There always is ...... (The First Time: Cher - Jeff Coplon)

Member Name: idodoyou

Product:	The First Time: Cher - Jeff Coplon
Date:	27/03/02 (142 review reads)
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.... A first time for everything, except, most peoples first times aren't as interesting!

Autobiographies.
Books for nosy people.
Written by people that know that nosy people are going to read them.
Read by people that know they are being nosy by reading them.
But who cares right? Not me that's for sure. I don't go through my neighbours bin, I don't keep my nose glued to the front window, and I don't gossip, I ain't nosy. But gimme a book, an autobiography, a tell tale story of warts and all about a person I like and admire, well, just call me Hilda Ogden or Betty Eggleton. I'm nosy.

Let's face it. Why do we read books hey? Well, different reasons I guess, but for me, I read to escape. And what better way to escape than to immerse yourself, myself, in the pages and life of a celeb. A well-known figure. A person with an inevitably more interesting life than mine, yours. (If it wasn't I'd, you'd, be writing my, your memoirs and publishing them instead!)

Anyway, after finishing what must have been the most futile collection of printed pages decisions had to be made. Book choosing time was upon us once again. Don't ask why, but I picked this one up. It was if some force urged me 'Cher~wards' rather than 'Fiona Walker wards'. I didn't disagree with the urge. I simply picked up the book, opened it, and began .........

First published in the US in 1998 by Simon & Schuster, Inc, the copy that has found itself in my grubby little grasp was printed in 2000 by Warner Books (a division of Little, Brown & Company).

The R.R.P on the back cover tells me that it's probably gonna relieve your purses or wallets of £7.99. A touch much for a 370 paged book ordinarily, but with this you are getting to see some great piccies, and a terrific read. I have to be honest, I didn't pay 8 squids for this book. I didn't even pay half of it. No, ladies
and gentlemen, boys and girls, I got it for a quarter of that! Yep, I managed to get my grubby little mitts on it for a mere 2 quid. Are we talking bargain or what? Of course, any body else is more than welcome to take advantage of this cut down price. Just head for Lakeside Shopping Centre (Thurrock ~ London) and the cheapy bookshop up the end near, errrr .... I've forgotten the name of the shop!! Ahh, well, its the other end to Debenhams anyway, ok? Should just mention, before hoards of bargain book hunters head that way ... I did buy it in July 2001! Failing that, head webwards and check out Amazon or some other book orientated store, doubtful that you'll pick it up for 2 quid though?

The first thing that attracts this book to me is the cover. It's not a new concept. But I like it. Chers face covers the cover! Front and back. One continued page instead of a break for the spine. It's simple, but effective. After all, the book is about her. The blurb is plentiful. It tells us exactly what we are to expect.

As in most, probably all, autobiographies, the star, or the main reason you are reading the book, has a big input in the contents of the story. However, rarely do they actually put pen to paper, or fingertip to keyboard and write the whole dialogue themselves. Such a case is evident here. I'm not doubting Chers ability to write a book. I'm going by what it says on the spine, and inside the front cover. Underneath the title, we have a by-line ..... as told to Jeff Coplom. So whether we are reading Chers words as she relayed them (and this Coplom guy was merely a human version of voice recognition?) or that Coplom is responsible for adding the extra bits, the style of the writing and all that Cher did was to provide the information is up to the individual, the reader has to decide for themselves.

Personally, I'm plumping for scenario numero uno myself. The reading is easy. This probably has a hell of a
lot to do with the fact that the style of writing is easy. So laid back. For me, it really is as if Cher is actually in front of you relaying her tales herself. On the back cover, it tells that the novel, the tales are told in her own inimitable style. And it is. Now, and you'll probably laugh at this ...... but this woman and her style of talking, her way of relaying a story reminds me of me!! Oh, g'wan on then, laugh, I don't care. But it's true. She doesn't mind laughing at herself. She has a sense of humour, and she says what she thinks. This book is totally open and honest. Of course, the cynical amongst you will say that none of the tales are true, and all made up for the content of the book. I have no reason to doubt, therefore I believe.

This book is not laid out and written as your usual bog standard autobiography. It doesn't start ..... Cherilyn Sarkisian was born .... blah, blah, blah. Its better, much more interestingly laid out. We don't start from day dot and then proceed through Chers life year by year. We flit from one age to another. I don't mean big 'flits' merely a year or two in front, or ahead, and then back again, sometimes as if she had forgotten to relay something when she was remembering the first time! Know what I mean?

