C'Mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus

Star of the hit Partridge family, Cassidy saturated the bubblegum market in the early 70's, even as his own personal tastes ran more towards hard rock and the counterculture (like many baby boomers then) Reportedly, he was getting more fan mail than the rest of the show combined and selling out more concerts than the Beatles. The meteoric rise to fame was accompanied by a string of personal issues that were not considered appropriate to air at the time-consequently he was more glum than one might think. The book chronicles his relationship with the rest of the cast (especially co-star Susan Dey) his agent and especially his father, actor Jack Cassidy. Despite the liberated premise of the Partridge family, Cassidy's real life experience was more ambivalent. Because dysfunctional family had not entered popular culture at that point in time (and references to those families were invariably slanted towards lower economic classes) Cassidy did not have the words to describe what he was feeling at the time, except he understood that he was frustrated about the past and the bizarre dichotomy between his public and private personas. At the end of the day, he was a person who was simply looking for somebody to truly love him for himself and not as his on screen alter-ego Keith Partridge. Unfortunately, he did not quite know what else he wanted yet, and this book does an excellent job of taking the reader through that sometimes painful and difficult journey. Although the revelations contained in this book might be too frank for some people, I personally found them a refreshing antidote to the star biographies which are super slick. The ability to be candid with who you are and what your needs are is an important step in the journey to finding your true self.

...then you have to buy this book. It tells you about the REAL David Cassidy, not the made up image portrayed on the Partridge family. I used to be his "#1 fan" when I was a kid so never in a million years did I guess what the real David was like. I'm so proud of him for telling us all the truth about his life and feelings. This was a very good book. He was honest, and the book was extremely interesting. There are some good photo's in there too.

I thought this book was wonderful.It took me less than ten hours to read It ansererd a lot of qustions I never knew about David Cassidy. This book is about how he found himself in the end I'm Glad he's is back in the spotlight better than ever. And happy with himself

I recently received the book as a birthday present - purchased through Ebay. I couldn't put it down. It included details and specific examples and incidents, it was honest and above all INTERESTING. I have more respect for Cassidy's acting now, knowing how different his own personality was from that of Keith Partridge. I can't stand actors who always play themselves. I didn't see the book as bragging as one reviewer put it, but rather an up close and honest look at who David Cassidy was and is including what was important to him and what was available as far as recreational activities for the accidental shut in.

Sure, David Cassidy had an active sex life. After all, it was the 70s, he was the biggest teen idol of the entire decade, and he was the star of an incredibly popular TV show. But what some reviewers seem to miss is that his personal life was incredibly compromised by his stardom...considering his lifestyle, it really didn't seem possible for him to have a "meaningful relationship" with anybody. This book shows how he survived an almost suffocating sort of fame and lived to tell about it, with great humor and wisdom. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of David's but I was STILL pleasantly surprised at how funny and honest this book was. Not many people would decide to call it quits at the height of their fame, but David wisely saw the writing on the wall and got out while he still had his sanity. The years that followed do not sound pleasant by any means, but to his credit, he seems to have learned some very important life lessons from this dark period. If you're interested in learning about "the making of a teen idol", this book is for you. The picture isn't pretty, but it is fascinating. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the GORGEOUS photos of David included in this book...that shag haircut still makes my heart flutter. David Cassidy...still a fox after all these years! ;) P.S. to Susan Dey: I feel for you, Susan...I know what it's like to love him, too!