Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin [Paperback]

Joan Peyser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

A centennial salute to Gershwin, this stunning, carefully researched volume explores for the first time the composer's dark side, as well as the vital, collaborative role played by his brother, Ira. 72 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A Gershwin run-through, by the biographer of Bernstein (1987) and Boulez (1976): a disjointed mix of familiar anecdotes, so-so musicology, rancid gossip, and psychobabble. The supposed Big Story here is Gershwin's illegitimate son- -born in 1926, Peyser claims, to actress Mollie Charleston, but raised as ``Alan Schneider'' by Mollie's sister and brother-in-law. The primary sources are iffy: a former Gershwin valet and Alan himself, who has admittedly suffered from amnesia. Moreover, Peyser's own credibility is severely compromised by her inclusion, throughout the book, of thirdhand rumors about other illegitimate children and Gershwin's sexual habits. (At one point, we're told what someone said his psychiatrist said another patient said about Gershwin.) Nor are the Gershwin family portraits entirely convincing. According to Peyser, George himself, raised by rejecting parents, was a narcissist with low self-esteem, incapable of real feeling; wounded by bad reviews in the 1930's, he internalized his anger and wound up with a brain tumor. (According to Peyser's medical consultants, it started growing years before he died.) Brother Ira, a blur here, was ``virtually pathological when it came to money,'' under the thumb of ``cruel,'' ``rapacious'' wife Leonore. And there are unsatisfying glimpses of George's many girlfriends, with only Kay Swift emerging as more than a clutch of innuendos. As for the music, Peyser offers the standard ``torn between two worlds'' story: the facile songwriter straining for concert-hall greatness. Her analysis of the symphonic work is serviceable, but her treatment of the songs is unacceptably sketchy, with a thesis--Ira's lyrics tell George's life-story--that doesn't work. Gershwin's dark side may merit more attention than it's gotten in the past, but Peyser's version is too shrill and unscholarly to be taken seriously. Stick with Edward Jablonski (Gershwin, 1987), Deena Rosenberg (Fascinating Rhythm, 1991), and the other more balanced Gershwin commentators. (Thirty-two pages of b&w photographs) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

... provides new insights into the man, his music and the people around him. -- The New York Times Book Review, Ed Lucaire

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books; First edition. edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823083322
• ISBN-13: 978-0823083329
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,794,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Guilty Pleasure, June 30, 2005

By 

Yul S. Pariah (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin (Paperback)

Though I enjoyed this book tremendously, it was a guilty pleasure. Gershwin's musical life has been thoroughly documented in other books, and comparatively Joan Peyser does a decent job of informing the reader of Gershwin's musical development in this book. However, her strong suit is Gershwin's personal life, and her theories and conclusions in that arena range from the very well-researched to blatant hearsay. Peyser's skill at doggedly digging up such obscure hearsay is impressive. Nothing revealed by Peyser's conclusions seems much out of character for Gershwin based on what we know from earlier more scholarly biographies; it all comes across as quite believable, and addresses head-on some of the juicier issues related to Gershwin's private life. In that sense, this book is a real page turner.

If the principles of scholarly biographical writing dictate that an author doesn't print information that didn't come from one or more reliable sources, Peyser has thumbed her nose that principle throughout this book. She frequently presents tantalizing bits of insider information that she obtained from a lone source, or worse yet from a person quoting another person, and in at least one memorable instance, a person quoting another person quoting another person (whew)! Having said that, essentially there are two new theories that she pushes in this book. One, is that Gershwin had a subconscious masochistic streak in him that caused him to gravitate towards people of a cruel, insensitive, selfish, or sadistic nature (theoretically because his mother was such a person), and the other: that it is a FACT, not rumor that Gershwin fathered an illegitimate son. While the former contention is merely interesting, the theory about Gershwin's illegitimate son carries more historical importance, and deserves a closer look.

