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Two sisters. Two voices. One Heart.
The mystery of "Magic Man." The wicked riff of "Barracuda." The sadness and beauty of "Alone." The raw energy of "Crazy On You." These songs, and so many more, are part of the fabric of American music. Heart, fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson, has given fans everywhere classic, raw, and pure badass rock and roll for more than three decades. As the only sisters in rock who write their own music and play their own instruments, Ann and Nancy have always stood apart—certainly from their male counterparts but also from their female peers. By refusing to let themselves and their music be defined by their gender, and by never allowing their sexuality to overshadow their talent, the Wilson sisters have made their mark, and in the process paved the way for many of today's female artists.
In Kicking and Dreaming, Ann and Nancy, with the help of critically acclaimed and bestselling music biographer Charles R. Cross, recount a journey that has taken them from a gypsy-like life as the children of a globe-trotting Marine to the frozen back roads of Vancouver, where they got their start as a band, to the pinnacle of success—and sometimes excess. In these pages, readers will learn the truth about the relationship that inspired "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You," the turmoil of inter-band romances gone awry, the reality of life on the road as single women and then as mothers of small children, and the thrill of performing and in some cases partying with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and other rock legends. It has not always been an easy path. Ann struggled with and triumphed over a childhood stutter, body image, and alcoholism; Nancy suffered the pain and disappointment of fertility issues and a failed marriage but ultimately found love again and happiness as a mom. Through it all, the sisters drew from the strength of a family bond that trumps everything else, as told in this intimate, honest, and uniquely female take on the rock and roll life.
Throughout their career, Ann and Nancy have never found an answer to the question they are most frequently asked: "What is it like to be a woman in rock and roll?" Kicking and Dreaming puts that question to bed, once and for all.
Prologue 1
1 The Lady Axe Killer 9
2 The Big Five 21
3 Dust Off Your Shoes 31
4 Meet the Beatles 41
5 Blood Harmony 49
6 Cryin's in the Chapel 59
7 A Boy and His Dog 69
8 She's Here to Sing 77
9 The Whisper That Calls 85
10 The Impossible Perfect Thing 93
11 The Northern Lights 101
12 Burn to the Wick 111
13 Natural Fantasies 121
14 Ocean upon the Sky 131
15 Blows Against the Empire 143
16 Heartless 155
17 Leave It to Cleavage 167
18 Junior's Farm 179
19 The Battle of Evermore 191
20 Live from the DoubleTree Inn 203
21 The Other Half of the Sky 213
22 The Boys March In 223
23 Send Up a Flare 233
24 I Can See Russia 243
25 Hope and Glory 251
26 Glimmer of a Dream 263
Acknowledgments 275
Heart Is 277
Permissions 280
Anonymous
Posted Thu Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Now Ann & Nancy can tell the straight on story of Heart in their own words and fans won't have to worry about the indignity of their identities being switched around or listen to the same old unimaginative questions being asked. I was glad to see input from the other band mates as well. They shared many personal family stories and some good old sex, drugs and rock and roll tales! Rock on ladies!
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A lifelong Heart fan, a 49 year old Mom of 3, daughter of a marine, and 3rd of 3 sisters, I read more into this book than just the music --
Speaking of the music however, who didn't want to be a Beatle, I ask you?
Other reviewers talked about preferring to hear about the musical years, rather than the 'family life'. I, however, really enjoyed hearing about the family ties that shaped the strong, independant women they've become - they were able to fearlessly channel their creativity into the music we identified with....unafraid to cross the boundaries that Janis had approached - - Heart has torn through those barriers and never looked back...
Hearing the struggles, , , Ann -with her self-image, the experience of having her children, and her journey into sobriety - - Nancy- the difficulties of a marriage, feeling self-conscious in front of other Moms, reminds us that we're all just the same - Its refreshing to realize again that images are just that - sometimes a shield we all hide behind. I think the Wilson sisters have invited us into their lives and personal battles through their songs, finding a way to heal, and lets us know 'this too shall pass'..... I, for one, am grateful- as I continue to enjoy my favorites (Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, Bebe le Strange), and explore the recent (Red Velvet Car, & Fanatic) - as well as helping to create a new generation of Heart fans - my 11 year old son is a huge fan! At Heart's next venture in our area, i plan to have him there to hear Ann belt it out, and Nancy make that guitar sing!
My parting comment is to let Ann know to "keep it simple"... after 23 years on my own journey, I can attest that the best part is just beginning.... Thank you Ladies....
8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Heartmonger42
Posted Sat Sep 22 00:00:00 EDT 2012
This is been a story I have waited 40 some years for. It is absolutely the most awesome rock and roll book you could ever read. Ann and Nance are honest and don't mince words. I can't keep putting it down. I keep reading and reading and re-reading it. Rawk on Heart!!!! You are a classy band that has put a mark on four decades. You still rock and never had a show that disappointed!!!! We love you!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Nov 03 00:00:00 EDT 2012
A simple and intersting telling of the truth as they see it. Openess with no pompous bull about their talents or greatness and much about their journey you did not know. Should have MANY MANY MORE PICTURES!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Snoqueen
Posted Fri Oct 26 00:00:00 EDT 2012
This is a fantastically written book. The style is very conversational, so much so that you feel as if you're sitting with Nancy and Ann as they tell their story from their childhood all the way to the present.
I have been a Heart fan since 1976 so I was surprised at how much I didn't know. Many secrets are revealed and the depth of honesty which the story is told in is both uplifting and at times heartbreaking.
