"It was through a chance conversation with her Norwegian publishers following her first book that Pearson realised her vague idea of writing about a teenager in love with David Cassidy might be something to pursue. As she recalls, all the women around the table immediately started to talk about their own teenage crushes—apart from one who remained completely silent: "I remember thinking, ‘oh gosh, she thinks this is stupid, girly prattle about some teen idol'—then there was a silence in the conversation and she said, ‘But he was mine'. And I heard that and I thought, okay, you have to write this now.""From the article by Alice O'Keefe on Alison Pearson's upcoming (and eagerly awaited?) novel I Think I Love You about a 13-year old girl "riddled with teenage angst and nursing a full-on obsession with 1970s heart-throb David Cassidy."
Please raise your hand if you are no longer thirteen but still nursing a full-on obsession with David Cassidy. Ok, so you'd call it a mild obsession? ;-
Pearson's first novel, I Don't Know How She Does It, resonated with a lot of women (almost half a million, if I understand the sales figure correctly). I suspect this one will too. David Cassidy was young baby boomers' most popular idol and they form the largest segment of the population. While most soon-to-be middle-aged women don't want to be thirteen again, I suspect many would enjoy revisiting those heady feelings of a first crush through a novel. I know I certainly did via the internet. If Pearson has fleshed out her young protagonist properly, readers should also recognize their idealism and dreams in her.
Who's pre-ordered the book? (Clever title by the way. Surefire reference for anyone in her target audience.)
Can anyone think of a post-David Cassidy teen idol that would spawn a novel like this?
Here's "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat" because he made our hearts beat quicker (and I recently posted ITILY). The twenty year old version, just as high energy as the first, follows.
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10 comments:
I Can Feel Your Heartbeat was my favorite PF/David song and video until I discovered Sumer's videos and others, his solo work, and all those beautiful images. I LOVE watching David in the 40-year-old clip!!! He's so vigorous with that guitar strapped on him!! I found it right away and that was the beginning of my major crush on him. No "mild obsession" here. Watching him here make me want to SCREAM!!! LOL!
I remember some of the comments people left on this video about how this song was pushing the limits for the PF target audience. A lot of people were saying that it was their favorite PF song. A lot of people were commenting about Shirley's "performance" here too, saying she looked very flushed and "stuff" like that. It was very entertaining. I'm sad the comments were removed. LOL!
I have preordered from Amazon UK since it will be available from there over 6 months before is available in Amazon US and Canada!
There's so much potential for him being targeted as THE idol of the largest segment of the baby boomers!
I'll wait to see the reviews on the book before I would buy it. I have never read her other one as the subject matter is not something I have experience of and therefore it did not appeal to me.
However reading of a young teens obsession with David would appeal to me more, been there, done that!
I was pleasantly surprised to recently catch an episode of the US version of Life on Mars (set in 1973) where they investigated the death of an air stewardess who was in love with DC and had huge posters of him all over her room. It was a nice change to show a young adult succumbing to his charms rather than a young teen! Over the end credits they played Point Me ... as the stewardess came from Albuquerque.
She stole my idea! I have been writing that book for more than two years now (only in my head, but anyway).
I've read some of her articles and I think she's funny. I look forward to the book.
I read in a recent article that the kids growing up in the late 60s and early 70s numbered 56 million. No wonder the Partridge Family could get 40 million viewers (according to Danny Bonaduce)! Let's not forget that these are USA numbers only.
Thanks for that tidbit about Life on Mars, Brit fan. I've never seen the show but it's always cool to hear of DC references in current pop culture.
MaeB, I know how you feel. When I started this blog, I wondered if there was enough meat to it all to write a book. I suspect most of his fans have had a book about him traipsing in their head for a while, at one time or another. I think the book will resonate with a LOT of his fans.
Singme,I don't recall ever reading Pearson's stuff. I'll have to look it up. I've read about her though (not so positive).
I'm seventeen and I have a mild obsession. Okay, full blown. I have 82 songs for crying out loud. Best part? I have a friend who's a guy and he made me make him a CD. :-)
Thanks for chiming in, Anonymous. Did you buy individual songs on iTunes? Out of curiosity, how did you discover DC? And was your guy friend "embarrassed" to ask you for a CD?
DD,
My mom vaguely remembers the Partridge Family and she showed me a couple songs on YT about a year ago ( I Woke Up in Love This Morning, and ITILY) and we watched the pilot on Hulu. Needless to say I was hooked .
Yes, I have bought all those songs from iTunes. At first it was just PF stuff then found myself falling more in love with DC’s solo work. It’s about half and half now.
I made my friend listen to Junked Heart Blues without telling him it was DC (Why is it when you say DC, it automatically puts people off?) after he enjoyed it I told him who it was. The exspression on his face.....:-)
A few weeks later he wanted to listen to it again and asked for a CD. Yes, he’s a little embarrassed, but hey, who can resist the voice of an angel?
How very sneaky of you and yes, DC had the voice of an angel. Is your friend a big music fan? As to why DC puts people off, I've posted my theories but it boils down to people being narrow-minded.
Yeah,he's a huge music fan. The Rat Pack including.
I noticed you said 'had' the voice of an angel. So true, for me after Getting It In the Street his voice lost that touch.
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