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    Boys Keep Swinging: A Memoir
    Boys Keep Swinging: A Memoir
    Boys Keep Swinging: A Memoir
    Audiobook9 hours

    Boys Keep Swinging: A Memoir

    Written by Jake Shears

    Narrated by Jake Shears

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In this “exhilarating yet poignant account of one boy taking flight” (Shelf Awareness, starred review), one of rock music's most entrancing figures transforms the vividness of his musical world into an unforgettable literary account of overcoming the odds and finding his true voice.

    Long before hitting the stage as the lead singer of the iconic glam rock band Scissor Sisters, Jake Shears was Jason Sellards, a teenage boy living a fraught life, resulting in a difficult time in high school as his classmates bullied him and few teachers showed sympathy.

    It wasn’t until years later, while living and studying in New York City, that Jason would find his voice as an artist and, with a group of friends and musicians who were also thirsting for stardom and freedom, form the band Scissor Sisters. First performing in the smoky gay nightclubs of New York, then finding massive success in the United Kingdom, Scissor Sisters would become revered by the LGBTQ community, sell out venues worldwide, and win multiple accolades with hits like “Take Your Mama” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’,” as well as their cult-favorite cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”

    “Brutally honest” (Elton John), candid, and courageous, Shears’s writing sings with the same powerful, spirited presence that he brings to his live performances. Boys Keep Swinging is “a wild, sexy, emotional ride through underground New York at the millennium. From the fringes to the top, it's a tale that speaks to the outsider in all of us” (Andy Cohen).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 15, 2018
    ISBN9781508265122
    Author

    Jake Shears

    Jake Shears is the lead singer and a primary songwriter of the multiplatinum-selling glam rock band Scissor Sisters. Born in Arizona, he grew up in the Seattle area before moving to New York City, where he studied fiction writing at The New School. He wrote the music for Tales of the City, a 2011 stage musical based on Armistead Maupin’s bestselling book series of the same name, and he has played the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway. Jake Shears recently finished his debut solo album, which will be released in mid-2018. He divides his time between Los Angeles and New Orleans.

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    Reviews for Boys Keep Swinging

    4.5/5

    18 ratings2 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Sex, drugs, and rock & roll all take center stage of Shears' memoir. Yet what really made this a great read was the heart. Shears didn't shy away from opening up and allowing us a glimpse into the trials and triumphs that lead to the success of Scissor Sisters' front man. It was equal parts funny, sincere, and vulnerable.I was captivated by his early years as a gay youth, struggling with being an outcast. The way he described wearing crazy outfits as armor, and his constant search for other weirdos to allow him to feel like apart of something. This is how so many queer kids feel, and I think the more and more people of fame speak out about this, the better. It allows us to see that we aren't alone.I thought that Shears wrote this memoir beautifully, and sucked me into his life in New York as if I were there with him. It is a really well written memoir that moves at a quick pace, while still allowing you to fall in love with all the amazing people who have influenced his life and career, as well as falling in love with Shears himself. I certainly won't ever listen to "Mary" the same again.I do feel like the very end felt a little rushed, and it ended on a note that felt a little incomplete. I'm unsure if this was purposeful or not, but I would have loved a little more, given this book came out in 2018, but it ends with them recording their second album which came out around 2006.Still, I felt that as a whole, this was a great memoir, in that Shears has lived a unique and exciting life, and has a storyteller's gift, that makes you want to hear more about it.
    • 5/5
      What a wild romp through the life of a punk rocker, who also happens to be gay, in the 1980s and thru today, and who truly gives no F's about what other people think. Descriptions of friendships with well-known names mingle with tales about well-meant (maybe) attempts to elevate those unknown, and lots * lots of ribald commentary on the times. I loved it!