Pattie Boyd

I’ve got a soft spot for rock and roll biographies. I must have consumed 50+ over the years, including those of bands. It’s not so much understanding the musicianship that attracts me as getting to know the real people behind the songs that had the power to transport me to another world.

Patti Boyd’s autobiography took me back into the 1960s and 1970s, the decades in which I was a child and teen. Though not a musician herself, she moved in their circles thanks to her relationships with show more George Harrison and Eric Clapton, circles that included hobnobbing with trendy boutique owners, fashion designers, photographers, and other denizens of Swinging London. Her anecdotes about them are enlightening. Who knew wild man Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones was also an accomplished artist? No bio of the Stones I’ve read have ever mentioned that tidbit. And that dentist who inspired the Beatles song “Dr. Robert?” He put them, and their wives, under anesthesia before he worked on them, and Patti hints that he could have been doing anything to them while they were lying unconscious in the chair.

Yet Patti is also surprisingly humble, and I kind of wish, even, that she’d gone more into detail about her own family. Born of upper class roots, she spent time in colonial Africa with her grandparents and later suffered under the English boarding school system that separates children from the parents and forces them to live in sparse, even hellish conditions. Yet, many of those children grew into independent and restless beings, becoming the artistic shakers and movers of the 1960s. (Of course, family money may have played a part in their rejection of the 9-to-5.) Patti moved into modeling at a young age thanks to her fresh good looks, and with hard work was given a ticket into that golden world, and I can’t help feel, as with many rock star wives, girlfriends, and groupies, her fractured family played a part in her remaining there and putting up with a lot of BS. Also like many of those women she never received credit for the inspiration and even the co-creation she gave her men. In the bio she states her own spiritual yearnings predated George’s, and in fact were what inspired him to join her in exploring Indian religion. If not for Patti, there might never have been the George we know now (or did; he passed in 2001.)

Eric Clapton, sorry to say, comes off as a dick in the book, even as Patti puts a good spin on her experiences with him. He was a raging alcoholic, didn’t know how to handle his finances and live in the real world, and cheated on her, even siring two children out of wedlock, one of which she discovered only as she was divorcing him.

A good addition to your rock star bio collection. show less

If there was one woman who encapsulated the 1960s Rock N’Roll culture, it was Pattie Boyd. She had the look we all strived for, she was a top model with George Harrison of the Beatles as her first husband and Eric Clapton as her second. The songs “Something”, “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” were written about and for her. Her memoir, entitled Wonderful Tonight fills in the details of her extraordinary life which as wonderful as it was, did have some sharp ups and downs.

The book show more details her unconventional childhood, her early days of modelling in London and how she and George met and fell in love. It also tells us about the end of this marriage and how Eric Clapton was there waiting in the wings for her. Unfortunately, Eric suffered from an addictive personality and drugs and alcohol played a large part in destroying their marriage. After her marriages, Pattie spent time regaining her self and has become a well known photographer. She remained good friends with both George and Eric.

While reading Wonderful Tonight I felt that Pattie was being very careful not to insult or point fingers at anyone which resulted in a fairly mild and amiable story, but she is pretty honest when turning the pen upon herself which resulted in a story that was well worth reading. Assisted by author Penny Junior, this book is a fascinating look at the life of an influential “dollybird” of the 1960s. show less

My expectations were modest for this read. I didn't expect great literature. I realized there would be some name-dropping and lots of drugs and sex. All true.

But what I didn't expect was the total lack of believable emotion as Pattie shares what should have been compelling details about her parent's divorce, her own two failed marriages, and her infertility. Her story is told episodically, randomly, with instantaneous jumps in time. I would have thought her co-writer would have done a show more better job crafting a less haphazard narrative.

As for Pattie herself, what I came away with is that she is someone, despite great beauty, who has lived life with very low self-esteem. Though I realize she married George Harrison as a very young woman, she allowed both husbands to control, isolate, and humiliate her -- which sounds a lot like the definition of psychological abuse. Perhaps now that she has discovered photography, she lives more true to herself.

As for George Harrison and Eric Clapton - don't expect to learn much that's new. Harrison is portrayed as a talented but moody musician with a tendency to be a loner. Clapton comes across as a talented musician with deep narcissistic and addiction issues. Surprised, anyone?

If you're deeply into the 1960s and 1970s rock and roll scene, you might enjoy hearing about who attended who's party and who hung out with whom. Just don't expect much more than that. show less

My expectations were modest for this read. I didn't expect great literature. I realized there would be some name-dropping and lots of drugs and sex. All true.

But what I didn't expect was the total lack of believable emotion as Pattie shares what should have been compelling details about her parent's divorce, her own two failed marriages, and her infertility. Her story is told episodically, randomly, with instantaneous jumps in time. I would have thought her co-writer would have done a show more better job crafting a less haphazard narrative.

As for Pattie herself, what I came away with is that she is someone, despite great beauty, who has lived life with very low self-esteem. Though I realize she married George Harrison as a very young woman, she allowed both husbands to control, isolate, and humiliate her -- which sounds a lot like the definition of psychological abuse. Perhaps now that she has discovered photography, she lives more true to herself.

As for George Harrison and Eric Clapton - don't expect to learn much that's new. Harrison is portrayed as a talented but moody musician with a tendency to be a loner. Clapton comes across as a talented musician with deep narcissistic and addiction issues. Surprised, anyone?

If you're deeply into the 1960s and 1970s rock and roll scene, you might enjoy hearing about who attended who's party and who hung out with whom. Just don't expect much more than that. show less