MIRROR IN THE SKY

A scholarly account of the musical icon’s impact on rock.

Morrison, a professor of music history at Princeton and author specializing in 20th-century Russian and Soviet music, shows how writing about pop culture is not as easy as it may seem. He does well with the early part of Nicks’ life, using a framework of biographical details and previously published interviews to flesh out how and why she became a singer. Morrison also skillfully handles deep dives into the imagery of Nicks’ lyrics, providing more information about the legend of Rhiannon than most fans will want to know. “The main character in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is an otherworldly woman who marries Pwyll, the mortal prince of Dyfed (South Wales),” writes the author. “Rhiannon is associated with three songbirds who accompany her; mythographers have also associated her with the Gaulish horse goddess, Epona.” Unfortunately, throughout the narrative, Morrison drops in long asides about subjects that are tangential to Nicks and her artistry, including a lengthy bit about cocaine and its origins and uses: “Cocaine is extracted from the paste of the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca shrub that grows in the Andes Mountains, and its use goes back over a millennium to ancient spiritual practices.” More problematic are the pages of detailed descriptions about recording sessions that don’t involve Nicks as well as snide, speculative comments about her behavior (“she asks to dash to the bathroom, presumably for a bump”) and that of others in her orbit. Furthermore, because some of Nicks’ collaborators spoke to Morrison, but she did not, there is often a feel of them being more responsible for the music than her—which is odd given that Nicks is the only woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice.

A dry biography that lacks the mystical sparkle and steely resolve of the superstar’s success.