Daisy Jones and The Six

Where Do I even begin. Beware- spoilers ahead.

I remember seeing advertisements for a new prime show called Daisy Jones and the Six. The trailer played- I saw that 70’s style, the curtain bangs and aviators and I just knew this was going to be my cup of tea. Loosely based off the history of Fleetwood Mac, this is a drama filled story of pursuing your dreams, falling in love and struggling with addictions. I watched episode one and sat through three more before I even got off the couch- and that’s saying a lot. I am probably the worst TV watcher in history, I start shows and never finish them. I finished this limited series in 3 days. If I wasn’t tuned in, I was probably showering, sleeping, working- you know the things you need to do to survive. I was fixated on it- the characters, music and the world in its entirety. When it was over I was left wanting so much more, craving so many more details- MORE STORY PLEASE. So, when I found out it was originally a novel… well i’m sure you can just imagine my excitement. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down.

In full transparency, this show and novel lean heavily into the cliches of the 70’s rock and roll scene- drugs, sex, music. Whether it’s accurate or not, I love the world that they created and in many reviews have read of how nostalgic it all feels. I’ve always been fascinated by that time, the music, the fashion and the culture. I love consuming any type of media that gives me a glimpse into that iconic.

This story follows a 1970s band, each member interviewed individually much like a documentary, as they recount their time together leading up to their breakup. All of the characters have very distinct personalities, and all of them are following the same dream. One of our protagonists Billy Dune (Sam Claflin) is the lead singer of The Six. Our second is Daisy (Riley Keough), we watch her as she struggles to find her place but is driven by her passion and undeniable talent. Their two world’s collide when producer Teddy Price brings Daisy in for a collaboration with the band.

Billy started the band with his younger brother Graham in Pittsburgh. Riddled with guilt and a fierce internal struggle with addiction, Billy’s past has shaped who he becomes as his band grows. Meeting his wife Camila and starting a family at a very young, while simultaneously working towards his dreams, proved to take a toll on his mental health. Billy prioritized drugs and sex over his family, which eventually lead to him missing the birth of his daughter. This breaking point lead to him ending the Six’s tour early and going to Rehab. We clearly see these experiences represented in Bill'y’s music, his relationship with his bandmates, and his lifestyle as he continues on with his sobriety. His wild side is tame, he is quiet and reserved. He focuses solely on his music and his family…that is until he meets Daisy.

The world of Rock and Roll is full of temptation. Especially in the 70’s, the culture glamorized drugs and sex, large scale use and unsafe practices. The strip was vibrant, lively, full of young people looking for an escape, in any form they could get it. Nature loving hippies, disco queens and sexually driven rockstars. But what brought them all together, was the music.

Daisy was the biggest temptation yet. She is a “shot of espresso” as Andrew Garfield would say- ambitious and unapologetically herself. Daisy loved music from an early age, her creativity was never supported by her parents. Having to grow up quickly, Daisy was independent by the time she was a teenager. She is chaotic and free in every sense of the world but most importantly she is vulnerable- her most admirable trait. She fearlessly shares her opinions and feelings, especially in her writing. Her songs, driven by metaphors, are poems of life, love and loss inspired by her own experiences. Daisy struggles tremendously with addiction throughout her time with the band- drugs, bad men, her music. It runs deep in her blood and she simply can’t do something unless she does it 100% and much like Billy, she too had a breaking point- causing her to rethink her lifestyle.

Billy and Daisy immediately butt heads, creative differences, clashing personalities, jealousy or competitiveness- whatever it was, they hated each other. Both of them, stubborn and firm, shined light on how similar the two actually are. Their passion for music, their struggles with addiction, lead to an undeniable connection between the two (romantic or not).

