I just finished reading Ms Simmons's book on Serge Gainsbourg and I'm still hyperventilating. By the end I was almost in tears. What an amazing story and really un put downable. I was too young to know about the scandal 'Je T'aime Moi Non Plus' caused and I really first got into Serge Gainsbourg via Histoire de Melody Nelson which I borrowed from a French friend. I was desperate to know more about him but gave up on my efforts to read the vast tomes about him in French. When Clayson's book came out I bought it as the only english one on offer. What a waste of paper. He didn't seem to even like Serge let alone know the first thing about him or French music. Sylvie Simmons's book is the complete opposite. Absolutely loved it and would recomment it to anyone.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a unput-downable book, 6 Jun 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes (Paperback)

a consice and passionate view of serge's loves and life. it starts from his familys humble beginnings to the legacy left by his death 10 years ago on french culture. it includes well researched facts and information given from jane birkin his partner and artistic collabrator backed up with full discography and filmography as well as listings of songs sung by other artists a french pop star who was never far from controversy! makes the rolling stones look like hearsay

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hugely Enjoyable, 23 Feb 2006

By	Nadia (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

Sylvie Simmons is suitably enthusiastic about her subject; never once questioning or criticising Serge. This is rather more a glorification of him, which is understandable, because given the evidence we're presented with here, he was a musical genius, a brilliant wit, an endearing eccentric, and surprisingly, a loyal family man. One develops an affection for Serge throughout the course of the book; relishing in his excesses, complicit with even the most grotesque of his fetishes. To be sure, the putrid did hold a certain fascination for Gainsbourg, as documented in the chapter 'The Art of Farting'.

However, I found Simmons' biographical style rather weak, and her writing is merely average. To her credit though, her style isn't intrusive, and her palpable enthusiasm for Serge gives these pages it's momentum. Jane Birkin's insights, which are invaluable and frequent throughout the book, lend a certain authority, so this does feel like the definitive story, though I can't say for sure as it's the first Gainsbourg biography I've engaged with. It's an easy read, and it does convince you of Gainsbourg's cultural significance, by featuring interviews with Beck, Mick Harvey, and other noteworthies.

Highly recommended if you're curious about Gainsbourg, as it's entertaining, compulsive, and quite thorough.

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