Synopses & Reviews
From a legendary music journalist with four decades of unprecedented access, an insiderand#8217;s behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll. and#160;
Lisa Robinson has interviewed the biggest names in musicand#151;including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z, and Kanye West. She visited the teenage Michael Jackson many times at his Encino home. She spent hours talking to John Lennon at his Dakota apartmentand#151;and in recording studios just weeks before his murder. She introduced David Bowie to Lou Reed at a private dinner in a Manhattan restaurant, helped the Clash and Elvis Costello get their record deals, was with the Rolling Stones on their jet during a frightening storm, and was mid-flight with Led Zeppelin when their tour manager pulled out a gun. A pioneering female journalist in an exclusive boysand#8217; club, Lisa Robinson is a preeminent authority on the personalities and influences that have shaped the music world; she has been recognized as rock journalismand#8217;s ultimate insider.
A keenly observed and lovingly recounted look back on years spent with countless musicians backstage, after-hours, and on the road, There Goes Gravity documents a lifetime of riveting stories, told together here for the first time.
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Review
"Sparkling with dry-yet-gossipy wit... leave[s] readers wanting more... whets the appetite for a continuation of Robinson's analyses of a business she not only witnessed, but affected." -
BUST
"[A] compulsively readable spring book ... an all-access pass to rock 'n' roll history." - Departures
"Filled with candid stories about the women (and men) who make the rock world go round, by... one of the few female journalists along for the ride." - Elle, featured in the April 2014 "Must-Do Checklist"
“A lifetime of memories from classic rocks heyday by one of the finest rock journalists of her generation….Its a fantastic collection of stories, partially due to the fact that Robinson is a top-notch writer and partly since she enjoyed completely unfettered access and the genuine friendship of figures ranging from John Lennon to Phil Spector….The scope of Robinsons memoir lends it an extraordinary spirit.” - Kirkus (starred)
“Fascinating…Plenty of music fans will be more than ready for this…genial and opinionated walk on the wild side.” - Booklist
"It is Robinson's voice, straightforward and intimate, that makes this work stand out from the pack....A particularly entertaining rock and roll memoir that will appeal to a wide audience." - Library Journal
"There Goes Gravity is a fast, fun read with delectable serving-sized chapters of rock and roll history... [Robinson's] stories are priceless, sharing excerpts from interviews old and new, as well as behind the scenes snapshots many people are not privy to." - Glide
Review
Praise for
There Goes Gravity and#160;
and#8220;A little history, a little criticism, and a ton of gossip: Thatand#8217;s the recipe for Robinsonand#8217;s compulsively readable chronicle of her own years as one of Americaand#8217;s preeminent rock journalists.and#8221; and#8212;People (four-star review)
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and#8220;Robinsonand#8217;s declarative, almost brusque prose feels like a balm. Sheand#8217;s a precise, clear-eyed, and appealing narrator, whether sheand#8217;s describing the state of American room service in the mid-1970sand#8230;or the Clash after the eviction of Mick Jones.and#8221; and#8212;Chicago Tribune
and#8220;[A] fantastic collection of stories, partially due to the fact that Robinson is a top-notch writer and partly since she enjoyed completely unfettered access and the genuine friendship of figures ranging from John Lennon to Phil Spector.and#8230;The scope of Robinsonand#8217;s memoir lends it an extraordinary spirit.and#8221; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Synopsis
From a legendary journalist with four decades of unprecedented access and untold stories, an insiders behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll.
Lisa Robinson has interviewed everyone from John Lennon to Bono to Patti Smith, Eminem to Lady Gaga to Jay-Z and Kanye West. Shes talked nail polish with a twelve-year-old Michael Jackson, hosted The Clash at Studio 54, and introduced Lou Reed to David Bowie over filet mignon in a Manhattan restaurant. She helped Elvis Costello and The Clash get their record deals. She had total access to the punk scene at CBGBs, was on a private plane with the Rolling Stones during a lightning storm and with Led Zeppelin when their tour manager pulled out a gun. Unlike any other journalist who covered this world, she was the only woman to break into this exclusive boys' club. The story of rock and roll for the last four decades is Lisa Robinsons story. She has lived and breathed music the sound, the scene, the personalities and she shares her stories all together here for the first time.
About the Author
Lisa Robinson is a contributing editor at
Vanity Fair, where she has produced music issues and written many major profiles over the past fourteen years. Prior to that, she was a longtime columnist for the
New York Post, was syndicated by the
New York Times Syndicate, and was an editor of several rock magazines. Robinson was born in New York City, where she still resides.
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