Troupe describes the cultural and musical landscape of St. Louis where both men grew up. The first time Troupe heard Davis play was from a jukebox in a roadside fish joint; from then on he was an avid fan. He studied Davis's recordings, caught his performances at local clubs, and admired his style as an 'unreconstructed' black man - one whose pride, independence, and insistence on pleasing only himself flew in the face of the racist society that surrounded him.

Davis's aloofness was legendary; it wasn't until Troupe was commissioned by Spin magazine to interview the musician that the two had their first real encounter. The half an hour interview stretched into ten hours; after the article appeared Davis invited Troupe to write his life story. Troupe was transformed from fan to collaborator and - after hours upon hours talking with and taping Davis in New York and at his seaside home in Malibu - the two became close friends.

Troupe characterizes Miles Davis as "irascible, contemptuous, brutally honest, ill-tempered when things don't go his way, complex, fair-minded, humble, kind and a son-of-a-bitch." The author's love and appreciation for Davis makes him a keen, though not uncritical, observer. He captures and conveys the power of the musician's presence, the mesmerizing force of his personality, and the restless energy that lay at the root of his creativity. He also shows Davis's lighter side; cooking, prowling the streets of Manhattan, painting, riding his horses at his Malibu home. Troupe discusses Davis's musical output, situating his albums in the context of the times - both political and musical - out of which they emerged.

In addition to being a compelling story of the interaction between two creative personalities, Miles and Me is an unparalleled look at the act of creation and the forces behind it, at how the innovations of one person can inspire both those he knows and loves and the world at large.

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