Yes, dear reader, I like to read biographies. It came as a surprise when I faced my list of "the books that I had read" and found so many celebrity biographies - it embarrassed me for a while and I kept this under a check for some time, but recently I decided to allow myself this guilty pleasure because frankly, I am really working so hard and lacking anything that makes me happy - places that I sail trough are mostly monotonous + its one hard working week after another, so I said to myself "you only live once, you might as well give yourself a pleasure of reading as many trashy biographies as you want". That Stephen King traumatised me so much that I went to completely opposite direction and treated myself with biographies of Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Julie Andrews and now Cher. So what. I will read serious classics another time.
My first ever introduction to Cher was some time in early 1980s - strange that for a celebrity famous for her looks, I have actually heard her voice first and it was on a Meat Loaf duet "Dead ringer for love". I had no idea what she looked like but her voice was great, full of attitude and passion. This was just before she became famous again, trough movies and later trough music again - I vaguely remember her voice from my childhood but it was in 1980s when I thought she was fascinating and really liked her. I followed more or less everything about her and know her discography, films and had even read her own book. To be honest, I didn't expect Mark Bego will unearth anything new that I have not read elsewhere - her story is well-known and it is a career that had so many ups and downs that just reading about it induces vertigo.
Bego focuses his attention to very detailed description of Cher's discography, movies, lovers and public image but as usual, he refrains from any conclusions of what motivates her to continue decade after decade - is she a beautiful survivor or simply attention seeking media manipulator? For a person always quick to point that she was never taken seriously, it must be noted that her fame was mostly based on revealing & outrageous outfits and singles tailored for pop market. Which, when looking back at decades of public undressing, shows career that was neither mature or dignified - she succeeded in crossing over from music to TV and movies, but kept fanning the flames with showing off tattoos on her backside. When it comes down to it, Cher comes across as someone who simultaneously provokes and complains about why people are provoked. Maybe I see it slightly differently now from perspective of accumulated years & experience, where earlier I thought she was fascinating, now I started to think well, she never truly went the serious artist route in the first place - her main weapon trough the years were glitzy TV shows, Las Vegas, gowns and hairstyles - thanks to faithful audience and cult following she continued to work ever since early 1960s but this biography never even dares to question what is her reason to continue or is it constant pursue for another hit all there is for her? She must have gained some financial security long ago so I doubt she is in dire need - at this point Cher is pushing 70 and still stripping on Las Vegas stage, however this book provides no answers, it mainly lists her public appearances and outfits.
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