CULTURE SERIES ‘DAISY JONES & THE SIX’ BRILLIANTLY BRINGS THE NOVEL TO LIFE

Experience the music culture of the 70s in this new Amazon Prime series

Hanalei Potempa | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Based on the bestselling book by Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Amazon Prime released the final episodes of the series “Daisy Jones & The Six,” on March 21.

With series adapted from books, it’s always a tough act to follow for actors and directors, especially when the book has such a powerful fandom like this one does. But the trailer offered the highest of hopes for fans looking to experience one of their favorite books for the first time again on the screen.

Shockingly, the series brilliantly depicts the aesthetic of the book, as many fans of the novel became obsessed with the teaser and trailer that were released before any of the episodes, many claiming that the setting and characters looked just the way they had pictured.

As one of the many fans that were shocked by the wonderful depictions in the trailer, I was anxiously awaiting this release, watching the episodes as they came out every Friday since March 3. But now, all of the episodes are available to binge, and it’s totally worth the watch.

The story follows a band in the 70s and their journey from practicing in their hometown garage to becoming a hit in the music industry and touring the nation to perform in sold out venues.

Filmed in an interview and flashback format to mirror the structure of the book, the audience meets the characters through real-time interviews decades after the bands rise to stardom.

Most of the story takes place in flashbacks, with occasional takes to the present day as the characters reflect on this time in their lives. A lot about the band changes throughout the story including the band members, music genre, style of songwriting and even the name of the band.

The original band, “The Dunne Brothers,” later developed into “The Six,” and finally, when the famous solo singer Daisy

Jones joined the band, it became “Daisy Jones & The Six.”

The final band we know and love includes brothers Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) and Graham Dunne (Will Harrison), Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse), Warren Rojas (Sebastio Chacon), Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), Billy Dunne’s wife Camila Dunne (Camila Morrone) and of course Daisy Jones (Riley Keough.)

I was thoroughly impressed with every actor’s ability to portray each character, as the actors brilliantly brought these literary characters to life on the screen.

The audience gets to watch as the characters’ separate storylines come together and experience all of the band drama, gaining the perspectives of every character. Behind the scenes there are a lot of romantic relationships, power struggles between band members and the chaos of the culture of partying and substance abuse that many rock stars become accustomed to.

As if the fandom couldn’t get any larger with the series and the book, a complete soundtrack of all of the songs written and performed throughout the series is available on music streaming platforms.

Not only do fans of the book get to watch one of their favorite stories play out, they also get to hear the songs that they previously had only ever read the lyrics for.

The aesthetic of the show is truly one of the elements I am most obsessed with. Each character has their own iconic 70s style, from Karen’s feminine rockstar look with leather and vests to Daisy’s classic 70s look of floral and fringe. I was captivated by all of the fashion throughout the show.

I was happy to see the plot twists from the book made its way to the end of the series as well, as it is revealed to the audience who exactly is behind these interviews.

I have to say the final episode was the best of the series. In the finale, the band makes their final performance, completely unaware that this will be their last time performing all together.

The audience gets to watch the series of events that lead to the band’s fall out, as well as get the perspectives of the characters’ present day reflections looking back on that fateful day.

I was happy to see that one of the most iconic quotes from the book, from main character Billy Dunne, made it to the film.

“Everything that made Daisy burn, made me burn. Everything I loved about the world, Daisy loved about the world. Everything I struggled with, Daisy struggled with. We were two halves. We were the same. In that way you’re only the same with a few other people.”

I highly recommend this series to anyone who is interested in the music industry, Hollywood drama, or even just the era of the 70s. And if you’re already a fan of the book, the series is definitely a quality depiction of the story that will have you obsessing over these characters all over again.