Eternal Flame

The Authorized Biography of The Bangles

De: Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

Narrado por: Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

The authorized biography of the quintessential ’80s pop band The Bangles, who scored massive hits with “Manic Monday,” Walk Like an Egyptian,” “Hazy Shade of Winter,” and more

From their first meeting in 1981, The Bangles were ambitious, focused, and intentional; their hard-work and determination resulted in millions of records sold across the globe, before becoming the first all-girl band to have five “Top 10” hits. Not long after coming together, they toured the world, released #1 records, and collaborated with the biggest artists of the day. They seemed unstoppable—until tensions within the band, artistic differences, and the pressures of sudden celebrity tore them apart less than a decade later.

ETERNAL FLAME is the story of those eight years: of a diverse and vibrant Los Angeles music scene, unfettered work ethics and self-belief, the dawn of MTV, the unpredictable consequences of fame, life as a touring band, and their rapid rise to global domination--then imploding at the height of success. But it’s also a story of the very real challenges faced by women attempting to follow their artistic dreams in a media and music industry ecosystem which seemed set up for their failure from the start.

With unprecedented access to founding members Debbi Peterson, Susanna Hoffs, and Vicki Peterson, ETERNAL FLAME is the first authorized biography of this iconic group, featuring exclusive stories, input, and interviews from the pioneering band members themselves as well as those that knew them best. From playing the club circuit in 1980s' LA to bunking with Sting during a PR trip to the UK to topping the Billboard charts, to interludes with Prince and appearances on the definitive MTV, ETERNAL FLAME traces the band’s rise to superstardom, taking listeners behind-the-scenes and sharing with them never-before-shared anecdotes and personal ephemera.

As Debbi herself notes, “I think it's about time that our true story was told. People only see certain aspects of The Bangles, especially as the media has twisted the past and we have been misrepresented for a long time. Plus, certainly in the eighties, we were women making it in a man's world. I think that needs to be celebrated.”

Dynamic, daring, and deliciously entertaining from start to finish, ETERNAL FLAME is a tribute to one of the greatest pop bands of the 20th century—and a long-overdue corrective that restores The Bangles to their rightful place in music history as feminist trailblazers.

©2025 Jennifer Otter Bickerdike (P)2025 Hachette Books

Realism

I really enjoyed it. It was a great ride through the 80’s . Sad tale thought

More Detail (Just Not Dirt)Than You Ever Hoped For

Without any knowledge of the author or her background, I started into Eternal Flame looking for some amazing backstory on one of the greatest bands of the 80s. As a 40 year pop radio DJ and program director, I came for the dirt, and came away relatively clean...brushing nothing more than a little dust from my sleeves, but appreciative for how the author illustrated the pressures in and around the band. While I was just thrilled that this was a rock and roll title not voiced by the overused workhorse, Fred Berman, but within the first chapter alone, I would have been thrilled to hear him jump in. Jennifer Otter Bickendike came across initially as a lispy fan girl, but whose read improved as the book progressed. To her credit, the author was well researched with hundreds of hours of interviews, citations from magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and other books, and earned respect with each passing chapter. Like most, I ended up hating producer David Kahne, whose work on the first two albums was respectable, but at a detriment to the overall health of the band and its members. At times, Otter Bickendike drove the point home relentlessly with excessive quotes and occasionally retold stories that were explained minutes earlier. She also lost credibility on certain pronunciations like "Mrs. Bono", saying Sonny's wife's last name like the singer for U2..."Abollonia" numerous times instead of Apollonia (Kotero) or "Akron" (Ohio) with a long A. You could make a drinking game out of how many times she said "Liverpudlians". Otter Bickendike writes for the visual word quite well. I would recommend this title in the printed format for that reason. She is not an industry lightweight, however. Having a couple books on Brittney Spears under her belt, I was unsure how this capsule on the Bangles would come across. She's earned her barnacles and my appreciation on a thoughtful and well-researched book. It makes me want to now check into her books on Brittney! I just wanted more stories. You can research details until you're blue in the face, but its the stories that sell the books. I was tired of the David Kahne, Prince, and jealousy threads quickly.

She did leave me with one question, however. Why was Micki Steele omitted from the laundry list of thank yous that included Dr. Otter Bickendike's dog in the acknowledgments?

Great band, mediocre book.

The narration really made this hard to get through. Just not a pleasant voice.
Story itself wasn’t bad.

Prince, a ‘princess’ and petty jealousies.

Any Bangles fan worth their salt already knows about the connection of Prince to the band as well as the basic reason for their break up. After so many years, this is NOT the book about the Bangles that fans deserve. First off, addressing the Prince connection: I think the only reason that the author finally stopped mentioning Prince was that she ran out of cute little nicknames for him. Secondly, addressing petty jealousies: As a Bangles fan, I am even more saddened, but more disappointed, after listening to this book. Yes, what happened is history, but that does not mean that fans want to hear about it to exhaustion. The author’s gravelly voice made each minute even more difficult to bear. What fans wanted to hear was the truth, of course, but we did not want a group therapy session forever memorialized- for everyone to air their grievances. What we wanted were more of the inside accounts- like some hidden insights behind some of the music videos or more funny stories like when Debbi accidentally unplugged George Michael’s centipede game. There is a brief mention in later chapters that there WERE good times- THEN LET’S HEAR ABOUT THEM! Let’s hear more about the inspiration behind some of the songs! After so many years, this was a great disappointment to a true fan. if I actually would’ve taken the time to read the printed book instead of listening to this on audiobook as I traveled back-and-forth to work, I would be suing someone for 20 some hours of my life back.