extraordinary musical journey. As Rodgers well knows, the best music is the stuff we feel, the stuff that speaks to us and won't let go. Le Freak does all that and much more. This is truly one of the best books ever written about art, music, life, and the way we grow to be exactly who we are. Actually, one of the best books period."—Cameron Crowe
"A coming-of-age tale every bit as impressive as the musical insights and star-time chronicles that follow."—The New York Times Book Review
"Consistently entertaining . . . His legacy as a funk-rock visionary is assured, and his autobiography serves as further proof that disco does not suck."—San Francisco Chronicle
"An unforgettable, gripping book."—The Sunday Times (UK)
"Name a star and you can bet they're in this book, playing or partying with Rodgers. But far from being a succession of name-dropping anecdotes, this autobiography is a wonderfully funny, moving and wise reflection upon the important things in life: the people you love and the things you create."—The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
"Rodgers's page-turning memoir is packed with emotionally charged vignettes of a tumultuous childhood and equally dramatic adulthood that found him awash in cash, cars, and celebrities. . . . His storytelling skills propel the reader through the book, making the ending all the more jarring. Remarkable for its candor, this rags-to-riches story is on the year's shortlist of celebrity memoirs."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the Hardcover edition. - reviews
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"[An] amazing memoir . . . steeped in the incestuous energy of the times: Punk, funk and art rock mixed it up in the downtown clubs, where musicians partied together and shared ideas. . . . Le Freak has plenty of sex and drugs. But it's the music that makes it essential. . . . Rodgers gave those dreams a beat--and helped invent pop as we know it today."--Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone "This book is an absolute knockout: exhilarating, warm, and courageous, deeply moving and deeply funny. Le Freak is as much about the greatness of life as it is about Nile Rodgers's extraordinary musical journey. As Rodgers well knows, the best music is the stuff we feel, the stuff that speaks to us and won't let go. Le Freak does all that and much more. This is truly one of the best books ever written about art, music, life, and the way we grow to be exactly who we are. Actually, one of the best books period."
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- source: The Sunday Times (UK)
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- premium: False
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Starred review from October 3, 2011
Rodgers's page-turning memoir is packed with emotionally charged vignettes of a tumultuous childhood and equally dramatic adulthood that found him awash in cash, cars, and celebrities. Raised and surrounded by junkies and alcoholics, Rodgers was literally shuffled from coast to coast and relative to relative during his formative years. Music was his salvation, and he pursued it with vigor, playing whenever and wherever he could. Those skills would eventually lead him to working with some of the biggest names in music (Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Madonna), as well as creating his band Chic, with which he had massive hits, such as "Le Freak." Sadly, however, the combination of success and drugs and alcohol spiraled out of control. While the story of velvet ropes and addiction is a common one, Rodgers's version emphasizes the arc of his life, rather than relying on salacious details or name-dropping to provide a narrative. His storytelling skills propel the reader through the book, making the ending all the more jarring. Remarkable for its candor, this rags-to-riches story is on the year's shortlist of celebrity memoirs.
- premium: True
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October 1, 2011
One of the heaviest figures from an unjustly maligned musical era tells all, and tells it well. Casual music fans may not recognize Rodgers' name, but they will definitely recognize his music: The producer/composer/arranger/guitarist's fingerprint is all over such smashes as Madonna's "Like a Virgin," the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out." But what launched and ultimately made Rodgers' career was his work with his band Chic, most notably on the disco classic "Le Freak." His heavy discography alone would merit a memoir, but add a dash of family drama, a dose of drug addiction, a bird's-eye view of the music industry, and the result is a book that will appeal to both music aficionados and casual fans. Rodgers is enthusiastic, honest and charming, and he has a reverence for the artists who came before him; he discusses the Chitlin' Circuit with as much authority as he does Studio 54. The author also provides an insider's look at the disco world unlike any that has been offered before, if only because he was coming at it from all angles--he was both in the scene and of the scene. The book should appeal to readers interested in music, the '70s, survival and triumph. In his energetic memoir, Rodgers, as was almost always the case with his songs, brings the funk.(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
- premium: True
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May 1, 2011
A musician, composer, arranger, and producer, Rodgers has sold millions of albums and hung out with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, the B52s, and Laurie Anderson. So this memoir promises to be good and juicy. A real insider's account from the guy responsible for "Like a Virgin"; buy wherever pop music books move.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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You will hear a Nile Rodgers song today. It will make you happy.
Today's pop music--genre-crossing, gender-bending, racially mixed, visually stylish, and dominated by dance music with global appeal--is the world that Nile Rodgers created. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote and produced the songs that defined that era and everything that came after: "Le Freak," "Good Times," "We Are Family," "Like a Virgin," "Modern Love," "I'm Coming Out," "The Reflex," "Rapper's Delight." Aside from his own band, Chic, he worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Madonna to David Bowie and Duran Duran (not to mention Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Depeche Mode, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, Bryan Ferry, INXS, and the B-52's), transforming their music, selling millions of records, and redefining what a pop song could be.
But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. He...- sortTitle
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