Eclectic Gypsy: An Unauthorised Biography of Doctor Who

by Dave Thompson

Packed with crucial revelations and candid insights, this is the first book ever to examine the remarkable life of the adventurous and mysterious time traveler known as Doctor Who. Drawing upon historical documentation, newspaper and magazine articles, hundreds of hours of interview tape and a vast corpus of television, audio, and written material, it traces the legendary "Doctor" from his birth on the now dead planet Gallifrey more than 700 years ago, through 10 regenerations and countless adventures in time and space. From his epic encounters with such alien races as the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Slitheen, through the string of companions that have accompanied the Doctor on his perilous journey and onto the lost world of Gallifrey itself, this guide reveals the truth behind the being that fans around the world know simply as "the Doctor," questioning just how well they know him after all.

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

English author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.

However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”

Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.

Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably if I knew more about the origianl Who episodes, I would have enjoyed this book. The part about One through Eight were not very clear to me but i really like the part about Nine and Ten.