We have chapters, lots of chapters.
Each chapter is titled. Each title incorporates the same information. My first ..... memory ... movie ... friends ... time my mom kicked ass for me!!
The chapters are short. Some simply a page long. There's a lot of stopping and starting.

For me, the stopping, and starting, the lack of a continuing story really made no difference at all. If anything, it made the book easier and quicker to read. Although, to be honest, the speed in which I read this had very little to do with the layout and the style of the book. It was just so bloody interesting. And I have to admit, over the years of being a Che
r fan, and reading bits of information here and there, I did have preconceived ideas of the lady. The icon. They, the majority of them were broken. I learnt a load of stuff. As I said, it was interesting.

Up until about the middle of the book, the chapters all contain, and are Chers memories. But then, out of the blue we are given a few memories from other key figures in her life. Her sister, best friend, manager, and her children all offer small but just as informative snippets of memories. Further descriptions of Chers personality. It makes a welcome change. But by saying that I don't want you to think that the book needs this change of author. It most certainly doesn't.

Throughout the book, we are treated to some piccies. Of which, the majority came from Chers own albums. There are about 6 pages of colour glossies in the middle, but the bulk is scattered throughout and is your basic black and white. As you can imagine, they aren't as good a quality as the glossies, but they are exceptable. And the chances are, unseen by the reader.

Now, here's the part in the op where I usually let you all in on the plot, the story line. But what's the point hey? The fact that the book is an autobiography should really tell you what it's about? Who it's about shouldn't it? If it doesn't, if you don't know what or who I'm going on about, what are you doing here?
I could go on to tell you about Chers life step by step, tell you all about the book? But, if I don't and you wanna know, well check out my crowned Cher op (plug plug)

But anyway, here are just a few snippets of information, extracts from the book. They either tickled my fancy, struck a chord, or made me sit up with interest .....

*Cher has only ever travelled on the New York subway once. She got lost the first time she used it, and vowed never to go on it again. She was 14 at the time.
*A week after she passed her d
riving test at the age of 16, she was driving down Hollywood Boulevard when a car drove in front of her, forcing her off the road. Instead of getting angry, she went back to the house of the crap driver and slept with him. The crap driver was Warren Beatty!
"To me he was a famous, charming movie star that I'd hang out and have sex with! This wasn't really like me, and I never did it again."
*She released her first single under the name of Bonnie Jo Mason (at Phil Spectors insistence), it was called 'Ringo, I love you'. It bombed. Her voice was so deep DJ's around the country thought it was a guy and that the singer had homosexual tendencies!!
*Before Sonny and Cher were famous, they sang backing vocals for the Righteous Brothers' 'You've Lost that Loving Feeling'.
*When she was 11 she went to the Pan~Pacific Auditorium and saw Elvis in concert. He was wearing his famous gold suit and she was jumping up and down on her chair and screaming at him. She didn't know why? But all the other girls were ~ she just joined in.
*Bruce Willis used to be a barman at Cafe Central and served Cher on a regular occasion whilst she was in New York in the theatre (before she headed for the world of movies and 'Silkwood'.
*She still signs her name the same way she did when she was twelve. She had started to practice her signature at 11 cos she knew she'd need it one day!
*"It's hard for me to explain how great I felt. I know you're not supposed to act too excited about these things. But what can I say? I'm not that cool! It was of the great nights of my life." ~ On winning her Oscar for Moonstruck.

Cher fans everywhere must read this book. They really must. I'm not sure whether you'd enjoy it much if you weren't Cher inclined though? Personally I can't think of anything more boring than reading about the life, oh say, Michael Portillo, or M
o Mowlam (would anyone?) but that's simply because I have no interest in them. Know what I mean, yeah?
Because of the layout, this book would make a great 'bag book'. Y'know, the book that you carry around to pass time on the bus, the train, in queues, or at the Doc's surgery. The end to having to break in the middle of a long complicated chapters.

Well, I reckon from the time I started to the time I finished, it took about ... in all, just 5 hours to complete this book. I really couldn't put this down. And believe me, after the last lot of printed pap I read, to want to read something is somewhat novel (scuse the pun!).
Yep, I was entertained, amused, and kept enthralled.
I did like this book.

I did.

The best bloody 2 quid I've spent in a long time..........

PUBLISHED : Warner Books
PAGES : 370
PRICE : R.R.P £7.99 (hunt around though!!)
ISBN: 0 7515 2852 8

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