Rock Journalist Lisa Robinson

“Lisa is the only one who is actually writing about rock and roll.” — ANNIE LEIBOVITZ “A lifetime of memories from . . . one of the finest rock journalists of her generation . . . A backstage pass to the greatest circus of the 20th century.” —KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW “Plenty of music fans will be more than ready for this circuitous, genial, and opinionated walk on the wild side.”—BOOKLIST “Pioneering music journalist Robinson . . . combined in-depth access to artists’ inner circles, an uncanny ability to get in on the ground floor of hot new acts, and an outsider’s perspective as a professional woman in the ­male-dominated world of rock to make her columns and interviews among the most influential of her generation . . . The focus may be on the artists, but 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 For the past four decades, Lisa Robinson has had unparalleled access to the biggest names in music: John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z. She introduced David Bowie to Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, sat around a pool with a 12 year old Michael Jackson at his Encino home, and spent many hours talking with Lennon at his Dakota apartment. She helped The Clash and Elvis Costello get their record deals, 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. Lady Gaga invited her to her parents’ home and cooked her a pasta meal. As the author of countless Vanity Fair cover stories—including this November’s issue featuring Jay Z—as well as a longtime columnist for the New York Post and editor of several rock magazines, Lisa Robinson has earned the title of rock journalism’s ultimate insider. She is a preeminent authority on the personalities and influences that have shaped the music world. THERE GOES GRAVITY: A Life in Rock and Roll (Riverhead Books; On sale April 22) documents a lifetime of riveting stories, many told for the first time in this book. Since the early 1970’s, Lisa Robinson has traveled extensively with these musicians, earning their trust and capturing the hidden side of rock’s most public personas. She’s been on the side of the stage, backstage, in dressing rooms, swanky hotels, seedy motels, tour buses, recording studios, and the private homes of the biggest stars. Notably, Robinson was a pioneering female journalist in a male-dominated world that rarely allowed women any respectable access. She earned and maintained the esteem of all these top musicians, and the results are four decades of her interviews, her journals, her notes, and her memories. THERE GOES GRAVITY delivers scintillating behind the scenes details and revealing stories, but it is also a journey through the last forty years of music history, told by the ground-breaking female journalist who lived through it all. Robinson thoughtfully traces the many evolutions of rock, the influences that gave birth to punk and rap, and the impact of rock on art and fashion. She paints an intimate and cohesive portrait of the music world that powerfully connects the personalities and the music they created from the early 70’s through to the present day. * * * Lisa Robinson is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair, where she has produced all the music issues, music portfolios, and written many major music pieces for the past ten years. Prior to that, she was a longtime music columnist for the New York Post. She has been the editor of several rock magazines and a contributing editor at Spin. She lives in New York. THERE GOES GRAVITY • LISA ROBINSON • Riverhead Books • Publication Date: April 22, 2014 •ISBN: 978-1-59448-714-9 • Price: $27.95