A review by ryanfyan
Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis
4.0
Conversational, confessional writing done very well and to the extreme. Miles talks very candidly in his autobiography, rarely caring whose feelings or reputation will be affected, his own included. He comes across as a pretty big asshole at times (and seems more aware of it at some points than others) but it’s hard to argue with the completeness of the book as a portrait of Miles Davis for better or worse.
Everything that is said about the music itself is superb. Even the dozens of paragraphs that are just lists of personnel for certain lineups are somehow interesting to read. The way Miles thought about music is evergreen and applicable to any musician, or, hell, any person on Earth who considers themself to be even one percent creative. His golden rules: stand up for yourself, keep up with the times, and place style at the center of everything you do.
Everything that is said about the music itself is superb. Even the dozens of paragraphs that are just lists of personnel for certain lineups are somehow interesting to read. The way Miles thought about music is evergreen and applicable to any musician, or, hell, any person on Earth who considers themself to be even one percent creative. His golden rules: stand up for yourself, keep up with the times, and place style at the center of everything you do.