Other biographies, notably Charles Schwartz' 1973 biography have addressed the alleged son's claim to be Gershwin's progeny while also making the disclaimer that there is no evidence to prove or disprove the alleged son's claim. Peyser, on the hand, dives head first into this controversy, throwing out every bit of information on the matter that she can dig up, from solid proof to secondhand hearsay and let's the reader decide whether or not it is true. Is this responsible journalism? Probably not. Does it mean that the story is nothing more than an outlandish fabrication? No, it does not. From what we do know as fact about Gershwin, the story is plausible. We do know from numerous reliable sources that Gershwin had an enormous sexual appetite, sleeping with dozens of women in his short life. We also know from the medical records of Gershwin's time that a dancer who appeared in George White's Scandals of 1927, one of Gershwin's musicals, gave birth to an illegitimate son in 1928 who grew up to bear a striking physical resemblance to George Gershwin, including the same premature male pattern baldness famously characteristic of the adult George Gershwin. All coincidence? Perhaps. But based only these facts alone, it is not hard to believe that Gershwin fathered at illegitimate child. It would be harder to believe that he did not. The odds were certainly against him.

I do believe there are certain exceptions to the principles of scholarly journalism, however questionable and unsavory they may be. One exception is when clear factual information simply does not exist to prove a theory, and the best proof an author can muster is circumstantial, e.g., Tchaikovsky's homosexuality. There is no solid proof to back up this claim OTHER than hearsay, and yet it is mentioned in all modern biographies of Tchaikovsky, and generally accepted as fact by the public. Another exception is when solid factual information is known to exist by the author but is withheld by its source, forcing the author to dig around for scraps from less reliable sources in order to corroborate what is known to be true behind closed doors. Such may be the case with Gershwin's alleged son. In all likelihood, there is more than enough evidence to prove or disprove the alleged son's legitimacy (or illegitimacy, as the case may be) as George Gershwin's son. If evidence exists that could disprove the claim of Gershwin's alleged son, one would think that the Gershwin family would have made it public years ago. Therefore, it is reasonable to deduce that the information that they refuse to share with biographers would prove the alleged son's claims to be true. It is understandable that George Gershwin's descendants would want to protect the image of so important an historical figure as George Gershwin, but it is also understandable that Peyser, sensing that she is onto something, would feel compelled to quote less credible sources than the Gershwin family in order to make a case for an important matter in the life of her subject.

I sense that this author has a good nose for sniffing out the truth behind a story even if the proof of her contentions fails to meet good journalistic standards . Intuitive journalism, one could call it. While I am the first to admit that this biography lacks the stamp of responsible journalism, and smacks of lasciviousness, I believe the author is barking up the right tree in most cases, even if she is unable to prove beyond a doubt that there's anything actually up the tree.

A must-read for anyone seriously interested in Gershwin's life, even if one disagrees with every word of it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Certainly Not Trash, May 24, 2005

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin (Hardcover)

This is much more than trash. I found it an unholy but compelling stew. This biography seeks to unmask Gershwin legends while touching on Gershwin's family, 20th century music trends, Broadway, popular song, and the zeitgeist. Granted, it does not tie these things together with any sort of elegance!

Peyser is not afraid to shoot from the hip. Sometimes she overextends and misses...sometimes she is truly persuasive about the players' psychology and motivations.

It's a weird read, combining the recollections of a 101 year old Gershwin family member with observations on Stravinsky's development as a composer. But I'm glad I read it. And I respect this author for doing what she could to record the recollections of people decades after the events. That, in itself, is no mean scholarly contribution!

When someone of remarkable talent and an extraordinary personality dies young, memories become rosy and sometimes a saint enters the historic record. This author doggedly shows just how prickly and unpleasant George Gershwin and many of his family members could be.

Finally, I feel obliged to note that this author seems very indebted to Jablonski's *Gershwi*.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage In - Garbage Out, November 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin (Paperback)

This book proves the old computing adage! It's too bad the author doesn't have any solid research to back up the wild claims she makes about Gershwin's life. Too bad there isn't less than one star on amazon.com ratings, this book deserves far less.