“Daisy Jones & The Six” in six words – passion, music, love, loss, drugs and drama.
The series is centered around the rise and fall of the fictional 1970s band, Daisy Jones & The Six. Loosely based on the story of real-life ‘70s rock band Fleetwood Mac, The Six navigate various relationships while creating chart-topping hits.
I first fell in love with “Daisy Jones & The Six” in the summer of 2022 after reading the book in practically one sitting. My love of ‘70s music coupled with Reid’s heart-wrenching storytelling and witty one-liners sold the fictional band to me and put the book near the top of my all-time-favorites list.
That being said I had high standards diving into this series. Here are my thoughts:
Casting
All of the characters seem to be plucked right out of the book.
The title character, Daisy Jones, is played by Elvis’ granddaughter, Riley Keough. Her fiery hair and personality encompass the anti-heroine that readers loved in the novel. Daisy struggles with substance abuse throughout the series, so when reading the book I envisioned the character as much more sloppy and strung out. However this was something Keough didn’t fully embrace, which could have been a director’s choice and not the actress’.
Keough shares the screen with Hunger Games heartthrob Sam Claflin, playing Billy Dunne. The actor did a great job of showing Billy’s rollercoaster of addiction and recovery and the struggle of choosing between his wife and Daisy.
The strength of the show’s casting is present in the supporting cast. In the book, it was easy to confuse the Six’s male bandmates Graham Dunne, Eddie Roundtree and Warren Rhodes. Actors Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse and Sebastian Chacon create distinguishable personalities for each of the three characters. Chacon’s cocky and hilarious portrayal of Warren Rhodes was particularly memorable and he became my favorite character.
Fashion
Designer Denise Wingate did a great job with the series’ fashion. The outfits look authentic and match each character’s persona. They accurately hit each of the signature ‘70s hairstyles.
There is no doubt that this show will create an uptick in ‘70s inspired fashion. In fact, there is a Free People line influenced by the show. Daisy’s outfits have made me rethink my entire closet, and I found myself gravitating towards flowy kimonos and cropped, knit tank tops.
Music
When I heard that “Daisy Jones” was going to be turned into a series, I was most excited for the lyrics written in the book to be turned into real songs. The Six’s album “Aurora” does not disappoint. Music Producer Blake Mills teamed up with singers like Marcus Mumford and Phoebe Bridgers to create 25 original songs for the series. Hard-hitting rock songs like “Regret Me” and “Please” communicate Daisy and Billy’s internal conflicts. My favorite song on the album is “The River.” It has the most Fleetwood Mac-like sound out of any of the tracks.
I was most impressed to hear that the songs are actually performed by the actors and that most of them didn’t have musical experience before shooting. The actors participated in an intense three-month band camp to learn the ins-and-outs of their respective instruments. Despite Keough’s familial musical background, she had never sung herself. Her voice carries all of the songs she is featured in.
Overall, “Daisy Jones & The Six” is definitely one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen, and it lived up to all of my expectations from when I first fell in love with the book. Excellent casting and musical production helped Reid’s story come to life. I hope that others will continue to be pulled in by The Six’s seductive melodies and fall in love with the band as I did.