Dear Mr Pop Star by Derek Philpott

Dear Mr Pop Star

by Derek Philpott

For more than a decade, Derek Philpott and his son, Dave, have been writing to pop stars from the 1960s to the 90s to take issue with the lyrics of some of their best-known songs.

But then, to their great surprise, the pop stars started writing back...

Dear Mr Pop Star contains 100 of Derek and Dave's greatest hits, including correspondence with Katrina and the Waves, Tears for Fears, Squeeze, The Housemartins, Suzi Quatro, Devo, Deep Purple, Nik Kershaw, T’Pau, Human League, Eurythmics, Wang Chung, EMF, Mott the Hoople, Heaven 17, Jesus Jones, Johnny Hates Jazz, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, Chesney Hawkes and many, many more.

Reviewed by zooloo1983 on

5 of 5 stars

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Not quite sure how to review this one. It is not a book per se, but a collection of some of the funniest letters to, yeah you guessed it, pop stars.

I am going to admit from the start, some of these I had to google some of the songs and pop stars but straight away I recognised about 80% of them! I am gutted that some of the letters were unanswered as I think the responses could have been epic!

However, the letters we do have responses to were epic!

I am so honoured to have received a random email one Sunday morning from Dave, asking if I would be interested in taking part in this tour, and I read everything he sent and even my friends who were with me, said this sounded like so much fun!

This tour is huge and I am so happy to be apart of it. When a book is boasting of letters from Wang Chung and Heaven 17 on the front cover, I was sold, I love them both and come on who does not love a bit of Dance Hall Days!

The first letter in and I was struggling to not laugh out loud where Mr Philpott is questioning the Doctor and The Medics on their band name and the response that comes with it. Epic (I know I have said words a LOT but that is what it is!!) To move onto Dr Hook, and I knew I couldn’t contain the giggles for long, especially the letter that was send back.

I love how he questions Cutting Crew on their hit I (Just) died in your arms, and whether this could actually happen. I could go on and on, so many of my favourite songs in this book being questioned, and it was a shame some of the bands/singers did not take part in this. The one to Take That surely deserved an answer, Mr Barlow!!!!!

This is the sort of book that you could pick up and down so many times and never get bored. This is someone taking the lyrics and band names to the literal sense and just asking the questions we all probably think when we hear things on the radio. It takes me back to my youth, remembering each song, and then off to YouTube playing the songs whilst reading add to a fuller experience, I think I might have to make a playlist of the songs that received answers and call it my Dear Mr Pop Star list when I need a pick me up.

What makes this book what it is, is the seriousness of Mr Philpott and the responses they receive in return, it just makes everything so much funnier as each is trying to get their point across, but wondering why they have to make their point in the first place!

Honestly, if there is one book out there that will put a smile on your face it will be this one!

Sequel maybe?

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 23 September, 2018: Finished reading
  • 23 September, 2018: Reviewed