Customer Reviews

Piano Girl: A Memoir

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the paperback edition of Piano Girl: Lessons in Life, Music, and the Perfect Blue Hawaiian

Like the good old Barbra Streisand staple, Robin Meloy Goldsby shares with us the memories that light the corners of her mind, and true to the lyrics, it's the laughter we will remember, whenever we remember this personal and funny autobiography.

Beginning her working career as a waitress, the author's inability to balance food and beverages without causing grievous bodily harm quickly prompted a switch to another occupation. When practice sessions on the piano at the Club Car lead to an offer to play for the patrons five nights a week, Ms. Goldsby exchanges her hair net for beach-blanket Barbie attire, and delights the audience with her collection of 12 songs and her "fake book" which is used when you need to bluff your way through a musical request.

Eventually, tube tops evolve into cocktail dresses, and cocktail lounges become ritzy hotel lobbies, luxury island resorts and even castles, but Ms. Goldsby continues to amaze and amuse with her observations from the business side of the piano.

Designing agents, questionable bookings and embarrassing situations are all described here in glorious detail, but above all, the colorful, eccentric and certifiably crazy characters encountered make for an enjoyable reading experience.

It's obvious that if Ms. Goldsby had the chance to do it all again, she certainly would.


Amanda Richards

If you like to laugh, and enjoy sightseeing, Piano Girl is a journey I would highly recommend! This collection of anecdotes will introduce you to unforgettable people and places. What's more, even though you'll often find yourself laughing out loud, you might also shed a few tears. You don't have to be a musician to relate to the stories, either. This book is so brilliantly written, that even though the stories are told from a piano player's perspective, you will still undoubtedly catch glimpses of your own life. In fact, reading Piano Girl is essentially reading life. As you travel through her memories, you will have a sense of witnessing the author's own transformation and growth. When you finish this book, which you won't be in a hurry to do, you will have the satisfaction of just having leafed through someone's cherished scrap-book. Most likely, you'll want to keep it on the same shelf as your own.

You won't learn anything technical about piano playing from reading this memoir, nor is there an abundance of great profundity, but darn if I didn't breeze right through this book, not missing a beat and enjoying every page.

Here's how it is: Imagine meeting a smart, attractive woman at a party, learning she makes a respectable living playing piano in lounges, lobbies and private parties around the world, and finding she can tell charming, frequently quite funny stories about her most memorable adventures and misadventures plying her trade, dealing with a colorful mix of memorable clients, bosses, co-workers and weirdos.

Never boring, this woman--with her compelling yin-yang mix of insecurity, spunk, humbleness and bravado--knows how to tell a bright, tight story, keeping things light-hearted with her sharp sense of irony, but grounded in a passion for her work and the artistry she struggles to refine, understand and appreciate amidst the jumble and chatter of cocktail hours with an audience that may or may not be listening to, let alone care about, the beauty and witty nuances (or occasional stumbles) of craft she shares with the world.

If you think you'd enjoy spending a few hours with that kind of woman--content in knowing she's never going home with you and that her most intimate and revealing stories are bound to be reserved for that someone very special who is not you--then you will likely enjoy this book as I have. And from ever on you will feel a special connection when you come across a piano girl plying her art. You will be one of those who listens in a knowing way, having a special respect for her work, respect she deserves and will likely truly appreciate.

(And don't forget to make note of the Piano Girl's large brandy snifter tip jar: It's for no-obligation cash, not damp napkins with your hotel room number scrawled on it!)

I laughed, I cried, it was better than "Cats" (although I'm sure Robin's had to play "Memory" more times than she can count!) Don't read this book in public unless the idea of strangers watching you laugh out loud all by yourself doesn't bother you. Have a favorite beverage handy, but don't drink and read at the same time; solo spit takes aren't pretty. Lastly, don't read too quickly, because you'll be sad to leave the company of this wonderful lady and this hilarious, often poignant memoir. As for me, I'll never leave the house without a roll of duct tape and an extension cord again.

