Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin (Paperback)

by Joan Peyser (Author)
Key Phrases: modern music, rehearsal pianist, New York, George Gershwin, Kay Swift (more...)

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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books; 1st ed edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823083322
• ISBN-13: 978-0823083329
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,339,493 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I have mixed feelings., June 30, 2005

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

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 doesn't fall too short in keeping us sufficiently well-informed of Gershwin's musical development in this book. However, her strong suit is Gershwin's personal life, and she raises some interesting theories in that area, some which seem very well-researched and others which seem to be little more than hearsay, though I give her credit for doggedly digging up such obscure hearsay. However, nothing revealed by this hearsay seems out of character for Gershwin based on what we know from earlier more scholarly biographies, so it comes across as quite believable, and answers some of the juicier questions many of us have had about Gershwin's private life. In that sense, its a real page turner.

The principles of scholarly nonfictional writing dictate that an author doesn't print information that didn't come from one or several reliable sources. Peyser has flouted 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 only 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, even sadistic nature (mainly because his mother was such a person), and the other, that it is a FACT, not rumor that Gershwin fathered an illegitimate son. The theory about Gershwin's masochistic streak is interesting, but it really matters not whether the reader buys it or not; it's merely an interesting thing to point out. But the theory about Gershwin's illegitimate son carries more weight, and deserves a closer look.

Other biographies, notably Charles Schwartz' 1973 biography have mentioned the alleged son and his claim to be Gershwin's progeny, immediately making the disclaimer that there is no evidence to prove or disprove his claim. Peyser, on the hand, dives head first into this controversy, throws 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 quite plausible. We do know from numerous reliable sources that Gershwin was a sexual tyrannosaurus, going through scores of women in his short life. We also know that in the 1920s and 30s the use of contraception in casual sexual encounters, when it was used at all, was pretty much limited to the condom, which most men detested, and few carried around with them. We also know from old medical records, 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 bore a striking physical resemblance to George Gershwin, even growing up to be afflicted with the same premature male pattern baldness as George Gershwin. All coincidence? Possibly. 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. When one factors in Joan Peyser's hearsay from friends and employees of Gershwin, it seems almost a certainty.

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 come up with is sketchy and vague, 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 factual information exists but is withheld by its source, forcing the author to dig around the source for any scrap of information to corroborate what is likely true (why else would the source withhold evidence)? Such is the case with Gershwin's alleged son. In all likelihood, there is more than enough evidence to prove or disprove his legitimacy (or illegitimacy, as the case may be). If that evidence could prove his claim to be false, the Gershwin family would have come out with it years ago. So it is reasonable to deduce that the information they will not share with biographers proves the alleged son's claims to be true. It is understandable that family members as wealthy and influential as the Gershwins would seek to guard the image of so great an historical figure as George Gershwin, but it is also understandable that Peyser, sensing that she is onto something, would quote other sources less credible than the Gershwin family 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 (though I can't prove it) even if what she finds cannot prove her to be right. Intuitive journalism, you might call it. I admit that this biography lacks the stamp of responsible journalism, and carries with it a whiff of lasciviousness, yet on the other hand, I believe she is barking up the right tree in most cases, even if she can't prove to our satisfaction that there's really anything up the tree.

If you're really interested in Gershwin's life, from soup to nuts, then you have to read this book, even if you disagree with every word of it.

7 of 7 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!

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Confused & Confusing, December 8, 2005

By	classicalmusiclover (manchester, ct) - See all my reviews

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

A unhealty stew of a book. While there are a few interesting insights, it is poorly integrated with little or no logical development. It reads like a poorly edited Master's thesis. Too much gossip, second and third-hand reports, and gross speculation. Gerwhwin's impact on both popular and "serious" music is severely understated. Probably the best part of the book is the picture section.