From Billy’s perspective, Daisy was everything he didn’t need in his life- chaos, unpredictability, lust, desire, etc. Back when he would succumb to all of those things, Daisy reminded him of who he was. Billy’s anger was a reflection of himself, and all of the mistakes and decisions he made while he was abusing drugs. He disliked Daisy for loving the chaos and for embracing her freedom, because to him that only lead to bad outcomes. Daisy on the other hand was under the impression that Billy Dunne was some uptight, arrogant asshole who thought he was the best songwriter in the band and that no one else could touch him. You could say it was a recipe for disaster.

But as disastrous as it was- when they got over themselves and worked together, it was magic. Their presence onstage, the remarkable writing made crowds go wild and drove the band to their ultimate fame and success.

The story builds up to their first (and last) album they create together- “Aurora.” Their struggles soon turn into compatibility, they begin to work in harmony and create one of the best albums in rock and roll history. The novel contains 10 songs in the album “Aurora” with the lyrics for each in the back of the book. Reading the lyrics gives a deeper insight to the connection that Daisy and Billy shared. It’s a vulnerability that bleeds through the pages, poetry with a melody. Since I watched the series first, I already had all of the songs in my head which was exciting as I read along. Only three of the songs from the novel actually made it onto the show, the rest of the songs were added specifically for the original series. My favorite is “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb).” It’s the first song the duo collaborate on. Originally written by Billy, after he spiraled out of control, cheated on his wife and abused drugs- this song was his promise to his family of his commitment to them and his growth as a man. His version was not approved by producers, they found it too boring, too happy. When Daisy joins the band she questions the validity of the message- the promise that everything was ok, just didn’t seem real to her. She clearly sees through Billy, and acknowledges there are much more complicated emotions there that he is suppressing. So she changes the lyrics…

BILLYS VERSION:

The life we want will wait for us / We will live to see the lights coming off the bay / And you will hold me, you will hold me, you will hold me / until that day

DAISY’S VERSION:

Will the life we want wait for us? / Will we live to see the lights coming off the bay? / Will you hold me, will you hold me, will you hold me until that day?

Her adjustments, though minuscule, add a much more complicated storyline. There’s a level of uncertainty in those words, complicating Billy’s message. This enrages him, he hates Daisy for it and almost refuses to sing with her. Billy is still on the road to healing from what he’s done, and to him this seems like a set back in that process. But once they sing together, it’s like the stars align. The complexity of this first collaboration only grows more intense as their connection develops and they ultimately completely shake each other’s worlds.

One of my favorite characters in the limited series is that of Daisy’s best friend and disco trailblazer, Simone Jackson played by Nabiyah Be. Loosely inspired by Donna Summer, her character is grounded, strong and incredibly talented. She is a constant in Daisy’s life and has proved time and time again that she is Daisy’s chosen family (or only family at that). Her storyline is very prominent in the series, differing from that of the novel which was a huge disappointment for me. In the novel Simone’s sexuality is unknown, meanwhile in the limited series, they decided to explore her experience navigating her queer identity. Simone and her lover Bernie being two queer, black artists in the 70’s was a story I loved getting to experience in the show and offered much more depth to her character. I’m glad that the writers and producers gave her more of a unique perspective and distinct storyline. Simone has many admirable qualities, but watching her fight for and sometimes with Daisy, was emotional for me to watch. She is a fierce protector, even if that means hurting people along the way. Simone went to the ends of the earth (literally!!) to save Daisy from herself, all while pursuing her own career and navigating her identity in a time that wasn’t entirely accepting of her.

One of the themes within the plot follows the destruction of gender norms and offers different perspectives on the female experience. Three women, represent three different stories of womanhood.