I've known Goldsby for years and we are friends, so no doubt I was curious and excited to read her first book---a collection of essays relating to her life as a pianist. I figured no matter how good or bad the writing was I would be a good friend and support her efforts. Oh boy...what a WRITER she turned out to be and what a PLEASURE it has been to support her effort and her first book. This book is hard to put down! It is compelling, endearing, funny, poignant, and extremely well written. I have bought many copies to give out as gifts and have found that people from all walks of life has appreciated her style, wit and ability to connect with her readers. No wonder Publishers Weekly gave it a big thumbs up. I can't wait for the next book! *****

You learn, first of all, what is essential to take to every gig. Aside from her father's list, Robin also packed along her sense of humor and adventure as well as a never say die spirit that kept the show going despite crazy drunks, wild children, and the invasion of huge NYC cockroaches.

"Piano Girl" is not just a reflection of one woman's life playing in bars and hotels across the world from Pittsburgh to German castles, but what she sees in the audience as she's playing. The pictures are painted with compassion and a whole lot of humor.

You also learn which musician to get serious with. Robin says she's dated them all, and it'd surprise you who the best man to settle down with is.

Plus, a whole lot of thinking outside of the box in odd situations. Precisely what do you do when you're the Maid of Honor and the pianist for a Chinese wedding at Riker's Island Prison? Or, when a celebrity appears in the audience? How about how do you handle a tryout as a circus dancer if you really can barely dance? Or, what song to play when a 70-year-old woman has just left the restroom and gone up in the hotel's glass elevator with her skirt tucked up in her panties exposing herself to the lobby?

I don't normally read memoirs, but I found "Piano Girl" a well-written and entertaining read. May you play tickle those ivories for many years to come, Robin!

Rebecca Kyle, May 2008

Below are links to Ms. Goldsby's musical CDs as well:

Songs from the Castle

Twilight

Somewhere In Time

Read this for a thorough treat of hilarity, sentimentality, and interesting information couched in grammatically perfect text. We have sent several copies as gifts that were enthusiastically acknowledged; lent our own copy which has not been returned.

As a fellow club musician, I was hoping to find a kindred spirit lurking in the pages of this book and I was not disappointed. Despite the surprising length of "Piano Girl"...just under 300 pages, the reflections are amusing, weird, touching, and occasionally amazing and the book held my attention from start to finish. Although her writing skills are not up to say, Nabokov, they are far better than you might expect going in, and really there are only a couple of somewhat awkward moments of English usage in the entire book! Quite an accomplishment I would say. I would recommend this book to aspiring artists and anyone who enjoys an unusual memoir. Nice job Robin!

Piano Girl is one of those rare books you pick up and can't put down.

Robin may be a wonderful entertainer when she's seated at the piano, but she's also
an incredible entertainer when she writes a book.

If you've been on either side of the piano (playing for an audience, or in the audience) you will
appreciate this book. It really is laugh out loud funny. Robin pulls no punches here, she tells it
like it is. And with her many years of experience playing in all kinds of places, she has no lack of material.

Even if you've never touched a piano, or been to a piano bar (what, you've never been to a piano bar?), you'll
still enjoy this book. Robin does a great job of painting the pictures and drawing you into her stories.

I feel very lucky she joined our piano forums ( [...] ) because we get to continue to enjoy
her rare talents (drop by and read the ongoing thead "Let's Talk About Weddings").

Can't wait for the sequel, or better yet, the movie :-)

Frank B.
Founder/Host
Piano World
[...]

First, a confession: the author of this delightful book was a classmate of mine at Chatham College in the '70s. That being said, the true and charming tales about her career as a lounge pianist were even more witty than I could have ever imagined, though told by the very talented and funny "piano girl" that I fondly remember. Robin's ability to vividly describe with words the wacky world in which her chosen career propelled her, is comparable to that of a fine artist's creative use of color, line, and perspective in a painting. Although my own journey, while interesting, hasn't had nearly as many twists and turns as Robin's, what a pleasure to go back in time with her on such a thrilling ride, all from the comfort and safety of my own reading chair! In addition to causing me to laugh so hard that my sides hurt, "Piano Girl" also contained many moments that made my heart ache for the passionate and daring days of my youth. I suspect that many readers will feel the same way. I highly recommend this well-written memoir, (although I hope your spouse doesn't throw you out of bed for laughing too loud while you're reading it). That, too, is a true story!