Reckless: My Life as a Pretender

I see in other reviews that Chrissie has gotten some flack for various aspects of this book. I just want to go on the record as saying this is one of the better, and more personable, rock autobiographies I've read. I'll admit, I was never much into the Pretenders. I liked their songs well enough, I was just never a rabid fan. My interest in Chrissie stemmed from the fact that she's from my hometown of Akron, Ohio, and also, from everything I'd come to know about her, she seemed like a nice, down-to-earth person. Nothing in this book has swayed me from that opinion. In fact, it's only been reinforced.

Initially, I wanted to read this book at least through the parts about her early childhood growing up in Ohio; however, I soon found myself show more eagerly reading the entire book. Chrissie has a self-deprecating attitude and a humorous side to her that I found immediately appealing. I found all of her stories and anecdotes amusing and enjoyed reading about how she came to be where she's at today. The hilarity of her line "besides, I'm from Akron," can only be appreciated by those who have first hand experience regarding the Akron-Cleveland divide.

I'm sure there's more to her story than where she ended, but I thought it was a fitting place to end. Her story is still going on today and with the deaths of two of the original members of the band, it was really the only place she could end it. It was done with grace and aplomb, exactly the way she's lived her life. show less

Perhaps it isn't fair to assume that someone who writes great lyrics can also do the same in a memoir. As a teenager growing up in various Ohio cities, Chrissie Hynde had a single minded focus: to see all the great bands. As she grew up, contemptuous of school, the ambition changed - to be in a band.

Half the book is devoted to Chrissie's teenage fan club years - which, if you are in your sixties - will resonate with strongly with you. Chrissie was attending Kent State University when 4 students were killed there; she was heading to the demonstration when the shooting started, and Jeffrey Miller, one of the slain, was the boyfriend of her very good friend. This, no doubt, added to her need to leave the dying Midwest and to start anew in show more London. She became friendly with Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, therefore falling into the ambit of the Sex Pistols and the Clash - but not ever being invited to join those bands.

Chrissie did it, of course, and The Pretenders were one of the greatest bands ever, their strength being the musicality of the band members and Chrissie's hard ass attitude, her one-of-the-boys persona, but with the vulnerability leaching through the bluster.

But it all came to ruin, done in by the usual suspects: booze and heroin. There are some harsh and very hard-to-take scenes throughout the book, especially her narration of shows performed in complete obliteration, and then coming off the stage to cheers of "best show on the tour!".

Two band members OD'd in quick succession: Jimmy, who had demanded that Pete be fired due to his heroin use; then Pete himself, who died not long after.
The band went on to even greater success with new members.

Chrissie seems to have gotten straight, and has two daughters and a happy family life now. She released a solo album, which is nothing you'd ever expect from someone who seemed to have no self-confidence without being surrounded by her crew. Two mysteries are left unrevealed in Reckless: her life with Ray Davies of the Kinks and her marriage to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds. show less

Hynde's band The Pretenders is great but this memoir of her life is hard to read as readers see her as someone who'd probably be unable to relive her life again successfully. She comes off as drug addicted, alcoholic and destructive of her band mates. Two died from drug related incidents by the end of the book. It's a miracle she survived herself.
The reader of the book who is not a big fan would do well to read the first few chapters and final chapters leaving the middle portion out. I'm a big fan of The Pretenders (name taken from The Platters' song The Great Pretender) so I assumed Hynde was trying to be honest about her life and her personal trials. She is very reflective and she feels that her musical success is almost accidental show more (or destined depending on the chapter). She began on a whim by moving to London, worked as a concert reviewer and then became a satellite to the punk scene with the Sex Pistols. Her account here is a different take from Siouxsie Sioux who was also there at the same time. The only radio station playing The Pretenders was again KROQ in Los Angeles even when they were a rock and roll band. They were seen as alternative (to stadium/hair rock). Hynde wanted them to be as big as The Stones and Led Zeppelin but she said they were happy with their own album and tour success.
Hynde is actually a decent writer and she could have done so much more in this book, I wanted her to, but it's just her confessing her sins by revealing her feelings and hoping for forgiveness from her fans by sacrificing every worldly comfort (besides drugs and alcohol) to get her own band going. Hynde has written two songs, among many, that have become American song standards. My City Was Gone and Back On The Chain Gang will stand out among her many hits which feature basic structure but communicate far more than the words and music. The music of The Pretenders on the radio still brings a smile to listeners as the mood usually conjures up Hynde's voice pleading for more time in relationships even if she didn't allow for it herself in real life. show less

3.5 stars!

Reckless is a great title for this book AND for Chrissie Hynde.

This woman has been through some serious shit. Most of it self inflicted and just plain crazy. STDs, drugs and Rock & Roll-she's been through it all.

The book ends after two of The Pretenders died, (a long time ago), and I think that's apt because that's when her recklessness ended, (mostly), too.

Growing up in the sixties allowed her to do a lot of things that could not be done now. You can't knock on the windows of cars and ask someone to take you somewhere, not without worrying you'll end up in a dumpster behind a 711, anyway. You can't hang out with hard bikers without putting yourself in danger. (That one was as true then as it is now, and believe me, THAT show more was some real danger.)

Overall, I'm glad I listened to Chrissie's story. It's a story of using caution and NOT being reckless. Not if you want to continue to live. I liked that she remained herself throughout and took responsibility for her actions. This story is not pretty and it's not for everyone, but I enjoyed listening to Rosanna Arquette narrate this crazy lady's reckless life. show less

I grew up listening to the The Pretenders, but never knew much about Chrissie Hynde or her band. As with her music, she just lays it all bare out there and lets her audience decide, Part inspiring and part cautionary tale of the perils of rock and roll--I grimaced a LOT--but worth the read. Her lists of her early musical heroes and the book's photos are interesting too.

I've never really been a big fan of the band the Pretenders but I've always been a big fan of Chrissie Hynde. To me she has always personified the tough, badass, rock n' roll chic. This is a great memoir that chronicles her early years growing up in Ohio, her move to Europe and the journey to become the lead singer for the Pretenders. The book abruptly ends with the deaths of two of her original bandmates. I'm thinking this could be why I was never really a big fan of the band, after the two deaths the original magic was gone. And basically the end of the story she wanted to tell. I especially enjoyed reading about her youth in Ohio for me I found it more intriguing than the drug and alcohol infused rock n' roll years.

At first I really enjoyed this book. The writing was engaging and easy to relate to, but after a whlie it all became kind of tiresome. I had expected that this book would cover her life from before The Pretenders until now, but it really mostly covers her life before The Pretenders and stops shortly after the band starts to make it big. I had been looking forward to her thoughts as she matured and had her own children, weathering disastrous relationships along the way, especially after her wild and reckless (definitely) early years. But the book really doesn't get into it, so I feel like a read a lot about her being young and stupid, doing tons of drugs and drinking lots of alcohol, working illegally in England and France, meeting show more people that later would become well known in their own right, and eventually becoming the lead singer of a band called The Pretenders (after numerous false starts) that went on to have some success in the music industry. So I ended up rather disappointed that it all ended there when it feels like so much more of her life happened after that and I wanted to read how she evolved into the woman she is today. show less