Stardust: The David Bowie Story

Zanetta, head of MainMan, the corporation that handled Bowie's business affairs, has collaborated with Edwards (Loving John on this superficial biography. Although full of informationincluding much material about Bowie's sex lifethe book suffers from antipathy toward its subject, whom the authors view as plastic, infantile and disloyal, ready to "erase" lovers and friends who can no longer help him. The book jumps from Bowie (born David Jones in North London in 1947) as a frightened child to an exhibitionistic teenager, with no sense of the process in between. Bowie remains opaque throughout, as we see him adjust his image to meet the demands of career. His outrageousness has drawn more attention than his recordings, which have only rarely sold well. Zanetta and Edwards present an interesting picture of the rarefied and fashionably decadent circles in which Bowie and his entourage travel, the best part of this otherwise flawed biography. Photos. 60,000 first printing; $35,000 ad/promo; author tour.