He tells only one drug-related story which names names, and he notes that he did so with permission. This is a fantastic book Mr Rodgers modesty makes me respect him even more, this guy is a true genius, literally THE hit-maker, because even up to today, there is barely a hit song without him being involved. Nile Rodgers has never been (by his own admission) as famous as many of the big musical icons whose reputations he bolstered and in some cases saved but musical history will judge him a figure of the first rank all the same. This is truly one of the best books ever written about art, music, life, and the way we grow to be exactly who we are.

The precipitous decline of the disco phenomenon hurt and disoriented Rodgers and Edwards, but the evidence suggests they would have gotten disoriented anyway, and it hardly destroyed their careers. In fact, one of the surprise gifts of “Le Freak” is that a third of it covers Rodgers’s own opening act — a coming-of-age tale every bit as impressive as the musical insights and star-time chronicles that follow. In 1979, he was in a crowded dive bar’s bathroom with a couple of Diana Ross impersonators when he wondered, “What would it be like if Diana celebrated her status among gay men in a song? By this time, Nile had become independent of the Chic moniker and was suffering from severe alcoholism and drug problems.Rodgers comes across as a tremendous, benevolent, friendly guy who has taken a big, deep drink of life, loved his work, loved a whole load of fine women, and is welcome at my house or my disco anytime.

I lost like 3 lbs listening to this book because I was also listening to all the music mentioned - and I apparently can't listen to anything Nile Rodgers had his hands in without dancing.Rodgers, best known as the founder of Chic who went on to produce landmark albums for Madonna and David Bowie, was raised by downtown heroin junkies in the 1950s and ’60s, and it's fascinating to see how profoundly his worldview was shaped by the ups and downs of this experience.

While I am not a big fan of many of those block-buster 80s records he produced, it would have been interesting to hear more about the process of producing some of them--specific challenges, the reasons for various decisions, etc. At that point, the profits were so big that the deals became more complicated, chaotic, and crooked” The Chic composer also picked out a special mention for Beethoven, picking his collection of letters as perfect reading material: “Whenever I’ve seen the famous bust of Beethoven, he looks like the ultimate tortured soul. com, the Sell on Etsy app, and the Etsy app, as well as the electricity that powers Etsy’s global offices and employees working remotely from home in the US. As a musician, music is my main source of enjoyment and income but the truth is that I have many other interests and I wanted to show people that my life was this weird, multifaceted, complicated thing. As his wandering childhood melds into his late 1970s music success, he gives us a glimpse inside the inner circle of Studio 54 and the ’80s party scene as he develops his 15 year cocaine addiction.Later his Harlem Apollo debut sees Rodgers being chased around the stage by a crazed Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

I was a little too young to appreciate Chic back in the day, being maybe 6 or 7 years old at the time, but since then I've grown to love their music, especially the likes of "Freak Out! He has worked with many of my favorite artists, but is like an honorary member of my all time favorite band Duran Duran.

Nile Rodgers is an American musician, composer, arranger, and guitarist, and is considered one of the most influential music producers in the history of popular music. Although I had a serious thing for Chic in elementary school, I had no idea he went on to produce and/or play on so many songs that I have loved since.