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Title: File under: Paying his dues
Review: Joe Jackson became world-famous when "Is She Really Going Out With Him" hit the radio airwaves in 1978. But he didn't come out of nowhere to score a worldwide top-10 hit. In his book, "A Cure For Gravity," he documents his life prior to his big break. Jackson's goal was to be a composer, but somehow the musical experiences that molded his musically formative years steered him into writing and performing. A book about Jackson's career starting in 1978 could span an entire second full-length memoir -- this book is quite substantial. Of note: Jackson wrote the book without the aid of a ghostwriter, which makes the words his own. And although he's no John Grisham (thankfully), the book is quite readable and very intelligent. Obviously, Jackson is as much a perfectionist with a pen as he is with a piano.
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