A Cure For Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage by Joe Jackson
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Book Reviews of A Cure For Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage
Book Review: Way better than I thought it was going to be
Summary: 5 Stars
Even if you're not a fan of Joe Jackson, you'll find this book a fascinating read. Most celebrity autobiographies are a litany of sex, drugs, and self-serving anecdotes, but this book focuses on the journey of becoming a true musician. It is self-effacing, funny, and filled with wonderful philosophical observations. It's one of the best books I've read all year.Book Review: A Lesson on Pursuing One's Passions...
Summary: 5 Stars
All I can say is that you don't have to be a musician to enjoy this book. If you are a human being and dream of of pursuing a passion then read this book. Funny, moving and instructive.Book Review: England, Joe Jackson
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I are Joe Jackson fans. He is a great musician. This book gives insight to his music, and how it came about. We highly recommend this book.Book Review: Splendid Memoir of a Music Icon!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been a Joe Jackson since his unforgettable video debut on MTV in Stepping Out. This book is about his wonderful career in the business of making and playing music. He doesn't namedrop as often enough. He writes about his upbringing in a working-class family. He aspired to be a musician despite the other kids' cruelty at school. He was accepted and made it into the Royal Academy of Music with fellow classmates like Annie Lennox. Joe writes candidly about his awkward teen years, his budding sexuality, his discovery of girls who only liked him as a friend but he wanted more, and being an outcast. It's something that I can relate too as not fitting in. He writes about his life in Portsmouth and his life in New York City, his adopted hometown. He doesn't come across as arrogant but more or less just honest about his life and that's something I respect him for that. I would give five stars but there are no pictures in the book about his life. Maybe that's the way he probably wanted it. Regardless, it's an entertaining book and I'm going to mail it to a friend of mine trained in classical music and voice who might find it refreshing that Joe Jackson is a Beethoven fan. He should be on the British honors list for his services and contributions to music. He writes quite candidly about his circumcision as an adult and his relationship with his former wife, Ruth Rogers Wright. Jackson seems to be comfortable within himself. He sets a good example for musicians today who are struggling or those who are conflicted with success and fame without losing their identity. I gave a star less because there are no pictures of him or his family or his life.Book Review: Great rags story, not-so-great riches story
Summary: 3 Stars
I had this impending sense of dread as I read this book. It is the dread that comes with closing in on what has been a fine read, but noticing that, with only a few chapters left, the parts you REALLY want to hear about won't get covered. True enough, Jackson gives us over 260 pages of a great musical coming-of-age story, and then chucks the years we actually know him for into about fifteen. This is intentional (see page 274, where he literally announces the end of the tome since, you know, all that stuff that you bought in the 80s and beyond that might have had cool back stories too is simply "public record").
If you want to hear some more horror stories about English cats ni bad venues with band problems, this one is certainly as entertaining (and more erduite) than the rest. But I've heard those stories. Those are Joe Jackson stories, sure, but so are the stories after 1980. I know I have a host of questions I'd ask if given the opportunity. Sadly, none of them are answered by an otherwise strong effort.