Nevermind, what was it anyway? I wanted to let the buzz of publisher-initiated PR coverage fade before settling down and reading Kim Gordon’s Girl in a Band. The author bio inside the back cover describes her as a musician, vocalist, actress, writer and I reminded myself she’s also an artist, clothing design and mother too. I’ve loved her work for some twenty years. I was intrigued to add this memoir to my knowledge of her writing gleaned from the collections Dissonatine and Is it My Body. Gordon has really earned her reputation as one kick-ass creative individual. But on closing the book I felt sad. The back cover blurb had stated that a shy and sensitive soul lives beneath the exterior cool of Gordon’s stage persona, but the book kept that interior safely hidden and out of reach. The first hundred pages whip by in a blizzard of description with barely a whisper of emotion. Her father dies of Parkinson’s disease and we learn of the changes to living arrangements necessary for his care. Her brother’s mental illness is touched upon — she suggests his bullying as a critical component in forging her personality — but the manifestations of his issues are sparingly sketched and we never learn … Continue reading Kim Gordon – Girl In A Band