Dancing with Demons

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 9, 2001

Arguably Britain's top pop singer, Dusty Springfield (1939 1999) possessed a voice that survived decades of abuse and, over four decades of recording, proved to be equally adept at lushly orchestrated pop tunes (You Don't Have to Say You Love Me), R & B (Son of a Preacher Man) and disco (What Have I Done to Deserve This?). The confidence she exuded on vinyl was a facade masking severe insecurities, addictions to drink and drugs, bouts of self-mutilation and fear of losing her career if exposed as a lesbian. With her towering blonde beehive hairdo, panda-eye black mascara and elaborate hand gestures, Springfield had a decade of international hits in the 1960s before moving to the U.S., where her career faltered and her demons crippled her career. By the late '70s, she was once again releasing critically acclaimed albums with lackluster sales. Her career resurrected in the late '80s when her duet with the Pet Shop Boys became a global hit. With most of her demons behind her, the singer battled cancer for the last five years of her life, dying just shy of her 60th birthday and weeks before being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although one wonders just who authorized this, as Springfield didn't participate in the writing of the book, the two authors are knowledgeable insiders (Wickham was Dusty's manager for 13 years and Valentine was a close friend and music journalist). The unvarnished portrait of a troubled, volatile and gifted singer is told with equal parts compassion and sensation. Most of Springfield's more eyebrow-raising incidents were played out of the spotlight (fans will get a first look at what went on during the "missing years" of the '70s); with this fast-paced tell-all bringing them center stage, she may soon rival Judy Garland for tragic diva status. 16 pages b&w photos.