Aurora

The story, the music, Daisy, Billy, Camila….. No, this is not all.

I read first the novel. It must be at least 4-5 years back. Inspired by one of the book clubs I follow now for years Reese’s Book Club, under the amazing patronage of Reese Whiterspoon. Reese’s Book Club

Funny things I remember around it- I could not let it down, I was eager to come back home to keep reading it and I must have finished it during a weekend as I can see myself sitting on my little sofa in my old home, sobbing and sobbing. Sad to end the book, overwhelmed by the power of its story telling….. what the author called it “an honest love story”. Also, quite intrigued I could not find the album Aurora on Spotify…

The craft of the story telling was so real to me. I have felt I have created the music with them. I have felt I have been with them in the studio making magic happened, I have felt I have been on tour with them, I have felt I have been Camila at times. I have then felt thorn and felt I have been Daisy hidden inside me deeply. I have also felt I met a lot of Billy’s somehow. I have felt that I have been there with them.

I would not tell you the story… my role here would be to intrigue you well enough to pick up a copy of the novel first. First things come first.

Daisy Jones & The Six

Then, only then and if you could, watch the series on Amazon Prime produced also under the umbrella of Hello Sunshine, Reese’s production company. She keeps finding amazing stories and producing either movies or mini series out of it. I could say I must take normally breaks between the reading the novels and getting to watch the movies, as they are generally strong stories. Sometimes I am not sure I want to change the visualisation I have in my mind about a book. Or simply sometimes being so overtaken by everything the book maybe mirrored in me, I simply cannot process it also visually.

What I can imagine sometimes I can forget later. What I get to see, will stay for very long time with me. And in raw honesty, I do not have this immense emotional capacity to hold all and not be affected deeply by a story. They speak to us. Or they haunt us.

I would love to share what marked me…..

I love rock&roll. I love great rock&roll bands….And I am not good with lyrics, I cannot remember most of the names, I cannot really sing, yet….deep down in my narative about myself while growing up -I would imagine myself singing my lungs out and dance. It was not a stage in my imagination, it was mostly the feeling of freedom, the feeling of expressing myself through music, the feeling of searching for an audience that might like what they are listening too. I have often saw an image of myself dressed like Daisy, rock and hippie at the same time, long dark hair though in my imagination, huge golden hoops in my ears, dark mascara and long lashes. The feeling prevailing was mostly about singing and dancing free. The looks were just something that would have helped me then to enter this character.

Question - if you would remember a character you imagined while growing up, who would that be?

I also am profoundly moved by friendships and support. Especially among women. The novel blends in these stories of friendships. The Simone and Daisy friendship. Karen and Daisy’s supporting peer, equal in music, standing by her fellow artist in a field dominated and run by men. Karen thrived while seeing Daisy thrive as the lead singer of the band and taking the band to new heights. The Camila and Daisy big big intertwined story of family ownership, having a vision of the future and holding onto it, selfless abandonment in a way for the better good of the band with the risk of maybe loosing her biggest love Billy.

Camila was the mother archetype in a way, the glue, holding a lot inside her and on behalf of many, keeping the band together not as a manager but as “we are a family” kind of ownership. Billy and Daisy had their “chips” on.

It took a while for them to grow up. Like it does for all of us.

I loved the way Taylor Jenkins Reid told the story too. All characters got to tell their story, what they have seen or imagined. There was also a searching for the truth and coming to the truth as the last standing resort. Understanding that the truth was what trully mattered. As oppose to escaping the truth. Running from the truth and living fast and setting fires inside oneself, others, the public, sometimes burning bridges. This is also how we grow up I suppose.

Repeat please for one more time “ music can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something” . And now sit with it.

This is how I feel music too. Sometimes the lyrics. But most of the time is the power of a melody, a beat, a change in beats, the drums, the quitar or a particular instrument.Sometimes words are totally irrelevant. I have connected in deep ways with some many different songs in so many language not having a clue what they were saying. And that is a magic you find in a moment when you were not even sure what to look for. Would it be because we have lived so many lives already?

Yes. You know already - this is a novel about passion. The fire in us. The calming waters we find if we are also lucky enough or to simply see what treasure we have found already when we have chosen in the first place. The broken chips that need so much care and tending and mending and work. And Daisy knew it too yet she had to choose to see the truth in her and see that there are ways to build trust in herself. She had the power also to stand back from what she thought she needed badly for many years and say it out loud: “I do not want to be broken”.

I have only watched the series on Amazon Prime this week. Took my holiday serious and blend a good mix of study early mornings ,chores in the middle and total mind relaxing activities including watching movies in the evening. The series were so well done too from the actors, costumes, gorgeous hair …they are still fresh in the front of my eyes. The music on repeat. I found Daisy’ voice in particular special- there was a touch of cold in the sound of her voice. Maybe perhaps there was a lot of bluntness in her bravery to stand up for herself. And fight for it. Sometimes she chose just to be bold because maybe no other option and because she felt she has always knew Billy in her heart. There was a confidence when talking to him in particular.

And sometimes it was just pure rage …simply that the system. Injustice. Giving credit. Loosing music rights to people who just took. Inexperience. And yet through this injustice she came to thrive and just push the pedal harder to create more, to imagine more, to play songs more in her head and carry the eternal notebook with her everywhere. I loved every bit of her boldness.

I have went through my highlights on Kindle yesterday and felt like almost wanted to read the novel once again. I was wondering somehow if some of the scenes in the series picked on some of these highlights scenes in my heart. Some for sure yes. Loved it all over again. And got me motivated to read soon one more novel by TJR….

Have I inspired you enough to pick up the novel and see by yourselves? I have too many highlights and for sure would not want to give away all.

The good part in a great book for me is the way how we can easily find some of our own parts in all the characters too, or we could say “ I have been there” …and feel almost strange to watch it in fact in a movie afterwards playing in parallel your own forgotten story.

Most of the time what intrigues me is also the choices we make. How they change the course of your life story. So take Karen for example ….. a beautiful strong independent woman and keys player in the band… she valued her hard earned independence far more than simply settling down. We all get to sacrifice something at one point or another. Nicely portrayed also through her looks through the series…. From the fire to the waters…….

I think I might leave you here with one more quote from Camila. She was to me the rock & the star in a very different way. Never on stage.

Aurora

“You are my morning star”….

NB: I have waited for this album for years. I have literally could not believe that the story was not written based on a real band with songs I could easily listen and connect too. So I had to play all melodies in my head while reading the book first…. So glad the wait is over now.

Lucky you to have all options now- the book, the series, the album…. Enjoy fully.