How's Your Dad: Living in the Shadow of a Rock Star Parent

by Zoë Street Howe

In this frank and funny book, Zoe Street Howe breaks the glitzy surface of a media obsession and seeks the reality from the horses' mouths. Whether you rejoice or seethe at the mention of Peaches, Jade or Jack or if you are born of rock heritage yourself and are considering changing your name and moving to Mongolia, this book may make you see things a little differently. Zoe Street Howe speaks to Ian Dury's son Baxter, Dylan Howe (Steve Howe), Julian Lennon, Calico Cooper (Alice Cooper), Jazz Domino Holly (Joe Strummer), Natascha Elinore (Jack Bruce), Aaron Horn (Trevor Horn) and many other children of iconic figures in the music industry in this revealing slice of rock 'n' roll literature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Also writes as Zoë Howe.

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I really got from this book was gossip. Who doesn't like juicy gossip about rock legends? True. It's interesting that music doesn't have the same nepotism success rates as acting. And it was a well-meaning book, with the author having some personal experience with this (her husband is the son of the Yes guitarist) and trying to truly and sensitively examine the situation. But all in all, this could be a couple of magazine articles.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the lives of the children of rock stars from a combination of original interviews and already-published material.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us believe that the children of rock stars are a bunch of spoiled brats. There are a few like that, but they get a lot of the media attention, so that's what has produced the stereotype. By accident of birth, they may have possessions, associates, or opportunities that we never had access to, but in actual fact, most musical progeny are the same as all of us: completely human, and often surprisingly modest. Most just want to be normal, away from the constant spotlight and publicity that their elders have brought them; they don't like how the press judges them only by assocation, and many have felt hampered by the pressure to be just like mum or dad, as the public tends to assume them to be similarly talented, especially if they take up a musical career - yet their abilities often lie in other directions. Many are conflicted by the differences between the public persona of their famous parent(s), and what they see at home. And of course, parents are still embarrassing to teenagers, no matter how "cool" they may be to their fans. A lot of people expect such kids to be filthy rich, but many of their famous, successful parents have actually encouraged their offspring to work for themselves and earn an honest living rather than rely on handouts and inheritance.

Some of Ms Howe's writing is a little sloppy, and I was worried whether the publisher felt the topic was already interesting enough that people would read on, regardless of careless editing. If so, they were right: I did exactly that, despite the limitations of the text. The author is a music journalist by trade, and it sometimes felt as if the book was one long magazine column. Nevertheless, she did her research well, and managed to get a lot of good interviews with celebrity children. An enjoyable read, it provided an insight into the reality behind the glamour of being in the family of a rock star.

[Alexia561 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have to admit that I love behind the scenes books about rock stars. I loved I'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres, the books about the Beatles, and all the dirt published on the Rolling Stones. Didn't matter that these were all before my time, I still got a kick out of the up-close-and-personal look at life as a wild rock star. So when I was offered the opportunity to review a book about said rock star's children, I thought it would be interesting to see them from their child's perspective.

While I really like the premise of this book, I don't think it ultimately delivered. May have been because I didn't know many of the rock stars mentioned (Ian Dury? Marc Bolen? Steve Howe?), or may have been the feeling I got after finishing the book that it had just skimmed the surface. I was left wanting more.

The author kept coming back to Steve Howe and his family, which made sense as she's married to Steve's son Dylan. I have heard of the group Yes but couldn't tell you the member's names, so glad she told us who was who. And while I have heard of Bob Geldof, there seemed to be an awful lot about his daughters, especially Peaches. Guess she's a regular in the British tabloids, but I'm not all that interested.

All in all, this wasn't really the book I was expecting. It's a good overview about how expectations are high if your parent is famous, but we sort of already knew that. Would have liked either a broader sampling of children, or a more in-depth focus on just one or two. Not a bad book, just not great either.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not a secret that I am pop culture obsessed--I subscribe to People and Entertainment Weekly and pride myself on my ability to name celebrity children. (It's not a good talent, I know, but it's mine.)

So it's no surprise that I loved this book, which details what it's like to grow up the kid of a rock star. As you might imagine, the perks are incredible (Aimee Osbourne got a Corvette when she was little; Lisa Marie Presley got a pony she could ride indoors) but there are also downsides (never seeing your famous parent; early exposure to rampant drug use; your dad on TV in skintight pants).

And possibly one of the worst downsides is the fact that you're probably never going to be seen as anything other than your dad's kid. Some people embrace it (Kimberly Stewart comes to mind) and some people fight it and win (Jakob Dylan, for example). And there's the fact that complete strangers will come up to you and talk to you about your famous parent instead of, say, asking about you and what you're doing.

Really fun, interesting book. Recommended.

[For Books' Sake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the lives of the children of rock royalty, separating the urban myths and the media vitriol from the reality of being the child of a music industry icon, How’s Your Dad boasts an exhaustive roll-call beyond the usual suspects of Geldofs and Osbournes (although they are in there too), exhaustively-researched but then edited with warmth and affection.

Structured thematically, with each chapter focusing on subjects such as drugs, school, absence and the bright side of being born to a rock star, Zoë skilfully disassembles the legends, popular misconceptions and media hysteria, with contributions from Julian Lennon, Calico Cooper, and Joe Strummer‘s daughter Jazz Domino Holly among many more. The result is a book which is as rich, vivid, unconventional, funny and poignant as its diverse source material.

(Excerpt from full review of How's Your Dad at For Books' Sake)