Shake, rattle and write: why the music memoir is booming

From Bono to Jarvis Cocker, Bruce Springsteen to Cosey Fanni Tutti, the last decade has seen an explosion of books by artists from every walk of musical life. Why is this once-rare genre striking a chord with stars and readers alike?By her own admission, Miki Berenyi was not a woman itching to write a memoir. Even if she had been, she says, why would anyone have been interested? Her band, Lush, were “never that big”. They enjoyed cult alt-rock success in the early 90s, scored three Top 30 singles in the Britpop era, and broke up in 1996. They briefly reformed in 2015, but broke up again after less than a year, keen “to return to our families and homes”. When a publisher approached her with the idea of an autobiography, she says, “I literally laughed in his fucking face – I was like: ‘Why would I want to do that? That sounds ridiculous.’”But then Berenyi lost her job as a subeditor when the magazine she worked for folded. “Lockdown was looming, and I thought, ‘Oh shit, actually this isn’t a great time to be looking for a job’, so I kind of … It was a bit more pragmatic than a burning ambition.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-15 08:00:25 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Shake, rattle and write: why the music memoir is booming"


8 Fabulous New Nonfiction Books to Add to Your TBR in October

October is full of fabulous nonfiction books to add to your TBR, from a speculative memoir to a mediation on bears and the natural world. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-02 10:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Looking back, Sarah Cooper 'wasn't ready' for viral fame: 'I suffered a lot of humiliation'

In a new memoir about her sudden rise, Cooper, who came to prominence lip-syncing Donald Trump, faces the personal and professional costs of going viral. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-02 10:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Jeopardy' vet Amy Schneider runs the board on drugs, polyamory, transphobia and more

Schneider's memoir 'In the Form of a Question' mines the 'Jeopardy!' star's life — acid trips, polyamory, fame, fears and how Leo DiCaprio didn't do it for her. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-30 15:38:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Collision of Power,’ by Martin Baron

“Collision of Power,” Martin Baron’s memoir of his tenure as the paper’s executive editor, is a gripping chronicle of politics and journalism in a period of instability for both. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-30 09:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Coming and Going,’ by Jim Goldberg

“Coming and Going” is the photographer Jim Goldberg’s visual memoir of three generations in his family, from 1980 to today. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-29 09:02:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Interview: Patrick Stewart

“I acted Macbeth for exactly 365 days,” says the actor, whose new memoir is “Making It So.” “The role got into me so deeply it dominated my life at the time and caused me to drink too much alcohol after the performance was over. No other role I have played has affected me so profoundly.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-28 09:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Obituary: Echo Brown

Author and performer Echo Brown, widely praised for her genre-fluid YA novels that blend memoir and magical realism, died September 16 from renal failure. She was 39. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Painful Afterlife of a Cruel Policy

Across memoir and fiction, Fae Myenne Ng has explored the true cost of the Chinese Exclusion era. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2023-09-26 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Cassidy Hutchinson Reappears. She Has More Trump Stories to Tell.

“I would like not to be a hermit,” the former White House aide says upon the publication of a memoir about her journey down a political rabbit hole. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-23 12:54:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Audiobook Review: ‘Alive and Well Enough,’ by Jeff Daniels

The actor’s audio-only memoir delivers songs, stories and scenes with humor and vulnerability. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-22 09:01:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Transit time is learning time with Headway, now an extra $10 off

Travel is all about broadening your horizons. But when you’re at the airport, stuck in a cab, or on a train, it can feel pretty restricting. Transit time is a great time to catch up on your reading, though, and when you have Headway, you can access a world of learning right from your... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-09-22 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Exclusive: See the cover for Amy Lin’s Here After.

Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Amy Lin’s debut memoir Here After, which will be published by Zibby Books in March. Here’s a bit more about the book from the publisher: Here After is an intimate story of deep love followed by dizzying loss; a stunning, taut memoir from debut... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-20 14:00:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: September 19, 2023

Kate Roberts considers the latest wave of chronic illness memoirs, which entwine the personal with the sociopolitical. | Lit Hub Memoir It’s a banger week for new books: Here are 28 out today. | The Hub 38 literary movies and TV shows to watch this fall (brought to you by writers who deserve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-19 10:30:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Father and Son,’ by Jonathan Raban

Jonathan Raban’s “Father and Son” is a memoir of illness and recovery paired with a parental history. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-18 09:01:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: September 15, 2023

Terrell Tannen recalls trying to adapt Jim Harrison’s novels for Hollywood—and making a friend in Harrison along the way. | Lit Hub Memoir “I can’t approve of this movie, and by all rights, I could hate it. But I am enthralled.” Annie Berke revisits The Notebook adaptation, (nearly) 20 years... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-15 10:30:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Memoir of Contested Illness That Takes On the Legacy of Hysteria

Emily Wells is interested in what her doctors see when they look at her: a depressed or anxious woman, perhaps even one who is faking sickness for attention. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2023-09-14 00:04:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pulitzer Prizes Expand Eligibility to Noncitizens

The jury for the memoir category had raised concerns that the citizenship requirement was excluding a large part of American culture. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-12 21:31:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Deals: Week of September 11, 2023

Holt buys a posthumous memoir from Hilary Mantel, Liselle Sambury sells a YA dark academia fantasy to McElderry, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Why Would Anyone Become a Politician?

Rory Stewart’s new memoir about his life in politics details his dawning realization that the game was not worth the effort. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2023-09-07 12:26:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


8 Amazing New Nonfiction Books to Read in September 2023

You *can* handle the truth with these eight incredible nonfiction reads to kick your fall reading season off right, including Thicker than Water: A Memoir by Kerry Washington. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-09-07 10:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this