Papa John: An Autobiography
by John Phillips
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Book Summary Information
Author: John PhillipsCollaborator: Jim Jerome
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1986-01-01
ISBN: 0385231202
Number of pages: 444
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Book Reviews of Papa John: An Autobiography
Book Review: A Little TMI
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading Michelle Phillips's marshmallow memoir, "California Dreamin'," I knew there must be more to the story of the Mamas and the Papas. So I sought out her ex-husband's. At more than two-and-a-half times the length, "Papa John" did not disappoint. It contained all of the sordid details that Michelle chose to omit, and then some. In fact, it was a little TMI (too much information) for my taste.
John seemed to be writing this comprehensive tome with his own mortality in mind, wanting to document for posterity every detail of his life. The book covers his ancestry, his childhood and family, his escapades as a young man, his first marriage, meeting Michelle, forming the Mamas and the Papas, his subsequent career and third marriage, and his ugly descent into drug abuse. Not surprisingly, I found that the most interesting part of the story began and ended with Michelle.
On the plus side, John includes interesting recollections of the Mamas and the Papas, and throws in a few shocking revelations about other celebrities as well. More importantly, he gives us a historical, inside account of one of the most vibrant and creative periods in popular culture: the beginnings of L.A.'s pop-rock music scene in the Sixties.
The later chapters, which deal primarily with his (and his children's) heavy drug taking, were written in painstaking, tedious, and often disturbing detail. Perhaps putting it all down for the record was therapeutic for John, or perhaps he was attempting to discourage others from going down the same path. Either way, they were at times so repulsive that I had to skim through much of them.
Given their three short years together, the Mamas and the Papas may have been a flash in the pan, but oh, what a brilliant flash they were. Their leader John Phillips was a charismatic and creative musical genius who sadly succumbed to the excesses of living large. "Papa John" is a tell-all memoir which leaves no stone unturned, no question unanswered. Except perhaps, "Why do creativity and self-destruction seem to go hand-in-hand?"
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