A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage [Hardcover]

Joe Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

A renowned composer and one-time pop star's charming, funny, inspiring memoir of becoming--and evolving as--a musician. Since the release of his first smash bestselling album Look Sharp in 1979, Joe Jackson has forged a singular career in music through his originality as a composer and his notoriously independent stance toward music business fashion. He has also been a famously private person, whose disdain for the rituals of celebrity has led some to call him effete and self-important.That reputation is bound to be shattered by A Cure for Gravity, Jackson's enormously entertaining and self-revealing memoir of growing up musical, from a culturally impoverished childhood in a rough English port town to the Royal Academy of Music, London's punk and new wave scenes, and the brink of pop stardom. Jackson describes his life as a teenage Beethoven fanatic; playing his first piano gigs to audiences of glass-throwing skinheads; and life on the road with long-forgotten club bands. Throughout, he finds a hundred excuses to share his thoughts on musicians past and present, on record companies and critics, on why music is like both sex and religion (and why it isn't), why he loves Shostakovich and The Prodigy and hates Brahms and Brian Eno, and how music saved him from becoming "one of those sad bastards you see milling around outside the pub at closing time, looking for a fight."In 1992, Jackson decided to "retire from the pop world." This book evolved as he tried to figure out what to do next. Far from a standard-issue celebrity autobiography, A Cure for Gravity is an intelligent, passionate book about music, the creative process, and coming of age as an artist.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Something more than a journeyman and less than a superstar, Joe Jackson has a reputation for being a reclusive and prickly character. But he refuses the low road with A Cure for Gravity, a resolutely non-lurid autobiography of a man who considers music to be a noble calling. It matters not that the author was once lumped in with England's insurgent first-generation punks and new-wavers; here Jackson insistently focuses on his development as a composer, player, and performer, approximately in that order. Born to modest means in a setting where a sickly, creative youngster such as Jackson was regarded with suspicion, if not contempt, the young Brit was trained in the classics and developed his keyboard skills, playing everything from cabaret to progressive rock before finally setting off on his own as a sharp-tongued, ska-influenced Angry Young Man. A more sophisticated musician than his rag-tag running mates (he's recently released an ambitious fusion of pop, jazz, and classical elements dubbed Symphony No. 1), Jackson revels in the intricacies of his craft--as much or more than he does in telling his own up-from-the-gutter tale. Old new-wavers who remember the author from his 1978 Look Sharp! debut and devotees of his more stylish early '80s recordings may be caught off guard by the short shrift Jackson gives his actual recording career; indeed, he shrugs off a couple decades in the final pages of the book. But the articulate, idiosyncratic author is clearly more interested in addressing what makes a musician than what happens once a musician has it made. --Steven Stolder

From Publishers Weekly

To the credit of popular 1980s British singer/composer Jackson ("Is She Really Going Out with Him?" "Steppin' Out"), there is little melodrama to this bookAhis hit recordings, beginning with Look Sharp in 1979, receive only brief mention in the final chapters. Instead, Jackson presents a portrait of the artist as a young geek, detailing the quiet undulations of his life as an intensely introspective, gifted musician growing up outside of London, studying at conservatory and touring around in much derided bar bands. We see the 14-year-old Jackson obsessing over Beethoven's Eroica symphony ("As the fanfare comes to a halt, there's a pregnant pause: What's this lunatic going to do now?"); we see him on his way to the Royal Academy of Music ("As the ferry docked, the workers poured like a sluggish plague of locusts through the Dockyard Gate, and I boarded the London train"); and we see him pouring beer on drunk women during bar fights in obscure locations. Fellow musicians, no matter their chosen genre, may see themselves in Jackson's accounts of pathetic pub gigs and unpleasant music industry dealings. Jackson is an easy, natural writer, sometimes an excellent one. He is often funny, and though a bit digressive, the book is worth reading for its style alone. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891620509
• ISBN-13: 978-1891620508
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,430,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rewarding literary journey for any fan of music, October 29, 1999

By 

Paul F. Johnson (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage (Hardcover)

As a devoted fan of Joe Jackson, A Cure for Gravity was something I HAD to read, just as the purchase of each of his musical releases is mandatory. But this book isn't just for JJ fans. It's for anyone who's tried to come to terms with that most enigmatic of subjects -- why are we so drawn to and rewarded by this thing called music?

It's a tricky subject to tackle for anyone, and the fact that a (some would say) faded pop star has taken a whack is probably doomed to failure. The book, however, reveals much about what makes an artist just that, and also why so many of us find ourselves touched by music in a way nothing else can move us.

That all sounds very serious, perhaps a bit maudlin to some, and the book does address some heady philosophical subjects. It also made me laugh out loud often as Joe weaves some highly entertaining tales about gigs gone bad, singular characters in the music world, and aspects of his own, often misunderstood character.

It's a great musical memoir in its classic "rise to the top" storytelling, and those parts of the book will appeal to any reader. Damn, if the man isn't as skilled with the computer keyboard as he is with the piano. His lengthy discussions on the nature of music's appeal, though, might turn off the casual reader, but end up being the essential central theme of the book for those of us who are caught under the spell of music.

First, read this book, then start listening to Joe's musical releases over the last 10 years and you'll begin to understand exactly what he's trying to uncover with this ambitious, and successful work.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than I thought it was going to be, April 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cure For Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage (Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for Joe Jackson Fans, December 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage (Hardcover)

Joe Jackson defined music for many fans, particularly in the 30-45 age group. We developed with him from the early pop days into more introspective, searching concepts and, ultimately, into experimentation with grander musical explorations. In this book, he drops his guard and finally invites us to share the development of his musical identity. As in his music, his searches through uncharted territory don't always work perfectly, but the results are funny, engaging, and consistently readable. Very highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed the music.