Daisy is free in her sexuality and confident in her individuality without the need of a man. She is powerful in this because she doesn’t pursue male desire, she embraces these parts of her for herself alone and not for the approval of others. Daisy went through the world knowing she was equal to any man she encountered, just as capable, just as smart and just as talented (if not more). Reclaiming her sexuality allowed her to be authentically herself, its difficult to place her into a category because she doesn’t fit just one. Karen speaks about Daisy in the novel and shares “She was just sort of ‘take me or leave me’” and I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Camila (Camila Morrone), a devoted wife and loving mother, cares for her family and makes some of the biggest sacrifices in this story. The betrayal of her husband, not only with other women but abandoning her with their first born for months while he went to rehab, were both huge hurdles for her to overcome. Not only does she forgive these actions, she wholeheartedly trusts Billy to return on the road where he will face the same temptations. Camila fights for their marriage and their family, believing in their love. Her determination to stay, and to work through things is an admirable quality in her character and one that is ultimately the reason for their family’s happiness and her and Billy’s healthy relationship.

Karen’s character (Suki Waterhouse) is the biggest challenger of female roles in this era. She is opposite of Daisy, not identifying closely with her sexuality and she’s opposite of Camila, having no desire for motherhood. Karen spends most of her interviews speaking for women and their power. She recounted how easy it was to manipulate and coerce in the industry if you played into your feminine flirtation but ultimately denying the “delicate” and “fragile” stereotypes for female musicians of the time. When Karen gets pregnant by her secret boyfriend Graham (Will Harrison), she knows immediately that becoming a mother is not something she sees for herself. She struggles with the reality of hurting Graham, but stands firm in what she wants. Karen discusses how having a child is different for a woman than it is for a man, and she is not willing to give up her dreams to raise a child- while Graham would continue on living his. This leads to her abortion, accompanied by Camila who supports her choice and freedom.

I much prefer Daisy and Billy’s relationship in the novel than that of the limited series. Although I loved watching their chemistry on the show, there was a build up of tension that never released in the novel- it never came to a moment of weakness between the two. And I loved that.

In the show the characters kiss in the parking lot of the music studio, after an argument about another song. To be honest, while watching, I was dying for a moment like that. I wanted them to come together and finally just KISS ALREADY!!!! I will say, it was a great moment. But as the show progressed, the ending between the two was a bit disappointing.

After that kiss and months of tension built up between them, Camila caught Billy and Daisy close to each other, sharing a tender moment. She confessed to both of them that she knows they love each other but she will not give up on her marriage, she will not give up on Billy. This vulnerability she displays, straight to Daisy was such an intense scene but there was a mutual respect and understanding between the two women. I found myself rooting for both of them, I can’t really explain it.

During the band’s final concert, Billy relapses and kisses Daisy exclaiming that they should run away together. They start to sing “Look at Us Now” as Daisy, through teary eyes, tells him to go to Camila. Billy, emotional and distraught, runs offstage and sprints to the hotel, hoping to catch his wife before she leaves. My heart broke to see him give up on himself, on his sobriety and on his marriage, after everything he had worked towards. Even though he does end up with Camila, I wonder if Daisy hadn’t said that, would he have? By taking a bump and a shot of vodka, I believe Daisy realized that Billy wanted to be with her for all the wrong reasons. She didn’t want to be with him like that and I felt this whole choice discounted their relationship and characters in general. Billy gave in to his temptations and although I believe the love between Daisy and Billy was real, it was not meant to be, at least not in this moment. I wish they would have accepted their forbidden love as painful as it would have been, I believe it would have been more realistic.

Fleetwood Mac has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I go through lots of phases with music, but few artists stay with me through every part of my life. They will always be on the playlist. So as truly devastated as I was to finish this book, I think of this story every time I listen to them. I think about the 1977 Silver Springs performance, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham looking at each other, the tension PALPABLE. I remember reading Stevie’s reaction to the show, “It brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story.” I got chills reading that honestly. Being a fan of them for so long, I never knew anything about their personal lives or relationships with each other. The forbidden love trope, the impossibility of being together regardless of the love they share- HEARTBREAKING. But real. Getting a glimpse into the world of one of my favorite bands was so exciting and so enjoyable for me. Im lucky the story doesn’t just end there, and I can think of it whenever I listen to Rumours!!!