Alanis Morissette: A Biography
by Paul Cantin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paul CantinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-03-15
ISBN: 0312180357
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780312180355
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Alanis Morissette: A Biography
Book Review: Great, even if limited
Summary: 5 Stars
Alanis Morissette's resurrection in the mid-`90s as the first of a new genre of post-modern, interpersonally savvy, male =and= female songwriters, stands along with Tina Turner's as two of the most remarkable, intriguing and illuminating sagas of re-construction in the entire entertainment world. Turner was in her mid-thirties when she "got traction." Morissette was only 19.
And that is really the "big story" here. Cantin's book may well be largely assembled from interviews with (highly significant) others, as well as interviews of a very private woman (despite her self-revelation; see below) that were published in =Spin=, =Rolling Stone= and elsewhere. But the author is a very sophisticated guy who understands the developmental, as well as creative, process. Those who are intrigued with her because of her remarkable grasp of interpersonal behavior and =intra=personal character will not be disappointed, even if =AM: A Biography= only describes her first 23 years on the planet.
(Would I love to see a "second edition?" Am I waiting for her to finish the book she's been writing for some time now? Duh.)
What is clear for those who want to "reel it in" about her is that Morissette is the product of two very functional, competent, adept and supportive parents. Her mother (a refugee from the Hungarian uprising of 1965 with her own, very fascinating, early life story) appears through Cantin's eyes to have been anything but the "demanding stage mother" pictured by many who have asserted this and that about Morissette's background. As reported here at least, her assertive support was considerable but well balanced and non-intrusive.
(We are given only the briefest glimpse into her father's personality, but I was easily able to hypothesize where Morissette's esteem of intellectual and analytical activity is derived.)
To the developmental psychologist, one of the most significant achievements (or failures, if it doesn't occur) in adolescent identity formation is the transference of trust and balanced autonomy acquired in childhood into choice-making in relationships with other people. If Cantin's picture is accurate (and based on what I know from numerous other sources, I believe it is) few people I have ever run into have made such choices as consciously and adeptly as the adolescent Alanis Morissette. (Most of us will never operate at her level of conscious election at =any= stage in our lives, though USC football coach Pete Carroll comes immediately to mind.)
Morissette sorted her way through literally scores of would-be confederates and mentors (many of whom are =well= rendered herein) from the age of 14 to 19 in her quest to shake off the identity that she had acquiesced to at 12 and 13 (leading to a very successful first album in Canada) and construct a new one.
Ice-skater-turned-talent-developer Stephan Klovan, singer-songwriter-producer Leslie Howe, talent manager Scott Welch and producer Glenn Ballard are profiled in depth here, and that is important because of their immense contributions, but there were many, =many= others. And they are mentioned in sufficient detail to provide a clear documentation of her sharp-eyed choice-making, as well as their considerable contributions. (Her later choice of producer Guy Sigsworth - not covered here - is another illustration of her remarkable ability to "see right through you" for the better, as well as the worse.)
What would make a second edition or her own book intriguing to those who find her lyrically reported adventures so illuminating, of course, are revelations about her =romantic= choice-making... and its discernable upshots. As interpersonally responsible to others - without being co-dependent (at least for very long) - as she is, however, I expect we'll never really know. Morissette may be one of the most self-revealing writers (in =any= creative medium) of our time, but she =is= a boundary setter. And she very charmingly continues to provide the conceptual explanations we can use in our own lives without stepping on the toes of others in her own.
Summary of Alanis Morissette: A Biography
Just two years ago Alanis Morissette was a former teen pop star, dismissed by some as a footnote in Canadian pop history. Then her album Jagged Little Pill sold over 13 million copies worldwide, and a new queen of alternative rock was crowned.
Here Paul Cantin tells the tale of how Morissette transformed herself from failed teenage star into an artist whose work speaks to an entire generation. With multiple Grammys and MTV Awards under her belt; this singer/songwriter has achieved what none thought possible. This is the story of that rare second chance.
Included in this book are: Morissette's own account of her songwriting inspiration, exclusive interview material, a front-row account of the 1996 Grammy Awards, and never before-seen photos. This is the one book no Morrisette fan will want to be without.
Here Paul Cantin tells the tale of how Morissette transformed herself from failed teenage star into an artist whose work speaks to an entire generation. With multiple Grammys and MTV Awards under her belt; this singer/songwriter has achieved what none thought possible. This is the story of that rare second chance.
Included in this book are: Morissette's own account of her songwriting inspiration, exclusive interview material, a front-row account of the 1996 Grammy Awards, and never before-seen photos. This is the one book no Morrisette fan will want to be without.
When You Oughta Know and the other singles from Jagged Little Pill first came blaring out of radios in 1995, their raunchy, confessional lyrics and hard-driving music suggested the arrival of another angst-ridden rock diva--no doubt with history of psychic dysfunction and substance abuse fueling her art. On the contrary, Canadian music journalist Paul Cantin's respectful biography tells us, Alanis Morissette is a consummate professional who wrote her first song at age nine and released a chart-topping Canadian pop album at 16 (in 1991). She had a happy childhood in a close-knit family, growing up in Ottawa, Canada's famously wholesome and dull capital.
Instead of yet another saga of individual excesses vented into a microphone, the real story here proves to be the more interesting drama of a serious, dedicated artist working to make her music more personally meaningful with the same discipline and drive that made her early commercial success possible. Detailed accounts of her collaborations with a slew of songwriters and producers show a maturing Morissette learning to trust her own instincts and stop trying so hard to please her mentors. The result, ironically, was a platinum-selling CD (Jagged Little Pill) that pleased almost everyone. Cantin's circumspect text doesn't offer much for gossip junkies, but his close focus on the creative process is ultimately more satisfying ... though I still want to find out who inspired the jealousy-crazed "You Oughta Know." --Wendy Smith
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