If you want to really know about what has driven these two women for so long (It's not just about the f'in music) then get this book. Not only will you not be disappointed, you will be astounded.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Oct 26 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I have always loved Heart. This book takes you into the most intimate parts of Ann and Nancy Wilson's life including the good and the bad. I appreciate their music even more now. I enjoyed the video clips of Ann and Nancy talking on several subjects. It's a must read if you are a avid Heart fan.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.What I enjoyed most about this book was hearing from both Ann and Nancy. It was almost like sitting in a room with them listening to them talk about old times. It was also interesting to hear from a few outside people as well. I hated putting this book down, but seeing as I was reading on my lunch hour at work I HAD to! Really a great read for any fan, or anyone wanting a little look see into the world of Rock and Roll told by two legends of Rock. Enjoy!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Nov 04 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I felt like I was along for the ride. Fans will love this book!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2013
An Open, Honest rendering of the real world of Artisic Dreamers; and a must read for ALL Mothers who want to raise (especially their daughters) their children with the most well informed kind of encouragement possible. All Children are Dreamers. Therefore, shouldn't parents try to educate themselves about the realities of the road of life their children may choose to follow in search of their dreams? Regardless of the dream, their are always bumps along the path. This book is truly about Sisters who overcame every obstacle and ugly reality that their road to their Dreams through at them and continue to land on top.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.maximus1
Posted Sun Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Enjoyed this book am 53 years old and still remember back working for Wentworth by the Sea in NH Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen would play where the empoyee's hung out. Heart and and I always connected and still love there music because they really do care about it and of course love it. Have my Ann Wilson Story when I was in the Coast Guard stationed in Seattle in 1995 and went into Fred Meyer's and saw Ann buying some fruit, didn't say anything because I just wasn't sure what to say. When she left went to the cashier and said was that Ann Wilson of HEART she said yes she's the real deal and that sums it up the Wilson sisters are and alway will be the real deal.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My review is about the audiobook, though that has convinced me to spring for the Hardback as soon as funds permit.
Nancy's voice is sweet, and she has a way of inflecting sentences in the MIDdle, almost as if they are a QUEStion. Ann's voice is richer and lower in timbre, but was also somewhat raspy, and I wondered if she recorded her narration with a cold.
There are also sections read by their sister Lynn, and by others, like their co-songwriter Sue Ennis, and the band's former manager (and Ann's ex) Mike Fisher, lead guitarist (and Nancy's ex) Roger Fisher, Howard Leese, and more. It surprised me a bit that the exes would cooperate to the point of recording audio material.
Memorable Moments - so many:
Ann and Nancy didn't want to be the Beatles' girlfriends, like their friends did - they wanted to BE the Beatles; to play their own music, write their own songs, to be feminine and sexy and powerful.
K & S discusses Ann's struggles with her weight going back to pre-adolescence, and the pressure this put upon her, and the band - as if the ONLY accepted standard of beauty is thin, and the only measure of musical quality for a femme-led band is not voice, nor songwriting quality, nor musical performance, but the size and shape of the female members.
Ann talking frankly about her love/obsession for Michael Fisher. Quitting the band and taking off for Canada (whence M. Fisher had gone to escape the Vietnam draft), and living with him in a little round house over a stream, in a bed built on driftwood branches.
Nancy and her own similar but differing ideas and in the end, determination to find her own way.
* The intriguing details about the Magazine album, and finishing it under armed guard.
* I loved hearing about the "birth" of one of my favorite songs, Mistral Wind.
* The many stars who tried (and failed) to bed the Wilson sisters, either separately or together.
* Ann referring to "the song writing me," something I often feel about a story.
* The glimpses of the birth of the Seattle grunge movement, and Ann as one of its "mothers," down to sheltering its stars in her home and (platonically) in her bed.
* I cannot now remember which Heart band member wore unitards so as to show off his third nipple.
*The birth of the Lovemongers acoustic group.
* The 1995 official Heart hiatus as Nancy needed to work on babymaking.
I suspect that genuine Heart fanatics who've followed every Rolling Stone and Circus and fanzine interview may feel like there's nothing genuinely new here. But for those like me, who genuinely enjoy the music, but haven't hung on every interview beyond the lyrics, there's a lot of insight here. It's also a very interesting look at the growth and changes in the music industry over the decades.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2014
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Anonymous
Posted Fri Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 2013
I was told tht lesbi.an.s come here? Anyone here?
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Sep 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This takes you through the story of Heart from the Wison sisters as children all the way through present day, in both their voices. I've always admired their amazing talents, and now admire them as women every bit as much.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Res 4 plz... u got locked
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
U guys r weird my boyfruend will beat u suckers up
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Sure
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2013
How old r u ? Iam single... ;)
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Yeah. How bout dinner at candles res 2
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.norqdo
Posted Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Ann and Nancy Wilson are golden, in my view. Excellent in their field.
This would have been an excellent autobiography, but the disgusting lack
of respect by Harper Collins re: editing, has ruined it.
I counted dozens of typos, screwed up sentences, and other editing problems.
As a writer and English teacher myself, I blame the idiot Charles R. Cross,
who obviously sent in to HC a careless manuscript.
But HC itself should be completely ashamed of the disservice they have done
two incredible women who, by contrast, are hard-working, and excellent in their
area of music writing and performing.
HC must be hiring 21 year old idiots in their editorial department.
It is disgraceful, and disgusting to allow such a lousy, unedited manuscript through.
Harper Collins and Charles R. Cross: have you no shame?
I felt sick reading the lovely acknowledgements to these swine by Ann Wilson,
who was so sabotaged by this disgusting company.
N.M.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Two sisters. Two voices. One Heart.
The mystery of "Magic Man." The wicked riff of "Barracuda." The sadness and beauty of "Alone." The raw energy of "Crazy On You." These songs, and so many more, are part of the fabric of American music. Heart, fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson, has given fans everywhere classic, raw, and pure badass rock and roll for more than three decades. As the only sisters in rock who write their own music and play their own instruments, Ann and Nancy have ...